# Hen house plans!



## Harrison (Mar 26, 2013)

Hey everyone I keep chickens at my farm and I want to keep a few at home dose anyone have any plans/drawings for a hen house that could home 4-5 hens I would be very grateful


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## theHomesteadRed (Mar 23, 2013)

Don't make fun of me ok? ;-)
I used the Williams Sonoma website to help me design. I would never buy one there because they're way too much money for something j can do myself, but they're way cute! Lol! 
Good luck!


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

Here are some photos of the building of my coop for a visual. For5 to 6 hens I would make a simple box that is 4 feet deep by 6 feet long. That gives you a solid 4 square feet per bird. With a door in the center for simple cleaning, a roost on the one side, two or three nest boxes on the other side with a door to the outside for egg collection. Then, next to the nest boxes on the right you can have a mini chicken door and attach a covered run, especially if you get bad weather in the winter the hens still can go outside and dig through straw or hay.

I have mine on blocks, and I highly recommend it so that rats don't build nests under the coop. My girls love to hang out under the coop when it's hot or when it's raining really hard. For cleaning, I just slide a tarp under the door and pull everything out with a hoe and rake, then drag the tarp to the garden.

As for the roof, I went with a translucent one, however, 6 years later it isn't holding up. I like the light it provides, but a hen flew out of the tree and put a large hole in it, so most of it needs replaced. We are going with metal for the edges (the wind rolls them up and cracks them) with two panels of translucent for light. I also have ventilation windows on either of the tall sides. Ventilation is VERY important.


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## rob (Jun 20, 2012)

i love the ideas people come up with for coops, you cant beat a home made coop.


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

Beautiful construction!


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

Hard to tell from the pictures...._but...._What did you use for flooring inside the coop? It looks good.


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## Roslyn (Jun 21, 2012)

ReTIRED said:


> Hard to tell from the pictures...._but...._What did you use for flooring inside the coop? It looks good.


Well, after I posted the photos I noticed that the floor looked a lot like.............hardwood floor!! 

However, it is linoleum. My husband found a piece that fit exactly at a job site and hauled it home for $0. My favorite price!! It seals the wood floor beneath from any water that might spill and it's super easy to clean the bedding off of.

Only issue is if you don't have a nice layer of shavings and straw it's a tad bit slippery to chicken feet.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

For only a few hens I would just google hen house and try make one but tweak it to my liking. Like a previous poster mentioned 4sq ft per bird and your golden.


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

Can you get us pics of the space you have to place the coop?


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## theHomesteadRed (Mar 23, 2013)

Question: I'm sure, a dumb question, when they're talking about sq feet per bird, are they counting vertical feet also? Like roosting space and nesting boxes or JUST floor space?


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## InnKeeper (Feb 17, 2013)

theHomesteadRed said:


> Question: I'm sure, a dumb question, when they're talking about sq feet per bird, are they counting vertical feet also? Like roosting space and nesting boxes or JUST floor space?


If you count vertical space, it would be cubic feet. So I'm thinking its meant to be floor space measurements.


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## theHomesteadRed (Mar 23, 2013)

Oh yea. Duh. Red head moment! Lol! ;-) thanks


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

I'm thinking 3D. I'd use that an err on the side of caution. We used 3D measurements in vet school.


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