How to Build a Chicken Coop

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How to Build a Chicken Coop

A few years ago we purchased the oldest, ugliest small shed I’ve ever seen. We paid $75, which I thought was a lot for a piece of nothing, but hubby assured me that he could make something from it. When you are homesteading you don’t always have the best options so you make do with what you can buy or get.

Last year I told you how to build a chicken coop and how we had fixed up the inside to make it a nice little coop for our hens. Hubby invented a feeder and nests with scraps of wood and we used some old barnwood to create another layer of wall inside and make the door. We also used old feed bags to insulate the walls for wind protection.

This year we have expanded on how to build a chicken coop, and we’ve focused on fixing up the outside of the coop since we plan to sell our home soon. No one would be buying it if the coop still looked like it did! I was happy that it was a decent, functioning chicken coop, but the outside needed some TLC. Let me show you…

BEFORE

Ya, words aren’t really necessary to tell you how ugly that thing was. It worked though and we made due with it just fine until we could afford to fix it up!

In the last 3 years we also build a garage on our property. In the process of building, it was blown down, twice. (No, I’m not kidding.) We saved all the somewhat bent, scrap steel to be able to tin the chicken shed.

After just a day of work and buying a little more trim, the chicken coop now looks like this:

AFTER

Much better don’t you think? We kept the old barn wood door on the front because it looks pretty neat and now it matches our garage and house! Since we used scrap steel for this project and only purchased trim we kept our costs very low. (And if you don’t happen to have scrap steel on hand because your garage didn’t blow down, you can always ask around or watch the bargain area at Menards!)

Learn more about Homestead Living and Raising Backyard Chickens! Did you want to learn everything you wanted to know about how to build a chicken coop? Here are some other articles on what to do once it’s built!

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10 Comments

  1. We did a new coop last summer using scrap 2×4’s that my hubby brought home from the lumber mill (they would have thrown them away) and the bottom of my son’s old loft bed. We’re pretty proud of it and all the ducks and chickens enjoy it! Our first (and still standing) chicken coop was $25 and it is a moving box that the shipping company uses for overseas military moves. Chickens are not very picky about looks! 🙂 As long as it’s comfy they’re happy! By the way, very nice job on yours!

  2. How many chickens do you have? I love it! It is awesome! I haven’t been on in awhile (busy with spring garden planting, planning and we’re getting goslings and more chicks) so we’ve been quite busy. I miss your posts and am glad to be back on!

  3. thanks for sharing I was actually just looking for a chicken coop to make ours better. This is really nice!

  4. Okay, your post made me laugh…and twice on the garage blowing down? Yikes…I’m glad things are better now…and that chicken coop looks much nicer than it did before 🙂 🙂 Love and hugs from the ocean shores of CAlifornia, Heather 🙂

  5. Love the metal clad chicken coop and my favorite color too…green!
    My chickens are jealous!
    well, they will be just as soon as I tell ’em all about your chickens fancy coop.
    I love when projects come together for next to nothin’ cost wise and work…
    we just put up a ram-shackled fence around our garden and it looks alright. Best part is it keeps the chickens out.
    Soon as the weather lets up… (east TX has gotten quite a bit of rain) well, then I’ll paint the fence.

    have a great MID Week~
    Pat

  6. I’ve been wanting to get chickens for ages but haven’t found a coop in my price range. Reading this reminded me that we have a hay barn that was blown apart a few months back…which means I should be able to use bit of it to build a chicken coop 🙂

  7. I love seeing all your pictures and hearing all your stories, especially all the renovating of things. My husband and I renovated our home so I relate so much to all your hard work. I did notice that you said you were selling your home soon and wondered why with all the work you have done to the house and other areas? Thanks so much for your site!