Chicken Coop Ideas

[Adrien515]

I'm ready to build a new chicken coop. 5 years ago when I moved onto this 48 acres, we built two rag tag chicken pens and runs, not really thinking how much we'll get into chicken. Now with 10 hens, a rooster, a guinea, and 3 ducks in one pen, plus 6 bantam hens and a rooster in another, plus 18 chicks in my closet, I'm open to some to some coop and run ideas and pictures, plus some brooder ideas too. Post pictures of your coops. I love looking at other people's buildings for ideas

 

[PD-Riverman]

I'm ready to build a new chicken coop. 5 years ago when I moved onto this 48 acres, we built two rag tag chicken pens and runs, not really thinking how much we'll get into chicken. Now with 10 hens, a rooster, a guinea, and 3 ducks in one pen, plus 6 bantam hens and a rooster in another, plus 18 chicks in my closet, I'm open to some to some coop and run ideas and pictures, plus some brooder ideas too. Post pictures of your coops. I love looking at other people's buildings for ideas

Are you after LOOKS as well as function?? Want to spend a lot or cheap?

 

[Adrien515]

Cheap, and function over looks, but I want it looking decent. I definitely want it to be walk-in.

 

[Dmontgomery]

I'm terrible at geography, but I think you are just a little west of Beaumont, right. If so, it's HOT already. I suggest an open coop.

• Dmontgomery
• Sep 7, 2016

Mine is open to the east with windows on the other 3 walls for lots of air movement. Don't use chicken wire like I did unless you are sure you have no predators. My dogs pretty much keep everything away from the yard.

• Dmontgomery
• Jun 15, 2016

Mine is 16x24 under roof with another 16x24 uncovered run.

• Dmontgomery
• Jun 15, 2016

We live in the middle of 100's of acres of woods and the chickens free range on about 6 acres that's cleared.
All the boards I used for the siding is rough cut from a guy with his own saw mill. It cost about 1/4 of what lumber from the store would have cost.
There was a very good article on here just a couple weeks ago about building open air coops for hot climates. I think it was written by user @getaclue.

 

[PD-Riverman]

This coop is a 8x11(divided into 2 sections) which is just one coop of many coops and pens. Again sawmilled lumber from my mill and used tin in top----was really cheap building. I am one that likes the 6ft high x 10ft wide dog kennel panels. The cheapest thing to use in my opinion. My first 2 10x10x6ft tall kennels I been using for 22 years and being I bought them used I can sell them today for what I payed for them---really a little more----try that With ANY Other Kind of fencing and it only takes minutes to install, no holes to dig, no stretching wire, no stapling wire, no cutting wire and I can move the whole run in minutes if I choose to.

 

[hlhutchinson]

This coop is a 8x11(divided into 2 sections) which is just one coop of many coops and pens. Again sawmilled lumber from my mill and used tin in top----was really cheap building. I am one that likes the 6ft high x 10ft wide dog kennel panels. The cheapest thing to use in my opinion. My first 2 10x10x6ft tall kennels I been using for 22 years and being I bought them used I can sell them today for what I payed for them---really a little more----try that With ANY Other Kind of fencing and it only takes minutes to install, no holes to dig, no stretching wire, no stapling wire, no cutting wire and I can move the whole run in minutes if I choose to.

How tall is your chain link no fence? Do you have problems with your chickens going over it?

 

[Gail Laubenthal]

I'm ready to build a new chicken coop. 5 years ago when I moved onto this 48 acres, we built two rag tag chicken pens and runs, not really thinking how much we'll get into chicken. Now with 10 hens, a rooster, a guinea, and 3 ducks in one pen, plus 6 bantam hens and a rooster in another, plus 18 chicks in my closet, I'm open to some to some coop and run ideas and pictures, plus some brooder ideas too. Post pictures of your coops. I love looking at other people's buildings for ideas

We are building a modified hoop coop with only one arched side so we will get more vertical space. We used 5 cattle panels. We are almost ready to put the tarps on and have been posting about our build in a thread called New Half-hoop Coop Build. This picture shows how far we are now. You will find that this community is very active and knowledgeable.

 

[Adrien515]

Currently I have an open walk in coop. It's open on the bottom half on two sides, and like Gail Laubenthal mine is curved on one side too, but not as dramatic. I have a lot of cow panels on hand, and plently of trees too. And I am NEVER using chicken wire again. One of my dogs is a chicken killing machine that learned how to cut that stuff open. My coop right now is about 10x6. Not very big for what I want.

I'm terrible at geography, but I think you are just a little west of Beaumont, right. If so, it's HOT already. I suggest an open coop.

• Dmontgomery
• Sep 7, 2016

Mine is open to the east with windows on the other 3 walls for lots of air movement. Don't use chicken wire like I did unless you are sure you have no predators. My dogs pretty much keep everything away from the yard.

• Dmontgomery
• Jun 15, 2016

Mine is 16x24 under roof with another 16x24 uncovered run.

• Dmontgomery
• Jun 15, 2016

We live in the middle of 100's of acres of woods and the chickens free range on about 6 acres that's cleared.
All the boards I used for the siding is rough cut from a guy with his own saw mill. It cost about 1/4 of what lumber from the store would have cost.
There was a very good article on here just a couple weeks ago about building open air coops for hot climates. I think it was written by user @getaclue.

 

[PD-Riverman]

How tall is your chain link no fence? Do you have problems with your chickens going over it?

The fence is 6ft tall but ALL have netting over the top----if you look close you can see leaves laying on the netting in the coop pic---and see the netting on the pen closest in the other pic-----so No, chickens can not fly out.