While you buy a chicken coop for the first time, you might end up complaining about the limited features as you spend more time around the coop raising your birds.
So, it is wise to list your requirements in a coop and have the local carpenters build one for you. That way, you save some money.
If you’re just starting out with keeping chickens and want to build a coop or house for them, I have the best chicken coop ideas, plans, and designs to inspire you.
1. Traditional Wooden Chicken Coop
This is a classic chicken house, with a wooden A-frame or rectangular structure. It has a simple design with basic features, including ventilation, a door, a ramp, and an egg nesting box.
No doubt it is durable, easy to build, and beginner-friendly.
If you have a small flock, including 3-5 chickens, you can build this type of coop shown in the picture collage. But you can expand the coop’s space and size if needed.
But it is suitable for chickens to rest and sleep at night. It doesn’t have enough space for birds to live whole day with a waterer and feeder installed.
Instead, you need to feed your birds outside the coop and let them free-range during the day.
2. Mobile Chicken Tractor
You can also build a movable chicken coop so that your chickens can explore more space to forage. In this system, layers can also pasture well, as the structure also has a nesting box nearby.
The birds can have fresh grass daily and control pests in the garden (think about tilling or before planting crops). Their manure also enriches the soil.
For this, you need to build the coop attached with wheels on the bottom. When installing wheels, make sure they can withstand and carry the structure.
The bigger wheels, the better your chicken tractor becomes.
Also, make the coop lightweight without using heavy metal works, but it should be sturdy and comfortable.
Your chickens get off the tractor and start foraging outdoors. When it’s getting dark, you drive the flock on the tractor and park it near your house.
3. Pallet Chicken Coop
Pallets are cheap (or you can reclaim the wood for free), and they let you start several DIY projects. I like trying different things with this, from chicken coop to garden raised beds.
They are accessible, eco-friendly, and make good chicken coops. But I find these coops having a problem with structural support.
The strong wind can blow them away, so you need something on the bottom to hold it to the ground. I suggest you get a 4X4 frame, cement it in, and then screw the pallets in.
The pallets have gaps due to their irregular shape, which cannot prevent wind and rain, and require additional sealing for safety.
4. Greenhouse Chicken Coop Combo
This is a practical idea for chicken owners living in colder areas or winter chicken raising.
You can easily heat the greenhouse and winterize your chicken coop. An extra couple of hours can help your birds lay eggs throughout the winter and year-round.
The greenhouse contains high humidity, which can cause problems for chickens. Similarly, chickens create a lot of dust, which may harm crops, and if birds have access to plants, they can destroy the harvest in no time.
So, you need to install airtight glass between the birds and plants and keep the greenhouse at chicken friendly temperature throughout the year.
Also, I suggest you include wax vents that open when it’s hot and close when it’s cold.
5. Upcycled Shed Coop
So you don’t want to build a coop from scratch?
Try revamping your old shed. This can be large, spacious, predator-proof, and you needn’t toil much, as you would when building from the beginning.
It will become easy for you to enter the coop and clean it thoroughly.
You can add several features to this converted structure. Roosts (small coops cannot afford it), brooder, and automatic door lock, to name a few.
Besides, you can attach a run for the chickens so they are safe from predators even without your monitor or presence.
If you want, you can also make a small section or storage room for feed.
6. DIY Hoop Coop (PVC/Metal Frame + Tarp)
The hoop coop is a low-cost, versatile chicken house with a semicircular structure. You can compare it to a garden tunnel, also called a polytunnel.
It has a simple arched design using PVC or cattle panels covered with tarp or mess and clothes. Or you can cover it with the greenhouse film.
You can easily assemble it and make it movable.
The coop is very useful for the deep litter method and can be modified for each season. For winter, you may need a little more side support.
7. Barn-Style Chicken Coop
What to write: Aesthetically pleasing, durable, traditional barn-like structure. Works for larger flocks, adds charm to a homestead.
I think barn style chicken coop is aesthetically pleasing and adds more charm to your homestead. It is durable and looks traditional barn-like structure.
You can easily keep larger flocks (24-36 chickens).
The coop has a hip roof and wood panels, giving it a rustic, backyard vibe. You can install two doors on each side for the deep litter method, feeding, and watering.
Additionally, you can add a chicken run and other features to suit your needs.
8. Chicken Coop with Run Attached
Obviously, you want a space for your flock to play around apart from their sleeping area. So, if you have a limited area, you need a coop with a run.
You can build the run the right or left of the coop. Or place the coop in the center and run all around it with the small chicken door opening and closing inside the run.
For the keeper, you can install a door to the other side.
I suggest you use hardware cloth to fence the run area. I have more chicken run ideas for your inspiration.
9. Straw Bale Chicken Coop
Straw bales are natural insulators and keep birds warm in the winter and colder areas. This makes your backyard coop more rustic and raw for chickens.
You can go with the designs mentioned above in a large space. You only need to stake straw bales indoors and outdoors.
If you add bales outdoors, make sure they are covered with a tarp or placed under the coop roof to protect them from rain and snow.
But it can make it difficult for you to clean a chicken coop as they can spread over. And the chances are high that rodents and snakes hide inside the bale.
So, you need to learn how to keep snakes out of your chicken coop.
10. Elevated Chicken Coop
If you have a farm or homestead in the sloppy land or on the cliff, you need this type of coop. This also works well in moist or rainy areas, where the ground stays damp year-round.
Most of the time, predators dig the ground or break the wall and steal the birds, so it’s wise to build a coop on stilts and off the ground.
These coops have better airflow, and you can use the space underneath for shade or storage.
Make sure the coop’s pillars are sturdy and at least 1 foot tall.
Final Thoughts
If you have some carpentry skills, you can experiment with lots of designs or make your own ones. I have built my own, drawing inspiration.
You can also repurpose your unused furniture and other items to build a free chicken coop.
Try building one for you with some structure, and once you’re confident, you can build big coops for your chicken flock.
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