How do you set up a chicken coop properly?

Keeping your own chickens is a wonderful thing: children and adults alike enjoy it, it is not overly demanding, and you are rewarded with fresh eggs every day. Nevertheless, there are a few things to keep in mind when setting up a chicken coop so that you can offer your new feathered friends a lovely home. In the following article, we show you how to set up your chicken coop properly.

Contents

1. How big should a chicken coop be?
2. Which location is best for my chicken coop?
3. How can I make the coop safe for my chickens?
4. Which type of chicken coop is best for you and your chickens?
5. What should not be missing from a chicken coop?
6. Which outdoor area should you choose?
7. How should the outdoor area be set up?

A good rule of thumb for keeping your chickens in a species-appropriate way is that a maximum of 3 chickens or 5 bantam chickens should be kept on one square metre of coop floor space. The outdoor area should be as large as possible, or at least around 5–10 square metres per chicken. At night, chickens like to retreat to perches. Give your birds plenty of space here—around one metre for 3 chickens—to avoid squabbles. Nesting boxes provide a place where your hens can lay their eggs undisturbed. The German Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Husbandry Ordinance stipulates that at least one nesting box must be available for every seven hens.

In addition, we recommend a coop height of at least 1.80 m so that you can stand upright. This makes cleaning and feeding much easier. The nesting boxes should either be easily accessible from the inside or be openable from the outside via a flap.

If you are looking for the perfect chicken coop, it is important to think about where it should be placed. There are three perspectives and needs to consider here: first and foremost those of your chickens, but those of your neighbours and of you as the chicken keeper should not be forgotten either.

The location of the chicken coop should be carefully planned. Not only the free-range options need to be considered, but above all the lighting conditions so that enough light is available in the coop. The windows of the chicken coop should ideally face south or east. This way your chickens get enough light and the sun can warm the coop in winter. In summer, a shady spot under a tree is recommended so that the heat is somewhat reduced. Good insulation of the chicken coop helps to maintain a good indoor climate.

The location of the coop must also be easily accessible. You should also not place the coop too close to your neighbour’s fence and should inform your neighbours about your plans in advance to avoid tension.

Keeping chickens as pets has become increasingly popular in recent years. But martens, foxes and other predators are also interested in our feathered friends. It is our job to protect our chickens from these predators.
When building or buying your coop, look for a solid roof, secure walls and a sturdy door. If the coop has windows, they should also be lockable.

The coop should be well ventilated to ensure good air circulation. An automatic chicken flap provides more convenience and improves animal welfare by opening automatically every morning and closing again at sunset.

The outdoor run must also be protected against intruders. The fencing should therefore be free of gaps. An electrifiable net can be used both to deter predators and to keep the chickens securely contained.

There are different types of chicken coops. Which one is best for you depends on your needs. To make the decision easier, we have listed the different types of chicken coops here.

For your chickens’ well-being, a few points should be taken into account. The following tips can help:

A droppings board is a board mounted beneath the perch that catches the chickens’ droppings and thus prevents the bedding from becoming heavily soiled too quickly. Droppings boards are available in various designs and can either be built yourself or purchased from specialist retailers. They are usually made of wood or aluminium.

• Many chicken keepers prefer aluminium droppings boards because they are easy to clean and lightweight.
• Wooden boards, on the other hand, require more intensive cleaning because droppings can settle in the pores. However, replacing them is inexpensive.

Poultry have delicate plumage that is susceptible to mites and other pests. Accordingly, coop hygiene is important. Chickens clean themselves. Simply provide them with a dust bath with low side walls (10–15 cm) filled with play sand or quartz sand. The size can be adapted individually, but at least two chickens should be able to fit in the dust bath.
Make sure the sand is always dry and clean, and place it at a sufficient distance from the feeding area.

Proper feeding is essential in every chicken coop. Drinkers and feeders should be placed together in a separate feeding area where the animals have free access.

Rodents in particular may also help themselves to the chickens’ feed. To prevent this, a closed feeder, such as an automatic feeder, is advisable. It has a larger capacity on the one hand and automatically replenishes fresh feed on the other. Automatic feeders with a treadle flap are even safer.

There should always be enough light in the chicken coop so that the animals feel comfortable. Normally, natural light is completely sufficient. In winter, additional lighting with a timer is useful to compensate for the limited daylight. A light output of around 3 W per square metre should be planned, and the light source should not hang lower than 1.5 m. A chicken should have 14 hours of light per day.

A solid floor in the coop is important so that the chickens can move around without any problems. When choosing bedding, make sure it absorbs the animals’ droppings. Regularly changing the bedding is therefore important to prevent mites and disease.

The following materials are generally suitable as bedding:

• Sawdust
• Coconut chips
• Straw (chopped)
• Hay
• Dried grass clippings

There are several ways to create a nice outdoor area for your chickens. The following are common:

The outdoor area should have several shelter options where the chickens can find protection from weather and sunlight, as well as hiding places from birds of prey or quarrelsome flock mates. If the run is sparsely planted and offers no natural shelter, these should be added later.
Examples include:

• Old wooden benches
• Small tables
• Old compost bins
• Pallet hideaways