Chicken coops are an essential part of owning chickens. Coops provide chickens with safety and security. Why do chickens need this? Protection from the weather, protection from natural predators and artificial predators (like neighborhood dogs and cats).
Allow me to start by saying that there are few rules for how your chicken coop should be constructed, at least with regards to materials and aesthetics. It's your coop, feel free to have fun with it. Our current coop (pictured here) is a basic, bare-bones coop that meets the essential requirements. We opted not to build a big elaborate coop because we're hoping to move within the year and don't want to tear it down or transport a larger one.
First, let's talk about size. The size of your coop is dependent entirely on how many chickens you have - the more chickens you have, the bigger your coop needs to be. It seems like an obvious statement, but it's often overlooked.
You may have heard of this rule of thumb: 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, 10 square feet per chicken in the run. Keep in mind, it's just that, a guideline. This will also depend on where your chickens are being kept. In colder climates, chickens sometimes benefit from a smaller coop and a larger run because the smaller coop is easier to heat and keep warm and the larger run allows them to be active. We live in the hot desert in an area largely free of predators, so we have a very open coop.
The breed of bird is also an important factor to consider. If your chickens are Bantam chickens (miniature chickens), then you can get away with less space. Ideally, you want your coop to be large enough that the chickens can roam around and stretch their wings. If your coop is too cramped it could be bad for a chicken's overall quality of life.
Having a larger coop also has other advantages, including the fact that it's easier to clean and smells less. That's something that everyone enjoys.
Speaking of cleaning, some things to keep in mind - if you are growing crops chicken poop can be saved and mulched into fertilizer for your plants! They have a very high concentration of nitrates and other chemicals that plants need. Consider whether or not you will want to collect any of that as you clean. Even if the idea of using chicken poop to fertilize plants that you may eat seems weird, it can be used to great effect on decorative plants, like flowers.
Another thing to consider when cleaning out your coop is what kind of flooring to use. There's no right or wrong answer, just factors that you will need to take into consideration. For example, are there burrowing predators that can get to your coop? If so, a concrete floor might not be a bad way to go. If you live in environments where extreme weather is a concern, you may want to evaluate it. For example, in Phoenix, where we live, it can get up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months and that concrete slab retains heat very well, so we've opted for dirt flooring.
You may or may want to put some straw down in your coop. Some hens like to take the straw and build nests out of it. If you do go with a concrete coop floor, be sure to leave a dirt floor for your run. Some chickens like to burrow and give themselves a dirt bath to kill mites and bugs.
Whatever kind of flooring you use, be sure that your coop is protected in wet weather. Build the coop on a hill, or build artificial canals to divert water away from the coop. Or build an elevated floor that allows water to pass underneath. Keeping your chickens dry can help keep them healthy.
Even in climates that are not extremely hot, try to build your coop in the shade, if possible. Direct sunlight can heat up the enclosed space pretty quickly making it uncomfortable for your feathered friends.
Speaking of heat, remember when I was talking about cleaning and poop? (How could you forget that?) Well, it's also extremely important for your chicken coop to be well ventilated. For one thing, the breeze that ventilation allows will help keep the coop at a manageable level. For another thing, the ventilation will allow potential harmful gasses like ammonia to escape, making a healthier, cleaner environment. Light that puppy up! Egg-laying hens lay more eggs and are happier when they are exposed to the proper amount of light. If your coop is an enclosed coop, add lights on the inside to help them stay happy. This is especially important in the winter when the light is shorter, and in colder weather where chickens spend more time inside. If you use artificial lights, research has shown that "warm, yellow lights" work best. Bluish-white or white lights are not very effective.
Keep in mind, chickens are birds. It seems obvious, but they have the needs of birds. One of those needs is some kind of nests to lay their eggs. It can be as simple or as fancy as you want. A good rule of thumb is one nesting box per 2 hens. You can buy pre-made nesting boxes, or you can make your own. I've seen people use wicker baskets for nesting boxes. We took drawers out of a rubber-maid cabinet and cut the back out and screwed them down to the frame. It took the chickens a few days to like them, but they've been using them consistently now.
The other thing that birds need, is a perch. Or rather, multiple perches. They love to sleep on perches. But they also like to hang out on them during the day too! A lot of people will remember to put a perch in the coop, but neglect to put them in the enclosed runs. If you plan on building an enclosed run for your birds, add a few perches too. They don't have to be anything fancy, scraps of wood, old tree branches, or even curtain or closet rods all work well.
Another thing to keep in mind when designing the coop - chicken social order, the literal pecking order, is determined by who sits atop the highest perch. In our coop we've built the perches wide across the whole enclosure at the same level to ensure that the birds are on more or less equal ground socially. This helps to reduce fights between the birds.
Birds like to fly. Chickens can't really fly, but they do like to flutter around. Give them some height in your coop and your run so that they can stretch their wings. The added benefit to this is that it's easier for you, as a tall human, to come inside and collect eggs, clean the coop, and inspect your birds health, not to mention socialize with them.
Let's talk about chicken runs for a minute. These are larger open cages that are attached to coops. They allow the birds to get adequate exercise. There are two general schools of thought on this: either have an attached, enclosed run for the birds or let them just roam about free in your yard. There's not a "right answer", just a "right for you" answer. For us, because we have limited space at the moment, we do allow our chickens to roam the back yard for periods of time. But only while one of us is out there to supervise them. Chickens left out in the open can be an easy target for any number of predators. Some people think to themselves "chickens can't fly well, so my run doesn't need a run", but that would be a mistake. A roof is equally important at keeping predators out. Your bird might not be able to fly away, but a hawk or a falcon might decide to carry it off.
Another important factor to consider is your interaction with them. Even if you don't plan on socializing the birds and are only raising them as food and don't want to be attached to them - they still require food and water, every day. You will still need to collect eggs, every day. If your coop is designed poorly these tasks can be more of a hassle than they need to be. A walk-in set up eliminates a lot of those problems. In our coop the food and water dishes are kept near the fence line. We can use a long-spouted funnel to refill the food bowl without even going into the coop at all. Same with water.
As many people who farmstead or even take up back yard farming quickly discover, many household items can have a second life as something else. Look for things that you might be able to re-use or re-purpose. With that in mind it's important to understand that you don't need to build the entire coop from scratch. Do you have an old play-house that's not being used anymore? A small shed? These things can be turned into coops fairly easily.
Finally, keep in mind that this is your coop. You have to look at it every day. Have fun and be creative. The coop can be as simple as possible, or as elaborate as possible. I've seen some very impressive coops. The chickens might not care what the difference is between a fancy coop and a basic one, but you might. Have fun and make that coop your own.
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