DIY Chicken Coop with Redneck Blueprints

In this video, join us as we embark on the exciting journey of building our very own chicken coop from scratch with some Redneck Blueprints! Follow along as we share our step-by-step process, tips, and tricks for creating a cozy and functional home for our feathered friends. Whether you're a seasoned DIY enthusiast or a beginner looking to start your own backyard coop, this video is packed with inspiration and practical advice. Don't miss out on the fun and satisfaction of building something truly special for your chickens!

[@southwesthomestead1234]

That is a wonderful coop! So nice to see your family working together. I love the variety of chicks you have.

[@Harvestlore_nc]

Thank you so much! We feel so blessed!

[@karenfrankland7763]

The chickens are looking good. Please remember that chicken wire will only keep the chickens in and that predators can rip right through it. Aerial predators like hawks will eventually realize that the chickens are in the area. We've had chickens and ducks for 30 years and can only free range them when we are outside with them watching the skies. We tried the deep liter method but it kept too much moisture in the coop even with added bedding daily. We have windows with hardware cloth on all four sides of the coop for ventilation as well. We switched over to using Sand in the coop and built shelves with a two by four roosting board on the edge of the shelf. We can now just go in with a small rake and scoop out the poop with a kitty liter scoop. All the poop goes into our compost heap bins. Another thing to think about is hardware cloth in the run bottom, and sides and over all windows.. Over time Rats and mice will just dig under and get into the run looking for food. I'm not trying to scare you but I've seen so many chickens taken by predators because of the use of chicken wire. Wishing you the best with your adorable chickens. The more you play with them the friendlier they become. We sit outside 365 days a year rain, snow, sleet, sun cold, hot or what ever the weather and our girls love to jump on our laps and chat away for a snuggle. Check your coop every night to make sure a predator didn't get into the coop and now your automatic door has shut and the girls are trapped inside. I've seen many times how a raccoon got inside the coop and in the morning all the chickens or most had been killed. Set up a security camera and see what lurks around the coop at night. Best of luck with your girls and I'm sure you'll be getting eggs soon. Nothing beats backyard chicken eggs.

[@Harvestlore_nc]

Thank you for sharing! 🐓❤️

[@MrsAliKey]

Looks great!!! ❤❤

[@Harvestlore_nc]

Thank you so much!!

[@kaitlynbowling]

The chickens look so happy in their new crib!! 😂😎

[@Harvestlore_nc]

They’re soo happy! 😁

[@bighurk30able]

That's a good looking chicken coop but if you're going to let them free-range the hawks are going to pick them off

[@Harvestlore_nc]

Thank you! So far we haven’t had any problems. The hawks have stayed away due to the metal roofing around us and the amount of crows we have in the area. But we keep an eye out when we see them 😊

[@MosaicHomestead]

​@Harvestlore_nc if you got a decent rooster and the chickens have places to hide in the woods, it should be pretty safe.

[@bradcas86]

If you don't mind me asking. What was the total cost for this build?

[@Harvestlore_nc]

The total cost was just south of $900. You can build it cheaper if you go on Facebook market place and look at pallets and wood that might be for sale. We were in a bit of a rush. We still got a great deal at a local wood mill! I would definitely recommend going to a local wood mill. You will get a cheaper rate on the wood and metal paneling.

[@angelanice]

I'm asking because I've been doing research in preparation of getting my own chickens: is there risk of predators in your area? I've heard hardware cloth is better than chicken wire to protect against predators but since you mentioned that they free range in the woods it sounds like you aren't in an area with high predator risk.

[@Harvestlore_nc]

Yeah, actually we have predators all over the place! It just depends how much money you’re willing to spend. We understand there are risks with owning animals and not all of them will make it, but we make sure the chicken wire is secure all around and give them safe places to go like their coop and roosts. Metal roofs help with deterring hawks, roosters protect the flock and if you have crows in your area, they also protect against hawks. We have a trail cam setup next to the coop but so far nothing has come close.

[@MosaicHomestead]

Better ventilation for the hen house, you have to block off nesting boxes so chickens wont sleep there, you dont want poopy eggs, roost bar inside hen house must be higher than nest boxes to prevent chickens from sleeping in nest box, if you have heavy nocturnal predator pressure, upgrade to hardware cloth...if you are in it for true homesteading, not making cute video's for TH-cam, Don't give names to chickens or get attracted to the animals, processing and culling is part of homesteading.

[@Harvestlore_nc]

Thanks for sharing!
We have talked about cutting out a window in the coop for better ventilation. We may end up putting hardware cloth on the coop but the chicken wire seems to work fine at the moment.
Thanks for watching!