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My husband is also into building chicken coops, inf act he is driving me crazy with the new found hobby! Lol He is running a new blog that talks all about what he has learned and gives tips and advice on what works best.

Hope that helps!

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I think this handbook will help u a lot.
It shows u what material u need, many designs u can choose, how much material
u need, and the size blah blah…It covers all things of building a chicken
coop. U can take a look of it:)

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You can use wood or materials that have been treated but not with Creosote as this may cause irritation to the eyes etc.A good alternative to a custom built coop is to buy a small shed and adapt it to suit your purposes,it will also double as a storage place for feed ,medicines etc .You also need to make it fox and rodent proof by covering the bottom with steel mesh or chicken wire.

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Google “raising chickens” WAY TOO much to answer here.

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There are two reasons for building a chicken coop off the ground: One is so the poop can fall out and be easier to deal with (chickens make a lot of poop). This would only make sense if the floor of the coop is wire mesh. The other reason is to keep predators away from the chickens – all sorts of critters like the taste of chicken (wild and domestic critters). The “box” might be a nest for them to lay eggs in.

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To tell you the truth….

I don’t like coops. My chickens free range you could say. They go as they please. They only are put up at night. It all depends on your neighbors if they like them. If you put them in a shed or garadge, place them in it with a fenced in area like a chicken wire with a top over it or a dog femce with a top over it. Then after a week of you placing them in the shed at night they will continue going on going in the shed at ducsk then lock them up. SOme people will though keep the hooded dog fence connected to the shed for extra protection, thats fine as long as they have plenty of room to move.

In the shed should have 1 nesting box per 2 chcikens, well 2 hens. So you have four hens so youll need 2 boxes. A wooden rod or thick tree limp is to be across the shed so they can roost, they feel safe up high at night. Shavings like pine can be spread across the bottom and also in the nest boxes.

Here are pics of mine

http://www.keeping-chickens.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/chicken-house.jpg

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It depends on whether you have an area for your chickens to get out and scratch the ground. Chickens need to be able to dig in the dirt. They enjoy dusting themselves with dry soil in the summer because it helps to remove mites and it keeps them cool. They also love to pick at the bugs in the soil not to mention they eat small pebbles that they store in their gizzard to aid in digestion. If you have an area for them to run, then the hen house with a plywood floor is great. A running area also gives you much healthier chickens and eggs which are lower cholesterol (yes, it has been proven that running chickens lay healthier eggs)

The most important thing to do is have roosts for them to keep them off the floor. That is where they end up being harmed, if they cannot get up off the ground at night. They have several enemies including skunk, raccoons and rats. Larger predators like coyotes will not chew into plywood, but the others can and will.

Straw is wonderful for the chickens to walk in. Sawdust is great too. We typically used straw for their nests and sawdust for the floor. There really is no right or wrong bedding/nesting material to use as long as it stays dry.

Hope that helps

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Protection from predators is easily #1 on my list.

1. Make sure you can lock the doors at night

2. Build the coop floor out of concrete so that predators don’t dig under the walls to get inside

3. Ventilation & lighting are a must. So is insulating the inside walls to keep the chickens dry

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It’s quite simple to build a coop yourself, and trust me, the chickens will be happy with ANYTHING that will keep them out of the rain. I actually have one chicken that loves the rain while the other two hates it. You should check out BackYardChickens.com. They have cute ideas for coops and I believe blue prints as well and not to mention plenty of other tips