When I was first learning to keep chickens, I did a lot of research on coops. It was good that I did, because there are a surprising number of things to know that are not obvious to the beginner. There are a zillion plans and examples of chicken coops out there: the creativity of backyard chicken keepers is just as robust as it is in most hobbies! For the newbie, however, this variety = confusion, and often leads to regrets as the emphasis on certain features can be misplaced. That’s why I wrote this article!
1. Farmer First: What You Need
Whatever the design, it needs to be farmer friendly. Don’t build or buy coops that are hard to access for the following frequent activities:
- Feeding
- Watering
- Accessing the floor of the coop for cleaning, or getting at sick/dead birds
- Gathering eggs
- Protection for your feed: a place to conveniently store feed in galvanized trash cans, or the like
- Storage for chicken gear in off seasons
When looking at a coop plan or design, ask yourself how much effort it will take to service the birds and the coop floor. This is key to your longevity in (and enjoyment of) backyard chicken keeping.
- So, if you’re going to have to crawl into the coop’s run, don’t use the plan.
- If you can’t access inside the coop floor to clean it easily, don’t use it.
- If feed and water are set outside (open to the elements) you’ll be wasting a lot of feed (it will go to rodents, to wild birds and animals like squirrels, and be ruined rain/snow).
- If you have to stoop, or bend, or twist in order to feed and/or water, don’t use the plan.
2. What Chickens Need
In order of importance:
- Fresh water (preferably cool in the summer, and definitely not frozen in winter)
- Appropriate feed (the type changes three times over the life of a chicken: starter, grower, layer feeds)
- Enough floor space inside the coop for the number of chickens you keep
- A roomy place to run safely outside the coop (can include free ranging): a run
- Bugs, grasses, seeds (and other natural foods) in addition to commercial feeds. For some, this means using chicken tractors that can be moved easily. For others, free ranging is the answer.
- They need to be kept safe, especially at night: their coop/run need to be secure from predators.
- Their preference for night time is to roost (ideally on wide boards, like 2 x 4’s, turned sideways) in a draft-free zone (especially important in winter) at least 15″ and no higher than 3′ above the floor.
- Hens will lay on the ground, but if you care about harvesting eggs, provide one nesting box per every two hens.
- A clean environment. This point takes in the absence of parasites, the management of the chickens’ bedding, and the condition of their nesting boxes.
- It also refers to the fact that the coop must be well ventilated, offering fresh air that is free of amonia buildup. This means that a coop will be far more open to outside air than most beginners think, especially in winter months. Think about vents to outside air being both up high and down low, but not in the middle of the coop.
- Adequate bedding: we use and vastly prefer the deep litter method.
3. What Adult Chickens Do Not Need
- Blankets, sweaters, or tightly closed-up, or heated, coops. We get cold in winter, but chickens have feathers. If they have broad perches, they tuck their feet up under themselves in extreme cold. While some breeds have large combs and wattles that can be frost bitten, almost all of them are way more cold hardy than beginners dream.
- Frozen or dirty water.
- Drafts: ventelation is one thing; drafts are another. Learn the difference!
- Aesthetically pleasing coops: those are for your enjoyment, not theirs. They don’t care how cute their coop is, and you can spend many more dollars than you need to on cute coops. Just sayin’. 😏
- Over crowded (allow minimally 4 sq. ft./large fowl chicken inside and 10 sq. ft. of run) and/or dirty coops that reek of ammonia (which will sear their lungs and shorten their lives). This is where ventilation comes in again! Can’t really stress this one enough.
- A place where they can be pounced on by dogs, hawks, or other predators by day. Most people in neighborhood settings need to cover their runs with wire and use sturdy wire to construct them.
4. Nice Frills and Extras
- A light inside the coop on a timer in winters — if you want to try to boost egg laying rates. It doesn’t always work, though.
- Heated bucket waterers with nipples: also nice for a farmer in winter. Be sure to check regularly to ensure that it’s working properly.
- Automatic watering systems in summer: however, be careful that the ease of this amenity doesn’t lull you into a false sense of security. You need to check that it’s working daily. Fresh, clean water is the single most important element of your chicken’s diet.
- Automatic pop door: these are expensive and, again, need to be checked to make sure that they don’t shut too early and leave chickens outside.
- A cute coop that makes your neighbors smile. While the chickens don’t care, the neighbors might. Making your coop pleasing to look at (using a coat of paint even on pallet coops can do wonders) can go a long way to buying good will for your flock. The reverse is also true.
5. Building Your Own vs. Buying
- In our experience, diy coops are always cheaper than purchased ones. A lot cheaper!
- You don’t need mad carpenter skills to get the job done. Again: simpler is better, and farmer friendly is the key!
- Check into hoop coop designs: these are by far the most weekend warrior friendly coops to build, and are usually the most economical as well. (We offer plans for a small one that meets all of the criteria above, and you can find examples of larger ones on our Pinterest boards — and more — by searching for Storybook Farm Poultry.)
If you have six or fewer birds to house, you might want to consider building a design that we’ve come to love. We practice clan breeding with five carefully selected hens and one rooster per coop. They’re pictured at the right. They take us about two good days to build (using average skills) and cost around $80 if you have to buy all the materials new. They are the easiest possible coops to service, work well in hot and cold weather, are extremely clean and well ventilated for birds (none needed for humans) and have the elegance of simplicity. We think they’re pretty cute, too! You can read details about this design here. We sell highly detailed plans for constructing them at our store, here!