• Created on 5/14/13 by Chido

When we first got chickens, I bought a small -coop. We only had 3 hens, so the size was more than enough. Cue to 2 years later, we have a total of 8 chickens. Since the coop was too small and it was difficult to clean it, I decided to get a new one.   After looking at other pre-made coops, my budget, and browsing for DIY designs, I decided to follow the example of another BYC member and use a Rubbermaid 4.5 by 6ft horizontal shed as a coop. I found one that was big enough for my chickens, and the funny thing is that its color matches our house's.   We had a lot... read more

• Created on 4/29/13 by trinkets94

Our last coop was a large walk-in frame with little house on stilts inside of it.  We needed something movable this time around, so I wanted to go with a tractor type design.  I decided to do run below with a nesting/roosting house up above.     The coop is accessible from the run via a ramp attached to a door flap in the bottom of the coop.  At night, I pull the ramp up with a wire and it closes the door, protecting from cold and predators.             There are two front doors, both open.  One doorway is covered with wire, so I can leave it open on... read more

• Created on 9/25/12 by LoriL

After keeping our three hens in a small chicken tractor for their first year, it was time to commit to building a more permanent home. Like everyone else here, we browsed and browsed some more, until we found a model we thought we could replicate fairly easily and inexpensively. Citygirlinthecountry's Blue Coop was our inspiration. Using our vacation last week, we put this together with a combination of scrap lumber and purchased items, for less than $100 total.   Basically, we built a table and covered it with a scrap of formica ($4), framed up walls out of 2x2... read more

• Created on 9/16/12 by Tropical Chick

We purchased our three chicks before we thought too much about the coop and we thought we had plenty of time to build a small coop.  They grew so darn fast that we started with a premade coop and then built the runs.  We decided on "The Parlor Chicken Coop" from www.chickensaloon.com and ordered it online.  It is made for about 4 hens, approximately 30 x 26 in dimensions not including the nesting box.  It arrived fairly quickly and we set it up on our back porch.  We have raccoons and hawks in our neighborhood, so thought we better re-enforce it somewhat and also... read more

• Created on 8/2/12 by BGeezie

    My quest for eggs began about 7 months ago when I received an email from Lowes featuring a small chicken coop plan. The price for the materials alone was over $500 and the coop would only hold 2-3 hens. I began to look on-line for more plans and discovered a mass of information and plans galore! I called my local city planning office and asked about having hens in the city limits. They were gracious and did a search (I guess no one had asked about this before) and returned my call to explain chickens weren’t currently allowed in the city limits. So I put the... read more

• Created on 7/22/12 by lizm1221

          My chicken adventure began one evening as I was browsing the garden section of Pintrest.  I came across the most adorable chicken coop!  I showed my daughter and I said it was almost cute enough to make me want to get chickens AS A JOKE because why would I ever get chickens?  And then I thought why wouldn't I?  I had no clue about anything to do with chickens, I have never known anyone with chickens, and that got me wondering what was needed to care for them.  I am always telling the kids if we win the lottery I want to buy a farm, so I told... read more

• Created on 6/25/12 by MacGuyver

I acquired four bantams when I was originally going to get ONE bantam and keep her in the sunroom as a semi-house chicken. Housing had to be acquired. There were no plans involved, just me walking around the barn thinking "What the heck can I build a chicken house out of really fast so I can get the birds out of my sunroom? What was I THINKING anyway??"     I had some big shipping pallets left over from a previous project, and a bunch of hardware cloth. So, I covered two pallets with cloth, and decided to make an a frame.      Sorry there aren't more... read more

• Created on 6/14/12 by DashHam

OR The Poor Man's Wichita Cabin Coop   I found the most excellent Wichita Cabin Coop here and thought it had the right size and features that I wanted for my coop. But, I could tell that I could not compare in terms of carpentry skill with its maker, and I also wanted to keep cost to a minimum. Since we're in Northern California (Petaluma, the former "Egg Basket of the World"!) and not Kansas, I figured I could cut a few corners on ruggedness and weatherproofing, as well. I've never built anything bigger than a bird feeder before, and it didn't turn out so... read more

• Created on 6/12/12 by sittychick

Our Urban Coop   We are new backyard chicken owners. The law just passed in our city north of Seattle, WA and we jumped on educating ourselves on all things chicken. After much looking at coops on raisingbackyardchickens.com we came up with a plan and went to work building. We wanted something that would fit into and compliment the environment of our small back yard. We are really happy at how it has turned out and our 4 girls seem to like it too.   We started the construction over spring break and accomplished allot before the chicks even... read more

• Created on 4/16/12 by jasonsamko

When my wife and kids wanted to buy 4 hens for eggs i figured i better start making a coop. I found this site and did a ton of research on coop design. This is what i made based on all the things i found here. coop is a playpen style coop 4' x 16' x 5'8" inside hieght with a 3'6"x4' hen house 2 feet up. I built it in my garage then added the roof assembly when i had it set outside on the site.We used treated 2x4s for the base and regular 2x4s for the rest of the frame and 1/2" plywood for hen house walls and floor.  I painted the inside of the nesting boxes black for... read more