Raising Backyard Chickens

Building a chicken coop is easier than it seems. You need to pinpoint some important matters like the materials to buy and the tools to use. Plus, you also have to consider the area where to build the suitable pen for raising your chickens.

Alright, the easy yet crucial part begins with planning. First, the area, then the size of the pen. The pen size usually depends on how many chickens will be raised. Look at the requirements for the chicken breeds you are dealing with; but in general, a bare bones minimum of 4 square feet per bird is required. Obviously more square feet per bird is better, some believe 10 square feet per bird is ideal. Birds kept too closely confined tend to peck each other and fight, not to mention the health issues that can ensue.

Novice or not, it is still better to start off with the most basic pen – using the wire and post design. Here, the materials that you’ll need are the posts, wire, and staples that can be used for fences. The tools are also basic namely a sledgehammer, the ordinary hammer, wire cutters, and crowbar.

Now that you have gathered all materials and tools, surveyed the area,  it’s time for the construction.

To start with, look at the ground you’re working on. Notice the stiffness and dryness. If it’s anything like that, you have to bring in with you a bucket full of water. This will help soften the ground. Pound the ground using the pointed tip of the crowbar. By doing this, a hole is being formed.

While pounding, occasionally pour few amounts of water in the hole to soften the ground. By leaving your crowbar inside the hole, pull your body against it. By doing so, you’ll widen the proximity of the hole. If the hole is prominent enough and is 8 inches deep, that will be sufficient. Make sure that the hole has a wideness that can hold a pole in place.

You can now put the post inside the hole that you have made, pointed tip first. Using the sledgehammer, pound the pole to the ground. Do the pounding until you are sure that it has remained firm. Sometimes, it is better to have someone hold the post for you to ensure better stability. Always practice caution and focus on what you’re doing because you might pound your assistant instead of your post.

If your first post is standing firmly, you can now start on your second, and third, and fourth, and so on. Give about 3½ feet from where the first post stands. That will determine elaborate spacing. To serve as a gate, let 2 posts stand about 5 ½ – 6 feet apart.

The moment you have firmly put all the posts in place, it’s time to put the wire around it. For this to be made possible, carry the wire on one corner then using your regular hammer, pound the fence staples at the end of the wire to the post. Once the end is tightly secured, unroll the wire going to the next post then staple the wire that touches the post. Do the unrolling and stapling process till you have completed wrapping around the entire posts.

Making a gate is also easy. All you need to gather are hinges, latch and a particle board. Start by cutting the board to fit the two ends of the posts. Now attach it together with the hinges and the latch.

Don’t forget the top! Chickens are prone to all sorts of predators, so covering the top of your chicken coop is essential for the safety of your chickens. Also, it’s wise to fan out the chicken wire on the bottom end of the sides and bury it or place larger rocks along the perimeter to keep fox and other animals from digging underneath your chicken coop.
There you have it. Raising chickens is easy as long as they have a safe, secure coop to nest in at night.

P.S. If the above instructions were not quite thorough enough for you, this ebook + the bonuses that come with it, should be more than enough to show you how to build a chicken coop and save yourself a boatload of hassle and money.

P.P.S Have you built your own chicken coop? I’d love to see some pictures!