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  • GRIT Country Skills Series

    Chicken Coop 101

    Aug 16, 2019 7 minutes
    By Staci Ducharme

    You can make a chicken coop from just about anything. I’ve seen rabbit hutches, tool sheds, and portions of barns converted into chicken coops. If you’re lucky enough to start from scratch, or you’re able to remodel an existing structure, there are a few things we’ve learned you might want to take into consideration.

    A little red shed was the existing chicken coop and tiny outdoor run when we purchased our farm house. We knew we wanted to build a new, larger coop and run, and had hoped to do so prior to bringing chickens home. It didn’t happen as planned and I am now thankful. We learned a lot using this small coop that wouldn’t have crossed our minds.

    The girls and handsome Mr. Clyde lived there for about three months before the new coop was built.

    As a start, regarding the size of your coop, the general number seems to be 3 feet to every chicken. (Our coop is 8 feet by 10 feet and around 8 feet tall.) Remember to also keep in mind you want a roost area, feeding area, and egg laying area. Think through the feeding area, because if it’s too close to the roost area you’ll

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