A simple chicken coop construction method

This is how I build basic chicken tractors. There are two versions in the pictures but I don't recommend the larger one if you want to move it by hand. The large one is 14x5 ft and is much too heavy to move easily even with two people. It was the first one I built and since then I make them 8x4 ft which only takes three 2x6's or even 2x4's if your ground is level. I use pressure treated lumber for the bottom rails and regular lumber and exterior grade plywood for everything else.

1. The process is simple using a Kreg Pocket hole jig.
2. Cut one 2x6 in half and make 4 pocket holes on the outside and 2 on the inside edges of each end of the shorter boards. You can use fewer pocket holes with 2x4's
3. Screw the short boards inside the two longer sides using the 2 1/2 or 2 5/8 inch pocket hole screws in a weather resistant blue coat or McFeelys coating.
4. Glue and screw 3 to 4 ft long 2x2 uprights into each corner and in the middle of the long sides. I used polyurethane Gorilla glue since it is completely waterproof but Tightbond III would also work.
5. Attach 3" wide strips of plywood or 1x3 pine around the top edge reinforcing the corners.
6. Make roof trusses from strips of plywood or 1x3 pine with a butt block over the center joint and screw them to the 2x2 uprights. Do not use a flat roof as you see in the larger coop since it does not work well. Rain collects and breaks things. I found it almost impossible to create effective drainage from a flat roof system using tarps or flexible roofing. A flat metal roof might work if it has adequate support. The peaked roof with wire under it is much better and more predator proof.
7. Chicken wire comes in several heights so make the sides a height that leaves a short skirt along the bottom edge. If predators become a problems you can weight the edge of the wire down to keep them out. Most of the time the skirt is enough by itself. If predator pressure is high it is possible to cover the bottom of the coop with garden fence wire with a 2x4 mesh to keep them out while still allowing the birds to scratch. Be aware that over time dogs can dig a hole near the corners sufficient to let the birds get out. Once out they are easy prey. The way to prevent this is to move the coop frequently or cover the bottom as noted above.
8. This coop design is flexible and should allow space for three hens easily. This is enough to keep a family of 2-4 people in eggs for the week. I average about 2 eggs per hen every three days for about a six to eight eggs a week.
9. The coop with the pitched roof has nest boxes above the door the birds come in and out of and is accessible from the outside for food and retrieving of eggs. I use a flat-back bucket with nipples for watering and it works well. Just put a screw hook into the 2x2 on the long side near the door. It can be filled from outside and removed through the door for cleaning.
10. I have found that the best way to attach the chicken wire to the coop is to use small scraps of plywood about 2 1/2 inches to a side with two screws to each. Dogs can pull the arrow T-50 staples out. I have been tempted to get a crown molding stapler and may do that if I expand the flock.

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This is the most recent incarnation of the basic concept. With wheels at one end and rope on the other it is easy to pick up the front and move it forward 8 or 9 feet at a time. Doing this once or twice a week keeps the birds from destroying the grass and gives them access to fresh food. If you move them along spent garden beds they will remove most of the bad soil bug larva and till in any waste plant material and their poops will add fertility. As they move off of a section plant it in green manure cover crops. After a month or two bring them back over the bed to till in the cover crop. This coop took about three hours to build by myself. Cost was less than $50 but I already had most of the hardware. It is roofed with the corrugated plastic roofing but I will use econo metal roofing in the future since it is cheaper and last much longer.

This coop is designed as a stand alone coop that could keep two or three hens full time with out an external run. The feeder hangs from the bottom of the nest boxes. This has been my most successful design yet.

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This coop is designed as a range shelter inside the electro net and as such is simpler in design. The small shelf is attached to to the bottom side rail and is used for the feeder to keep it off the ground and out of the rain. It also lets the feeder move with the feeder to help prevent excess wear and tear on the ground in one spot. on the right and behind the coop the electro net I buy from Premier1 fencing can be seen as well as the charger I use to energize it. Electronet works; I have seen a neighbors dog come in and run at the net trying to go over it. When the first shock hit the dog practically turned himself inside out running away. He won't go near it at all. It won't harm them but they get a healthy respect for it very fast.

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