Top Tips for Chicken Coop Designs

Whether you live in the country or in the city* you can get fresh eggs out of a backyard chicken coop every morning with minimal cost and chores.

Raising chickens is a fun hobby for all age groups and can lead to a small farm income for those willing to put the effort into it. Efficiency in a backyard coop design makes keeping chickens a pleasure and easy as can be.

Just like you and I, chickens have to have lodging and that lodging can come in many forms. You can buy backyard chicken coop kits or plans for as few or as many chickens as you hope to keep.

Before you choose one design over another there a few points to consider that will affect your decision. Since a chicken coop can come in a range of sizes, features, and weights, functionality comes before form. You need to determine a number of factors, figure out if there’s room enough in your yard to support the coop and if the coop fits the number of hens you want. toptipsforchickencoopplans

Important Feaures for A Backyard Chicken Coop

If you are currently renting a home, you’ll definitely want to purchase or build a coop that can be moved easily from one location to the next. Secondly, the layout of the design and how much room it will offer per chicken is important. You can’t crowd several chickens in a coop designed to house just a few. The design will have to provide for a roomy enough nesting area, roosting space and exercise area.

Even though several chickens will often only use the two or three nesting boxes, sometimes that’s not the case and you’ll want to make sure the chickens have plenty of nests. You can get several nests built either side by side or on top of one another, situated in stacks to save space.

No matter what type of design you have in mind for a chicken coop, always use quality material in building it. It’s okay to use salvaged or recycled items as long as they’re in good shape and can provide the chickens with adequate shelter, protection, and warmth.

Choose a design that can withstand variations in weather. Some designs are very attractive and created to have that ‘WOW’ factor but they’re not sturdy enough to last. You don’t want to buy or create a design that will only be around temporarily. The backyard tractor or arc is a fantastic layout and has been around for years (see photo – top right).

If you’re not an expert in building and you’ve found that drawing up a detailed set of plans is a struggle, then you should look for a pre-made set of designs or a ready to assemble kit and pick one that you like. You can find designs in hardback books, eBooks you can download faster and cheaper (see the sidebar at right) and you can check out seed or hardware stores for coops on sale.

How Much Will A Backyard Chicken Coop Cost Me?

There are some books you can buy that will teach you how to build a backyard chicken coop for less than a hundred dollars. There are some designs for coops that can cost over a thousand dollars and you have to do all the work and sourcing of materials yourself. The amount of money spent on the design should be decided by how you choose to use or show off your hens – whether they’re for pleasure or, if you live on a farm, for business.

Chicken coop plans can make the job of building a coop go a lot smoother than guessing which piece of wood goes where. Pre-made kits with full instructions make the job easier still – no cutting or measuring required. With all of the choices, you should be able to find one that you like and suits your needs.

*Check your zoning by-laws first.