How to Build a Small Backyard Chicken Pen
Wooden Chicken House
The location you choose for your pen must be hard for predators to reach. Try and keep the pen in a safe and secure location on your property. The chicken coop should be constructed so that your chickens can’t get snatched too easily by animals or thieves, especially at night. A chicken coop or house with a lock (key or combination) is ideal for this task.
The most basic way to construct a pen is by using wood posts and wire. To do this you’ll need an industrial stapler, a hammer, wire cutters, a post hole digger and a sledgehammer. The posts can be bought in bundles, along with the wire and staples at a local construction supply store such as The Home Depot. With this design you’ll just place posts in the four corners of where you want the pen to stretch. Then you’ll use the wire and industrial staples to create the chicken pen.
Use the post hole digger to dig holes where the posts will be placed. Once you decide where the posts will go, use the sledgehammer to pound the posts into the ground. The size of the posts that you are using determines how far they will need to go into the dirt. You then want to push and pull on the post once it is in to make sure it is sturdy and stable enough to withstand some force. Repeat this step for the other three posts.
Once all of the posts are in place, you just cut the wire to size and fasten it to the posts using the industrial staples. When done, be sure to inspect the pen for loose staples. The hammer can be used for tapping the loose staples in.
When done, you’ll have a nice sturdy pen that is ready to house your chickens.
This is the least expensive way to create a chicken pen; however, it may not keep your chickens safe. A safer alternative is to build an actual chicken coop or house. For that you’ll need an actual schematic plan. You can get one here.
