by Corcceigh Green

Need to build a chicken coop that is fast to put up and inexpensive, yet will protect your flock from the elements and predators? Just build a box in the chicken yard and add some floors and a roof. The chickens will love their new home. Here’s how to do it.

You’ll need some plywood. I used 3/4 inch plywood, but 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch will work just as well. You’ll also need 4 4X4 posts, 11 2X4s, an old camper canopy, some bolts and nuts, wood screws and nails, 2 hinges and a door latch. The tools you’ll need are post-hole diggers, a hammer, a level, screw driver, carpenter’s saw or radial saw, 2 wrenches, a shovel and a rake.

Find a space on your property to build your coop and chicken yard. Your coop will be as long and as wide as your camper canopy. I actually found a used canopy in very good shape left at the dump. The interior was intact, the exterior was in excellent shape and there are no cracks or broken windows. In essence, the canopy was in usable condition. I thought this would make an excellent roof for a shed or coop, so I brought it home. Another point in favor of this canopy is that it is not the thin aluminum type. This canopy is made of wood veneer in the interior with a coated aluminum exterior with insulation sandwiched between. This set-up was sure to keep the interior of the coop warm and dry.

Measure the dimensions of your canopy and mark those dimensions on the ground where you plan to build the coop. Your first task is to dig a post hole in each corner of your marked area. Don’t worry about the terrain or whether part of the area is lower or higher. You’ll simply dig a post hole in the lowest area first. Set the post in the ground to the depth you want the height of the coop’s wall to be.

Now, cut two, 2X4s to the length dimension of your canopy. Place one of the 2X4s on the ground next to your mark for the length of your canopy to be sure your marks are correct. Dig another post hole at the correct spot to sink another 4X4 post on the same lengthwise dimension. To make certain your canopy will mount evenly, place you 2X4 across the tops of each post and place your level on top of the 2X4. If the bubble on your level is not yet centered, remove the 2X4, then remove the post from the hole and continue to dig or fill in the hole, as the case warrants to make the posts the same height.

As you set your posts in the ground, make certain they are lined up by placing the 2X4 along their outward facing sides. Arrange your posts so that the 2X4 lies flat against the sides of the posts. This ensures a straight and aligned side wall.

Next, cut two, 2X4s to the width dimension of your canopy. Place one of the 2X4s on the ground next to your mark for the width of the canopy to be sure your marks are correct. Dig another post hole at the correct spot to sink another 4X4 post on what will be the back side of your coop, opposite of the front where the door will be. To make certain your canopy will mount evenly, place you 2X4 across the tops of each of the back wall posts and place your level on top of the 2X4. If the bubble on your level is not yet centered, remove the 2X4, then remove the post from the hole and continue to dig or fill in the hole, as the case warrants to make the posts the same height.

Next, set up a post for another lengthwise wall. Repeat the procedure for sinking the first two lengthwise posts. When finished, you will have sunk four posts which will be squared and raised to the correct height. I suggest cutting the posts to six feet and sinking the posts to near two feet into the earth for stability. The depth you sink the posts will vary, since you are making allowance for the difference in terrain.

After sinking the posts, nail the lengthwise 2X4s across the tops. Nail the 2X4s cut to width dimension across the front and back wall posts. Situate the 2X4s so that they are even with the lengthwise 2X4s’ height and nail in place. Measure along the ground level between the front and back width areas of your posts and cut two more 2X4s to these width dimensions and nail them along the bottom. The bottom dimensions will not be the same as the top dimensions because of the uneven terrain.

Now, measure along ground level between your width posts and cut two 2X4s to these dimensions. Toe-nail the 2X4s between the posts. Measure between the lengthwise posts to find the halfway distance between the posts in the 2X4s and mark the point. Now, measure the distance from the inside of the bottom 2X4s at the halfway point to the inside of the top 2X4s.

Cut two 2X4s to these dimensions and nail them in place at the halfway point. Also, measure a place at the front of your coop’s frame for a door. Measure a distance from one of the corner posts just wide enough for a wheel barrow. Mark this area, then measure the distance from the inside of the bottom 2X4 to the inside of the top 2X4. Cut another 2X4 to this dimension and nail in place on your mark. This will look lop-sided, but that’s OK. You weren’t measuring to place a door in the center. Your door will be to one side of your coop‘s front wall.

Next, you will want to put the wall up on your coop. Simply carry the plywood sheets to the coop and place them flatly against the wall frame. Make certain the sheet is lined up fairly evenly with the vertical edge of one of the posts. This won’t be perfect because the ground won’t be even, but that’s OK. Just make sure the sheet does not hang over the edge of the post and that there is no gap between the sheet and the post on the inside where the coop must be enclosed. While someone holds a sheet in place, use a pencil to draw a line on the sheet where it overhangs on the edge of the rear post. The line won’t be straight because the sheet will be setting on the ground, which will be left uneven. Again, this is fine. Cut the sheet along the line and nail in place where the sheet was held. Repeat this procedure on all walls except the front wall where you’ll put in the door.

To make the front wall of the chicken coop, measure the distance from the edge of the post that will hold a sheet of plywood to make the wall and the middle of the 2X4. Measure from the top of the post to the top of the 2X4, then measure from the bottom of the post to the bottom of the 2X4. Measure across the top of the plywood sheet to the same dimension as across the tops of the post and 2X4 and mark the spot with a pencil. Repeat the process on the bottom of the plywood sheet for the dimensions across the bottoms of the post and 2X4. Connect these marks using a pencil and straight edge. Cut along the line. Nail the sheet in place.

Now, you’ll need to make the door. Cut a scrap of plywood sheet to cover the width of the post as well as it’s entire length. You will nail this to the outer edge portion of the post as shown in the photo.

Next, measure the opening of your entry way and mark these dimensions onto a sheet of plywood and cut. Hang on the wall with two hinges and a latch to keep closed as shown in the photo.

Leave a little tolerance in your measurements to allow the wood to swell. This will guarantee that you can still shut the door in wet weather.

You will notice as you put up the plywood walls that the fit is uneven and the plywood does not reach all the way to the top of the wall. That’s fine. You’re not building the Taj Mahal. It’s a chicken coop and it doesn’t have to look good. It just has to be functional, so some gaps between fit on the posts are allowable if those gaps only expose posts and do not allow cold air and rain or snow in. You’ll also notice that you’ll have scrap pieces of plywood after cutting sheets to size. Use these scraps to cut pieces that you’ll use to nail to the frame in order to close up the walls where the plywood sheets did not reach.

Notice the lines of black caulking in the photo above. This is where a sheet of plywood was not tall enough to reach to the top of the frame and scrap plywood was nailed in place to cover the wall. Caulking was used to make a water tight seal.

The canopy was put into place next and holes were drilled into the 2X4s where the canopy’s bolt down points were drilled into the canopy frame. The canopy was permanently bolted down with bolts and nuts and the seam caulked.

I left the floor natural for a few weeks in the summer so the chickens could take advantage of the grass and greens growing in the space. As autumn and winter began to come on, I put in a plywood floor. This type of coop has no foundation other than the posts sunk into the ground. Therefore, it is vulnerable to rain water and snow melt running inside the coop from under the walls. A wet floor is a threat to your chickens’ health. It’s best to get the floor up and off the ground to keep it dry.

To do this, measure the distance between posts on the inside of the coop width ways and cut two 2X4s to these dimensions. Also, measure between the 2X4s at the mid point in the walls and cut two 2X4s to these dimensions. Work from the part of the coop where the terrain is at the highest and work to the lowest point. Place one of the 2X4s at the high point of the coop. Place the 2X4 1 inch above ground level on the post where the ground is highest. Have someone hold the 2X4 in place while you place a level on top of the 2X4 and place the other end against the opposite post, then manipulate the 2X4 until the level shows it is even. When even, nail the 2X4 in place. Work downhill from your first 2X4. Your next 2X4 should be nailed across the 2X4s that are holding the mid point of the coop’s side walls. Place a scrap piece of straight, not warped, 2X4 across the 2X4 you just nailed in placed and the 2X4 you’re about to nail in place. Situate the scrap 2X4 nearest one of the walls. Place the level on the scrap 2X4 and raise the floor support 2X4 until the level’s bubble is centered. Have someone hold the 2X4 in place and repeat the process on the opposite wall, then nail the 2X4 in place. Repeat this until you have nailed floor support 2X4s across each of your posts and both sides of your 2X4s that are at the mid point of your walls.

Next, bring in a sheet of plywood and lay on top of the floor support 2X4s. Mark the areas to be cut to allow the sheet to fit around the posts and wall support 2X4s and fit flush against the wall. When these areas are marked, remove the sheet and cut out the areas. Place the sheet back into the coop on top of the floor support 2X4s and fit flush against the wall, then nail in place. Measure the remaining area and cut a sheet to those dimensions. Place the sheet inside on the floor and mark areas to cut out so that the sheet will fit around the wall support 2X4 and posts. Cut those areas out and place the sheet back in and fit it against the wall, then nail in place. Lay a thick layer of pine shavings on top of the floor to keep the chickens warm, comfortable, and to give them a soft area for dusting and picking around. This floor will keep your chickens high and dry when the ground is cold and wet.

Photo above shows the construction of the floor. The floor and supports lie above the ground and protect the chickens from moisture and cold in the absence of a foundation.

Further comfort can be afforded your chickens by adding a heat lamp to the coop. Use a hole saw to cut a hole large enough in a wall to allow electrical wiring in. Cut some material from an old rubber boot to fit over the hole and wiring. Cut a slit in the material, then place it over the hole and wiring. Screw this in place with wood screws and you will have added electricity to your coop for a heat lamp.

The black patch on the left of the photo with the orange wiring protruding through is material cut from an old rubber boot used to protect the electrical wiring inlet from the weather.

This coop will benefit from a coat of paint, but it is not necessary. This coop will protect your chickens and give them a comfortable home for years to come.

North Woods Traders
Survival Gear, Information, Old Time Americana

Return to Green Mountain/Upriver Journal

Return to The Independent American Home Page.