Building a Chicken Hutch

It will be less expensive and the work will be less time consuming than building a full chicken coop if your only planning on keeping one or two chickens. Something to keep in mind is that some people has also built a chicken hutch and placed it inside their chicken coop.

A chicken hutch is much easier to take care of than a coop for the obvious reasons, it’s smaller plus its small enough to where you can find a good location on your yard for it. This is a perfect option for those just starting out as chicken farmers. To build a chicken hutch, here is what you need to know.

Build a Good Size Door- Be careful of making the mistake of building a small door that the chickens will have a hard time getting in and out of. You need to give your chickens easy access to get inside and out of the hutch, building a good size door is very important. The best way is to build the door larger and then attach a wooden door flap so that they can get in and out. This will protect them from predators but will also allow for easier access for them.

Have the Hutch Raised Off the Ground- You want to raise the hutch about a foot or so off the ground. The difference between a chicken coop and a chicken hutch is the fact that one is built into the ground and the other is build above the ground. Make sure that you are raising the hutch off the ground. You want to raise the hutch about a foot or so off the ground. Don’t be overly concerned about the measurement, just as long it’s not placed on the floor. A ramp needs to be placed at the door if it’s any higher than a foot.

Easy Opening Lid- You are going to have to regularly clean the hutch considering that it’s a smaller place where your chickens are going to stay. The last thing you need to do is to make sure you have a lid that can open easily for easy access for you to the chickens and for cleaning purposes. The harder it is to get inside of the hutch, the chances that its going to be cleaned regularly are slim. It would be a smart move to clean it on a weekly basis. So when you decide to build a chicken hutch, keep all these points in mind.

Click here to learn how to build a chicken house.