Building the best chicken coops and runs yourself is possible even if you have only basic carpentry skills. I say this because I am proof! My construction skills were never my strong point, but hey, I’m handy enough with a hammer and screwdriver around the house…I just never built a house! But, I figure since I’m going to build a chicken coop, and not a people house, I can do this.

If you’ve read our previous posts you know we’re capable of slapping some recycled stuff together and making what appears to be chicken hutches. They were not too functional, however, and were eventually rejected by our chickens. That inspired us to look into a better way to build a chicken coop that would be easy on us and acceptable to the flock. Click here to discover where we finally found the ultimate chicken coops and runs plans.

I mentioned in an earlier post that we found an eBook called “Building a Chicken Coop“ by Bill Keene. This was a real eye-opener. So much of what we were doing was wrong. Wrong for the chickens and wrong for us since we were only adding to our frustration by not making properly designed chicken coops and runs, making it hard to collect eggs, clean the coop, and feed our “gang of girls.” The guidelines that Bill Keene lays out for hen care, including how to take care of day-old chicks right through adulthood (about 6 months to your first eggs) and beyond has made our hobby much more enjoyable. No more guess work!

Properly designed chicken hutches provide a clean environment for your hens that is easy to keep that way. It will be easy to keep them healthy and happy, well fed and exercised, and ultimately, more fun for you when collecting eggs and enjoying your the company of your new feathered friends.

==> Get the Best Chicken Coops and Runs Plans Click Here <==

The plans will describe the best siting for your chicken hutches, how to orient it for the best weather exposure, and how to build it for protection from predators. Here in Hawai’i our biggest threats are dogs (who should be tied up somewhere and not running wild), hawks (who are an endangered species here), and ready…? Mongooses. Yep, we have our own brand of weasel living here who were brought to Hawai’i to kill rats. Unfortunately, rats run around at night and mongooses are daytime guys so that wasn’t such a good idea as it turns out. Mongooses do love bird eggs and young birds, and have done a number on native Hawaiian bird populations, but that’s another story! Chickens have a lot of enemies out there depending on where you live; you will find local information on what you can do to thwart their attempts to eat your little buddies!

Bottom line, you won’t have as much fun with your backyard chickens if you can’t manage them. The way to manage your flock, get good egg production, and enjoy the endlessly amusing antics of nature’s little natural comedians is to house them in properly designed and built chicken hutches. It is easy and a great project you’ll enjoy for years.

Building Chicken Coops and Runs -

Our Laughable First Attempts

Our first try at building chicken coops and runs was done without much research. It showed. We were motivated to do something quickly as our six young Ameraucana chicks were getting to the age where we could move them from the box in the bathroom to the great outdoors. We had a bunch of old wooden window frames from a renovation on our home and they seemed perfect for the job of building our chickens houses. The resulting chicken coops and runs were small, thought it seemed big enough at first since the hens were so small. But dang, they grew and the hutch was just inadequate! Pretty soon they were reluctant to go to bed in there since they didn’t have the roosting space they needed. They finally started heading for the tall hedge and picking out branches on which to (cluck here and continue reading…)

Chicken Hutches:

Build a Chicken House That Really Works

We will assume you know what kind of chicken pet you are looking for and how many. And, since most of us want eggs, not mac nuggets, let’s take a look at chicken hutches that will work for most people’s needs. First, however, we need to look at what all chicken coops and runs must have for the health and well-being of your birds.

Chickens need a certain minimum amount of space to be happy. Bad behaviors can result from crowding, so always consider increasing on the minimum requirements to make it easier on your new poultry pals as well as yourself. You may want to expand your flock at some point, too, without having to expand on the chicken hutches themselves. Each bird should have at least four square feet of floor space in your coop. So, if you plan on four birds, 16 square feet is the minimum. For the run, allow six square feet per bird. The more the better is the rule especially for (cluck here and continue reading…)