GRIT Country Skills Series

DIY Broiler Coop on a Shoestring Budget

Asthe number of people interested in growing their own food continues to grow, raising a small flock of backyard chickens for meat has become more widespread. From large flocks in rural fields to abandoned parking lots that harbor a handful of birds, chicken coops are popping up everywhere.

When I started my own small farm, building a chicken coop for broiler chickens was at the top of the priority list. At first, the task felt a bit overwhelming as I scoured the Internet and print catalogs in search of ingenious concepts. What did I find? A plethora of prefabricated chicken coops in a wide variety of designs, ranging from basic wooden A-frames to fancy miniature log cabins equipped with sliding windows and rain gutters — one or two might have even been air-conditioned.

These coops were fun to admire, but they all had one flaw in

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