Small Chicken Coop Plans and Designs Ideal For a Simple Construction Project

Small chicken coop plans are mostly easy to build and require a minimum amount of money and time to finish. Here, we present some design ideas based on simple construction plans.
Plan 1
You're going to need chicken wire or wire mesh, wood and a tarp. The size of the wire mesh would depend on how small or big you want your coup to be. Old wire fences and scrap wood can be used if you don't want to spend too much money on materials.
Create a framing using wood. Your shape can be square or you can make it igloo-like. If it's the former, create a wood foundation and cover the open spaces with the wire mesh.
If it's to be an igloo-shaped coop, bend the wire mesh in the shape of an inverted letter U and anchor it on the ground with wood. Use a tarp to cover part of the coup, but with enough space to let the air in and out. Tarp covering allows for flexibility; you can cover a bigger area when it rains or remove it during good weather.
Plan 2
If you want a mobile coup, use a wagon-based construction design. You can use an old wagon or build one yourself. Wooden wagon with a handle and one wheel in front and two wheels at the back would be best.
The wood wagon would serve as the flooring. Use wire mesh to cover all four sides. You can also use it on the roof and just use tarp as top covering or install an aluminum or wooden roof.
Anchor the wagon on the ground so that it doesn't wobble or you can create locks for the three wheels. Anytime you want to move the coop from one place of the backyard to another, you just grab the handle and drag it to where you want it to go.
Plan 3
Some of the simplest coup designs make use of pre-built dog houses. They are either attached to a wire mesh to create duplex-like coops or are used as stand alone structures.
Inside the dog house, put perches, nests, water and feed containers and other necessities for the chickens. Use a wooden plank to provide a catwalk so that chickens can climb up to the elevated house or climb down to the ground.
These small chicken coop plans have simple designs and are quite easy to build. Construction details are not too complicated to follow and money would not be a problem since they do not require you to spend much.
You will find more Chicken Coop Ideas and consumer reports on the best chicken building guides available at http://www.diybuildchickencoop.com

Small Chicken Coop Plans - A DIY Guide

Not everyone needs a massive, traditional hen house, and if you're looking to keep just a couple of chickens in your backyard there is absolutely no need to build one. The internet can provide you with an assortment of small chicken coop plans. This article explains the 2 most popular types, and helps you get started with building right away.
The A-Frame Chicken Coop
This is the most basic, common type of small chicken coop. Plans can be found in your local hardware store, or downloaded from the internet. The design consists of around 12 lengths of treated pine or cedar. Chicken wire is "wrapped" around the frame, which makes for a safe, secure coop. Of course, it's not quite as simple as that, but hopefully you get the drift.
Advantages of building this kind of chicken coop are that it's portable, reasonable attractive, and kid-proof. You can even attach a few bits of plywood to enclose one end, effectively making a separate nesting area. This will boost your egg yields significantly, as the chickens will be more relaxed when nesting.
The Chicken Ark
This model of chicken coop is becoming a lot more popular in recent years. It's only slightly more complex than the a-frame coop, but provides your flock with a lot of extra space. It generally utilizes 2 floors - downstairs for grazing, and upstairs for laying.
As previously stated, this design isn't too complex, but will require more lumber, chicken wire, and plywood. You'll also want to give it a paint, as there is much more exposed wood, which may not look too pretty.
Inexpensive Construction Materials
You'll be happy to hear that there are plenty of ways to minimize construction costs. Most small chicken coop plans will include some kind of guide on this as well. Be sure to ask neighbors for any scrap wood or wire they may have. Also think about any old furniture that can be broken down into pieces. Be creative!
To download some great small chicken coop plans, check out this Chicken Coop Plans website now.

Types of Small Chicken Coop Plans

Not all of us need a palatial chicken house. The size of your coop should always depend how big your backyard is and of course how many chickens you are planning to raise. If you want to raise 5 or less chickens then a small coop will do.
There are plenty of small chicken coop plans out there and it might be confusing on your part especially if you're a beginner.
One of the most popular small chicken coop plans is the A-frame chicken coop. You can easily build this coop in one day. Make sure it is well ventilated so that you won't have to worry about your chickens suffocating especially during the summer when it can be so hot. Try to search for a guide that includes how to build nesting boxes as well.
Most designs for the A-frame consist of 12 lengths of treated pine or cedar and chicken wire is encircled on the frame. This will make your coop safer and more secure. This is popular among hobbyists because it is attractive, kid-proof and portable.
The Chicken Arc is also one of the most popular when it comes to small chicken coop plans. It's a little bit more complicated than the A-frame but it's not that too difficult to build either. What I like about this design is that it provides extra space and it generally has 2 floors. You use the floor downstairs for grazing and then laying for upstairs. You will need more lumber, wire and plywood for this design. Paint the exposed woods to make it look pretty.
To view small chicken coop plans, feel free to stop by http://cheapestwebdeals.com/chicken-coop.php

Chicken Coops: 45 Building Plans for Housing Your Flock

Makes a great addition to any basement, bar area or game room!
Price: $19.95

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How to Build Poultry Houses, Chicken Cages And Chicken Coop Plans

These guides can teach you the basics of raising chickens, poultry housing and layout. These books cover everything from where on the property to build, to material, feeding and more.
Not only do you get chicken coop plans but also ideas for incubation, cleaning, feeding and much more.

If you are looking for some great plans, from small to large - stationary to portable - home cages to commercial coops, these are very informative and instructive books.
There are 4 complete books in total! Titles included are...

Farm Poultry Houses
Chicken House Plans
Poultry House Construction
Vintage Poultry Houses
Price: $3.99

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How to Build Animal Housing: 60 Plans for Coops, Hutches, Barns, Sheds, Pens, Nestboxes, Feeders, Stanchions, and Much More

Cows and horses, donkeys and mules, sheep and goats, pigs and fowl, even llamas are living on small farms and in backyard barnyards throughout the United States. But how and where are these critters being housed?

Author Carol Ekarius knows. In How to Build Animal Housing, she provides dozens of plans--with illustrated, step-by-step instructions--for species-specific shelters that are well ventilated, safe, appropriate for the animals, appealing, convenient, and a solid value for their owners.

The book is essential reading for anyone interested in animal health and welfare. It includes complete plans and step-by-step, illustrated instructions for sheds, coops, hutches, multipurpose barns, and economical easy-to-build windbreaks and shade structures. Ekarius covers new high-tech, portable structures made of plastics and fabrics, such as hoop houses and hen spas, as well as more traditional alternatives, such as straw-bale structures. Always practical, she enumerates the advantages and disadvantages of ready-to-build kits and modular barnyard buildings and includes designs for watering systems, feeders, chutes, stanchions, and more--the essentials that help owners keep their animals healthy and happy.

Ekarius wisely emphasizes the importance of careful planning, choosing an appropriate housing site, and complying with local zoning regulations; pest control, basic housing maintenance, and insurance costs are also discussed. Real-world advice from farmers and veterinarians on the types of housing and facilities animals like best enliven the text throughout.

How to Build Animal Housing is the most comprehensive and useful guide of its kind. For small-scale farmers, hobby farmers, do-it-yourselfers, and animal lovers, this book is indispensable.
Price: $24.95

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Chicken Coop Plans

If you are building your own chicken coop then it is best to work from a set of tried and tested chicken coop plans rather than making it up as you go. If you have a set of plans and checklist of required materials you are going to save a lot of time and money.

There are many things to take into account before you even start building your chicken coop or even deciding on which chicken coop plans you intend to build from.  You need to decide on how many chickens you intend to start out with and also how many you would ideally like to keep once you are up and running and confident with your chicken keeping.  My suggestion is that you start off with two hens until you are sure you have everything under control.  Once you are happy that you are keeping happy and healthy chickens, you could comfortably keep around six chickens without much fuss.  This is the amount most backyard chicken coops house.

Another thing you should do is survey your back yard and decide where you are going to put your chicken coop.  This is not a huge issue because my suggestion is that you build a chicken coop that can be easily moved but as long as you have room for it then it is fine.  Its great to have a movable one because the chicken poop is great for your lawn so moving it about will spread the goodness all over your yard.  It also allows the chickens to peck at new grass and bugs in the lawn.

Handy Tip: Convenient access to fresh water is important.

There are very specific requirements that your hen house must meet for your chickens to be healthy and happy egg layers.  This includes requirements for perching, lighting, nest boxes.  For example, As a rule, 6 egg layers require approximately 9 square feet (1 sq. meter) of nesting space.

One set of chicken coop plans that I think is ideal for everyone starting out in chicken raising is the 6 Chicken Double Decker Coop Plans. It has the full supplies list for the project with full step by step, easy to understand instructions and photographs that take you through each stage of the project.  It covers framing, interior, exterior, netting and covers plenty of hints and tips and even comes with some fantastic chicken care bonuses.

Technorati Tags: Chicken Coop Plans

Tags: Chicken Coop Plans

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Hazardous Chicken Coop Designs

Here's an excellent article I found at chickencoopplansblog.com regarding 'hazardous' chicken coop design:

Chicken Coop Plans: Chicken Coop Hazardous

In building a chicken coop, there are several things that folk don’t take under consideration, and they are generally things that will finish up injuring their chickens in the long run. Agree with it or not, there’s much more to creating a chicken coop than just building it and inserting your chickens, so let’s look at the potential hazards in your chicken coop plans!

Low Ceiling : you will not think about this, but chickens are birds, and simply because they don’t fly well, does not imply they do not give it their best shot. Consequently, if you’ve a low ceiling, the chickens are probably going to harm themselves when they try and fly in the coop. If it is strangely low, there’s a chance the chicken will manage to break its neck. This actually isn’t something you would like to see when you come out to feed your chickens in the morning, so remember, if you’ve got to duck while basically walking around in your coop, the ceiling is too low, that’s something to consider in your Chicken Coop Plans.

Exposed Wires : Chickens need lighting fourteen hours per day to lay correctly, and for you need a heat lamp in your Chicken Coop Designs. This doesn’t mean you need to run an extension twine across your ceiling and let it sag. When you install the heat lamp, ensure that you either wire it into the ceiling, or at least fasten the core soundly to the ceiling so that your chickens don’t start running into the hanging wire. This may also bring about a problem for you when you are going in and out of the coop, so ensure you do it the right way!

Poisons : You may necessarily have some rodents rambling your coop, and while they can get exasperating, you mustn’t set out poisons, and this is for 2 reasons.

One reason is that your chickens will eat the poison and you may find them dead the following morning. There’s one other reason, and that’s even if you are smart, and put the poison out of the reach of your loved birds, the rodent that eats the poison won’t always be that far away. In truth, your chickens will probably attempt to attack declared rodent, and likely soak up the poison that way, ending with the same result.

Bad Fence Design : if you do not design your fence correctly, your chickens will finish up dead one way or another. Ensure that you build the fence from chicken wire, or run some plastic chicken wire around the base of the fence so the chickens don’t poke their head thru it and finish up getting hurt when a predator is near.

Poor Lighting : Some folks forget that chickens do need light, and have a tendency to leave the poor birds in the dark all day. This is not just negative to their health ; it also meddles with their laying habits. Ensure that you add in decent lighting when you are doing your chicken shack designs, or you could meet with catastrophic results.

Those are a few of the major flaws in Chicken Coop Plans, and hopefully by reading this article, you’ve learned to avoid them altogether, and your chickens will live a long and productive life.

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Chicken Coop Plans That Go Unnoticed

While many towns across the nation are changing their laws to permit residents to keep some chickens, some are resolutely refusing. Even if your town allows some chickens, your neighbors might not be so welcoming. In these examples, those who need to keep some hens will have to look at Chicken Coop Designs that can fool the people next door.
If you only have some hens, this is straightforward to do. There are several chicken coop designs out there that may be camouflaged as a recycling bin or other tiny structure. Even a tiny run can be designed with slats to appear like a compost bin.
Your neighbors will not have a clue! You can even select “stealth” chickens that mix in with the environment better than others. Rhode Island Reds, Red Stars or other brown chickens are better at camouflage than some of the other breeds. You’ll even consider some of the black chickens like Australorps or Jersey Giants. Another option is to plant around your chicken enclosure. You’ll be wanting to select plants that may keep your coop and run concealed year round, but that don’t provide lots of hiding places for predators. A hedge rose or other plant that you can keep trimmed may work best. Roses are also edible, so if your chickens nibble a bit, they will not be mistreated. Don’t plant round the side that faces your place so you can enjoy watching your chickens. You will need to look at Chicken Coop Designs that look more of an application shed or other structure that any one could have in their yard. Paint the exterior to match your house and make it interesting. Neighbors are typically engaged with the view out their window, so if it appears to be nice, they will not be as inclined to moan.
These “stealth” chicken sheds can essentially use a few different designs and still not alert the locals. Be certain to cover the chicken run so your hens can’t fly out and go visiting. This may also protect them from aerial predators like hawks and eagles. If the run isn’t awfully tall, ensure you can lift the covering simply to obtain access when required. Many Chicken Coop Designs include a run. This can offer you an idea of how to approach this. Hens do make a little bit of noise when they lay eggs, so if your neighbors are still not cheerful, offer to share some fresh eggs with them when your hens start to lay. They may never protest again once they’ve tasted them. If they find your chickens more enchanting, hiding your coop will not be such a problem.
They may even decide to get some themselves, and you are going to be able to recommend them on the best chicken coop designs to think about as well as on general chicken care. You may become the area chicken expert, and before you know it you may all be swapping chicken stories and egg recipes over the back fence.
Technorati Tags: Chicken Coop, Chicken Coop Designs, Chicken Coop Plans, chicken house plans
Tags: Chicken Coop, Chicken Coop Designs, Chicken Coop Plans, chicken house plans
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