Chicken Coop Plans

[jthornton]

I based my coop on these terrible plans, and searching the web there does not seem to be any "good" free plans. All the free plans that I looked at today are cute but terrible. I'm sure glad that I didn't follow those plans to the letter. Does anyone know of and free plans out there that are actually good plans with proper ventilation, layering, space etc?

JT

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

Ditto here!
I think @aart needs to get out there and rid the world of inadequate chicken coop plans!

I started keeping a journal of all the proper specs for each coop component. Then started fiddling with my own design based on those specs.

 

[jthornton]

I had laugh at This Old House video building a chicken coop. Then I was sad as people that don't know better might build this coop and run. No ventilation, chicken wire run, 6 nest boxes in a coop that is smaller than a pickup truck bed, no roosts...

Just another example of how NOT to build a coop and run.

JT

 

[aart]

I based my coop on these terrible plans,

That one makes me sad too...the fact that they didn't use the monitor roof line for the ventilation aspect it was designed for SMH.
That would be a pretty nice design if they scaled it up 2x.

Does anyone know of and free plans out there that are actually good plans with proper ventilation, layering, space etc?

Haven't seen any yet.

I had laugh at This Old House video building a chicken coop.

That's one of the worst, those guys should stick to people houses. SMH.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Just build a building the size you want, coop is such a confining word... I drew mine out and then started digging the footings, or had them dug... I paid for them to be dug! Lol

Gary

 

[Folly's place]

My favorite design is the Woods coop, based on no personal experiences, but it looks great! There are plans out there for it.
Otherwise, I think either a three sided shed in warmer climates, or a modified garden type shed, work best.
Mine started as a shed type coop, built long ago. We added a shed addition on the north side, and then roofed the run area and enclosed the north and part of the east side, making a large coop/ run combination. It took years, but none of it started as a modern 'chicken coop'!
Mary

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I saw those Home Depot free plans before I built, glad I stayed away from them. Anything you cannot walk into is too small. Build a shed with big overhangs, one open side just hardware cloth and windows on the other three walls, thats basically what I did, sorta...

And BIG, I figure if we ever tire of chickens I can pour a concrete floor in mine and make it an office, or tiny home.

So dirt floor is best, I am using deep litter method and plan on a once a year clean out.

Gary

 

[Bat]

I saw this one and thought it looked really decent

https://modernfarmer.com/2015/09/how-to-build-a-chicken-coop/

 

[jthornton]

Just build a building the size you want, coop is such a confining word... I drew mine out and then started digging the footings, or had them dug... I paid for them to be dug! Lol

Gary

I agree "coop" can mean many things, in my case it is the place they roost at night only. So 20 square feet for 10 birds seems plenty for roosting only.

JT

 

[Bat]

I agree "coop" can mean many things, in my case it is the place they roost at night only. So 20 square feet for 10 birds seems plenty for roosting only.

JT

Ah - gotcha