Getting started on a DIY chicken coop is a wonderful idea.  For anyone who has chickens and needs a new or larger coop, the idea of building it on your own may seem a bit overanxious at first but once you get going you’ll see how easy it can be.  A DIY chicken coop project can be relatively easy and a whole lot of fun as long as you know what you’re doing.  For one thing you’re going to want to make one of your first decisions how much square footage this coop is going to end up.

Of course this decision should be largely based on the number of chickens you have to hold in the coop.  It should be smaller sized but large enough that the chickens will have room to run around in and won’t be squashed up against each other.  If you’re planning to add more chickens as you go along, keep even more space in the coop so that you’ll have room for future birds.  Another of the best DIY chicken coop tips is to install lighting on a timer.

When the lighting has its own timer, you won’t ever need to worry about constantly going back in to turn the light on or off.  Even just a couple of lights installed in the top of the coop will be enough and by having them set on a timer they’ll go off automatically.  This will also save with energy costs and help with egg production during the winter months.  For people living in a colder climate, while chickens and hens are able to withstand pretty cold temperatures, it will be best to include a built-in heater in the coop design.

For those people who live in an urban area, there are a few other aspects that are important to get figured out.  Whereas in more rural areas this is not such a concern, if you’re living in or near a larger city and the birds were to escape you wouldn’t want them to end up on the road and get hit by a car.  Five nest boxes per hen is usually adequate, so make sure that you include in this in your design.  There should be 6-10 inches between each nesting box so the chickens have room to roost their eggs.

Hens don’t like to be kept too close when they’re roosting and having space between them will keep them from fighting.  Make sure that your design is completely finished before worrying about buying any supplies.  One of the best things about building your own chicken coop is that if later on down the line something needs fixing, you can do it no problem because you’re the one who built the original structure.  Once the design is finished you can get to start on buying materials and building the coop.