Disclosure: The product links below may contain affiliate links. I receive a small percentage if you purchase via those links. However, this in no way changes the price for you. Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
If you have an old swing set lying around, instead of getting rid of it, one option is to turn it into a chicken pen! That’s exactly what we did and it works great for our hens.
Read on to see more of my DIY swing set chicken pen.
- Related Article: DIY Project: Build Your Own Basic Squirrel Feeder
Tools, Supplies, PPE, and Steps
I’ve linked to several different retailers below for your convenience. I encourage you to shop around as I’ve found that each item may sell for less at a different retailer.
Tools
DEWALT 12″ Double Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw
DEWALT Rolling Miter Saw Stand
DEWALT Circular Saw
DEWALT Jig Saw
DEWALT Atomic Cordless Drill
DEWALT Atomic Impact Driver
RYOBI 2300 PSI Electric Pressure Washer
DEWALT Tape Measure
DEWALT Hammer
Arrow Staple Gun
Empire Square
HANDy Paint Cup
HANDy Paint Cup Liner
Paint Brush
Carpenter Pencil
Supplies
BEHR #YL-W11 Khaki Shade
BEHR #HDC-MD-06 Nano White
BEHR #M410-7 Perennial Green
BEHR Pure Black
KILZ 2
Rust-Oleum Meadow Green
Rust-Oleum Black
Arrow T50 Staples
FrogTape
Poultry Netting
Hardware Cloth Fencing
Closet Rod
Closet Rod Sockets
Tee Hinge
Door Hinge
Barrel Bolt
Conduit Straps
Shingles
Ridge Flashing
Exterior Wood Screws
Sheet Metal Screws
Roofing Nails
Siding
4×8 Plywood
2×6 Pine Treated
2×4 Pine Treated
1×4 Spruce
1×4 Pine Treated
Personal Protective Equipment
Firm Grip Flex Impact Gloves
RZ Mask Dust Mask
3M Safety Glasses
3M Earmuff
Related Article: PPE: DIYers Should Use Personal Protective Equipment
Steps
Time needed: 4 days.
How To Build A DIY Swing Set Chicken Pen
- Thoroughly wash your existing swing set.
A RYOBI 2300 PSI Electric Pressure Washer is a great tool to use to clean your swing set.
- Paint.
I recommend using Rust-Oleum spray paint. For this swing set, I used Rust-Oleum Meadow Green.
- Build your chicken house.
I remodeled an old doghouse to use for my chicken house.
- Mount your the swing set to the chicken house.
The Home Depot offers a large assortment of conduit straps.
- Add treated 1x4s to the sides of the swing set to attach the fencing to.
I used sheet metal screws to attach the 1x4s to the metal poles.
- Staple the poultry netting and hardware cloth to the 1x4s.
An Arrow staple gun works great for this.
- Allow for extra netting to overlap the bottom so it can lay on the ground.
This provides a digging barrier for pests.
- Cover the seams of the fencing with treated 1x4s.
Use exterior wood screws.
- Build the swing set access door.
See my photos for how I built my door.
Our Swing Set Chicken Pen Story
We’ve long wanted to raise chickens but, with two full time jobs and four kids, we never seemed to have the time and focus to get out and build a pen. Not to mention that the continued care of the chickens would fall squarely on us.
My how times have changed. COVID-19 has pushed us to be more self-sufficient in general, so we’re constantly looking for ways to provide food for ourselves. Raising hens for the eggs is just one way to do this. Plus our kids are old enough now to help take care of the chickens!
Instead of building a pen completely from new materials, we decided to utilize an old swing set that’s been in the family for years. The picture above shows our son playing on it over 9 years ago. It’s still a good swing set, but we decided to give it a new purpose in our life.
The chicken house itself is actually an old doghouse I built a decade ago. I stripped off the old plywood roof and built a new one with shingles, along with new nesting boxes inside and new siding, trim, a new door, and a fresh coat of paint on the outside. The roof also opens up on both sides, allowing access to the nesting boxes.
The Build Process In Photos
The slideshow above shows a general look at the build process from start to finish. If you have any questions about how I built my swing set chicken pen, please ask them in the comments below!
