Planning and Preparation

As with any other DIY project planning and preparation are the ingredients for succes.

Planning

By now, you should have to have your chicken coop plan ready, on paper. Why paper? Because saw dust is a killer of laptops. And it’s easier to read and make notes on.

Make sure you have enough working space, and if there are kids running around fence them out or keep your working place safe. It’s best for your children and your tools.

Also, you must have chosen a good emplacement for your coop. Not too close to the house and well away from ponds, streams and other open sources of water.

Preparation

Get the right building materials. Wood can be costly, but you can save money by using old wood, maybe left overs from another project. Just make sure it’s not rotten. That is how I did it.

Netting and wiring. You can save money here too, but I think if it’s new it just looks better. And mashed wire is not too expensive.

Tar paper or roof tiles. I prefer tar paper. It’s cheaper and easier to work with.

TIP: when fixating roof tiles or tar paper, work from the lowest point up. Sounds logically, but I made the mistake of doing it top-down. I had to re-do the whole roof.

Tools

Good tools are an asset. So it is worth investing  a bit of money in a proper power drill, a circular saw and a jigsaw. Of course you can rent or borrow them as well, but as a DIY fan I’d rather posess them myself.

Other tools needed are a hammer, nails, screws, a shovel and measuring tape. And sand paper for the finishing touch. A moveable work bench makes life easier too.