Your chickens won’t care if their home is a prefab dog house on cinder blocks or a scale model of a Swiss chalet. The bottom line is, you can’t go wrong—as long as it meets the few very basic needs of your hens..

Shelter from weather. A standard approach is a coop (house) connected to a fenced run. The coop must provide dry shelter from rain and wind, and it should be ventilated without being drafty. In cold climates sturdier construction, a light bulb for heat, and a heated waterer are appropriate. The run can be at least partially exposed to the elements.

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• Got blueprints? Share your best coop design.

Size. Figure on a minimum of 3 square feet per bird, but they’ll be happier with more room.

Roosts. Chickens like to perch up high at night, usually side by side. Provide them with 2-inches diameter roosting bars inside and outside the coop and up off the floor—the higher the better. Don’t place one roost above another, or else the bottom hen will get pooped on. Figure on at least 8 inches of perch space per bird; more is nicer. Try to train your chicks to use them while still young; it’s tough to teach an old hen new tricks.

Nesting box. Hens will take turns laying eggs in the nesting box, so they can share just one. It should be a box at least 1 foot square, elevated off the floor of the coop, and cloth flap for privacy. A 3-inch “porch” in front of the entrance makes it easier for them to hop in and keeps eggs from rolling out. Place straw in the box for padding to protect eggs from breakage. An outside hatch to the nesting box makes it easy to collect eggs!

Protection from predators. The coop and the run must be fenced on the top and sides to keep out raccoons and dogs. Bury the fencing around the coop at least six inches below ground to keep critters from digging under the fence. Doors on the coop and the run must latch securely; raccoons in particular are very creative.

Protection for your garden. Your chickens will scratch and dig up all parts of their fenced run leaving no living plants in their wake, so consider how you’ll keep them out of your garden.

Design the coop for YOU, too. Make it easy on yourself; for example, the coop and run (and their doors) should be tall enough for you to walk in. A nesting box that you can access from outside the coop is particularly handy, so you can just lift the hatch to collect eggs, rather than having to walk into the coop and reach back into their nest. Outfit your coop with a feeder and a waterer big enough that you can load them up with everything they need and then take off for a three-day weekend assured that they’re self-sustaining while you’re gone.

Consider how you’ll keep the coop reasonably clean. Droppings accumulate under the roosts, so a removable tray there might be an option. Or, spread a deep layer of wood shavings on the floor, which you can rake out and occasionally replace with fresh litter. Another option is a solid cleanable floor that can be hosed off.

Feeder. Hang the feeder at the height of your chicken’s back to help keep the food clean of debris and discourage the birds from perching on it or scratching in it.

Waterer. Get a waterer that’s big enough for your long weekend away, but small enough that it’s easy to carry back to the coop when full.

Lighting. Some owners outfit their coop with a 40- to 60-watt bulb on a timer, to extend the “daylight” hours in the wintertime and keep them laying all year long.

Location, location, location. Where should you locate the chicken coop on your lot? Some considerations: Check your city regulations, which may require that any structure is set 5 feet back from your property line; but regardless, consider your neighbors and put the coop where it won’t offend anyone. While a chicken coop isn’t necessarily terribly smelly—especially if you rake it out occasionally—you still don’t want it right under the bedroom window since chickens kick up a lot of dust and sometimes make noise clucking and squawking. A convenient location near to a storage shed (where you can keep their feed) and near a compost pile (to let the manure mellow before it goes on your garden) is ideal. Under a porch or alongside a house or garage could be perfect. While they enjoy basking in the sun, chickens must have access to shade during the hot days of summer.


The view (yours, not theirs). It’s fun to be able to see your chickens from your house. Or, you might prefer to tuck the coop out of view behind a shed or in the back corner.


Designer homes. You can design a coop yourself, buy a kit online, or download plans for coop and build it yourself. Basic requirements aside, the design of the coop is your choice. Some owners choose a “chicken tractor” design of a portable coop and pen that can be moved around the yard for the chickens to scratch around and fertilize one section of the yard at a time. Some people really get into designing their coops. For example, dozens of hen houses are showcased every year in self-guided tours of urban chicken coops such as Portland's Tour de Coops and Seattle’s Chicken Coop Tour. The 2002 write-up in a Seattle paper includes great photos: “Custom Coops: From penthouse perches to covered porches, city chickens are sitting pretty.”

Do-it-yourself plans online:

The Garden Coop

Some other hen house options:

Henspa
Egglu