10 Chicken Coop Necessities

November 05, 2016

Everyone has advice on how to make the best chicken coop ever- there are thousands of plans to build your own and many options to purchase a pre-built coop. Through trail and error, we have compiled the absolutely most important aspects of a chicken coop that makes the minimal amount of work for the chicken keepers and the best life for the chickens.

#1 1/4 Inch Hardware Cloth & Two Step Latches

Slap hardware cloth over EVERY SINGLE opening, window, even the tiniest holes you see in your coop. It seems like a hassle, but it can reality be a lifesaver for your chickens. Chicken wire and other various "protectors" only work to keep chickens in. Any predator can easily rip right through it. Weasels can squeeze through holes and raccoon and reach their arms through holes. Want to keep out the coons? I do! Hence why we have installed two step latches onto all of our coops. It is much more secure and I can sleep tight without worrying about my girl's safety.

#2 PVC Feeders

We started with the typical feeders. We encountered many problems with them- the hanging ones the girls would unscrew and knock down over time, the floor ones would get full of chicken poop and pine shavings, and both wasted a TON of chicken feed. These feeders are absolutely the BEST- they stay full for a long time, the girls can't scratch any feed out or kick any shavings in, and they are extremely durable. You can also make a smaller one for grits and oyster shells.

#3 Entryway

This seems luxurious- an entryway for a chicken coop? Let me just say, ours was the best 2 foot decision I ever could have made! Not only does it provide much welcomed shelter from wind, snow, and rain, it also provides a much needed place to keep chicken feed, hay, egg crates, and all of your medical necessities. It is a great way to keep all of your chicken stuff organized.

#4 Metal/Plastic Nest boxes

Yes, chickens need nest boxes. We have tried many things including litter containers and apple crates. When we scored a FREE old industrial nest box system it was love at first sight! the plastic and metal is much easier to clean than wood, which absorbs bacteria and is hard to clean.

#5 Space

Unless you live somewhere with a 4 chicken limit, build the coop twice as big as the eventual amount of chickens you plan to have. Chicken math is a real thing. We planned to have 10 laying hens, max, and somehow now have over 30. Thankfully our first coop we built to accommodate at least 20 birds if necessary. Having a walk in coop makes my life a lot easier- I prefer it to the smaller coop we have that is harder to access the girls.

#6 2X4 Roosts

Yes, branch roosts are beautiful and seem so much more natural. No, they don't do a good job protecting chicken's feet from frostbite in the winter. Using 2x4s gives the girls a place to lay their feet flat (which is better for them) and cover their feet with their nice warm feathers.

#7 Ventilation

Think you have enough? Add some more! Plenty of windows and ventilation can be a lifesaver (and lung saver) in the hot summer months.

#8 Pop Door System

This will make your life so much easier. Just pull the string, tie it on, and you don't have to worry about it for the rest of the day. No props to hold it up or things that can fail and leave the girls stuck outside of the coop with no food or water.

#9 Cinder Blocks

It took me over a year of trial and error to finally figure out an affordable method to keep the water clean and the pine shavings dry. The bucket waterer was promising, but it leaked all over the coop and created a much bigger mess. The waterers constantly were spilling, getting knocked over, roosted on, and creating a lot of mess and work for me to deal with. Simply putting it up on cinder blocks keeps it high enough that the girls cant kick any gross things into it and eliminates all spilling.

#10 Vinyl Flooring

Go to your local hardware store and ask for seconds on Vinyl flooring. Get the cheapest you can find and install it on the floor of your coop. Not only does it protect the floor from water damage, but it makes cleaning the coop an absolute breeze.

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Last but not least, here are some coop decor inspiration pictures! For most decor isn't a necessity, but for us it is. It makes our little homestead that much more unique and adds just a little bit more joy each time we go out to the coop.