Chicken Coop Designs for Backyard Poultry Farming

Most people do not realize that chicken feel loneliness, happiness, fear, and pain just like any other animal. They also exist in stable social groups and have the ability to recognize other chickens based on their facial features. A typical chicken day consists of foraging for food, making nests, flapping their wings, and taking sun baths. They also have 24 distinct cries for communication with which they can warn their fellow chicken about coming predators.

Top 5 Reasons to Raise Chicken

1. You get to save money by getting fresh chicken eggs of course you can also sell them and make some money!

2. Chicken make great and beautiful pets, many proud owners exhibit them in poultry fairs.

3. Raising chicken is a fantastic and engaging hobby.

4. If you are into gardening then chicken can help you in getting rid of weeds, worms by eating them and also provide manure.

5. They require lower maintenance than, say dogs or cats.

Raising Baby Chicks

The best way to raise chickens is to begin from day-old baby chicks. You can get them at a Chicken Hatchery or a feed store around where you live.

For a start you can keep your chicks in large card-board boxes with holes punched into the sides for ventilation. Be sure to keep them in an enclosed place free from cold draft. You should also provide them with a soft litter, and plenty of good feed.

Your chicks will also need warmth which you can provide with a heat lamp placed nearby.

As your chicks grow old and are fully feathered you will need to move them into a well equipped Chicken Coop. The Coop should allow for plenty of air when it is hot outside. You should also cover the floor of the coop with saw dust dried grass or sand; this acts as a dust bath for the chicken.

Dealing with Grown Chickens

Although caring for grown up hens and roosters is easier than that for baby chicks, you should still provide adequate facilities. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when raising chicken.

1. Keep your chicken well fed, keep their feeders and waterers filled up.

2. Try to keep your poultry away from twine and strings, they are easily caught in them and can injure themselves.

3. You should constantly monitor your birds for signs of illness like respiratory problems, fungus infections etc. Chickens are very active creatures. Any change in their behavior should be taken seriously. If they appear to be coughing or gurgling while asleep then they are most probably suffering from respiratory problems. Also a sick bird will tend to stay away from the flock. At the slightest signs of a problem contact a vet immediately.

Chicken Ark Designs

A Chicken Ark aka a Chicken Tractor is basically a "floor-less" coop which can be moved from one place to the other just by one man.

A few of its advantages

1. Since it is floor less it can provide the poultry with fresh grass, weeds and worms; this reduces the feed they consume.

2. Chicken arks do not require regular cleaning as they have no floor.

3. The "no floor" arrangement also means that the grass gets manure.

4. Birds in an ark have access to plenty of air and sunlight.

5. Offers adequate protection from predators.

You will want to get one of these if...

1. You have a few chicken to raise.

2. You have less space.

3. You want your backyard clean of pests and weed by spending the least effort possible.

4. You want an easy to build, less time consuming, make-shift solution.

How can I make one???

Chicken Arks are by far the easiest to make. First off you will want to know just how big your Ark must be. This will entirely depend upon your requirements. For instance an ark for holding up to 6 chickens can be about 95 inches long 46 Inches wide and about 30 inches high. An Ark for 2-4 chickens can be around 70 inches long, 35 Inches wide and 25 inches high. Don't take these measurements as cut out on a rock! These are just basic examples or rather guidelines for your understanding.

Next off, the materials... Basically you will need some lumber and chicken wire. Depending on the size of your Ark you can decide on how much of these you will need. And of course, feel free to exercise some creativity here! You may use material such as plastic tubes instead of wooden beams for example. Keep a canvas ready for those hot days when your poultry will need some shade.

Chicken arks are very easy to construct and shouldn't take up more than a few hours of your schedule.

The Medium Sized Chicken Coop

This type of Chicken Coop is best if you have between 6 and 10 chicken to keep. These types of Chicken Coops are slightly larger than their smaller counterparts so care should be taken on where and how to set them up.

What such coops offer you...

1. A much more larger space than an ark offering more rooms for your birds

2. A stable place to keep your chicken.

3. Can accommodate a nesting area.

As mentioned above it is not easy to move these as they will be around 30-40 square feet in area so be very careful about positioning them.

These are best suited to you if...

1. You have enough space.

2. You want something aesthetically suited to your place.

3. You have a reasonable sized poultry; say about 8 - 10 birds.

4. Cold weather and dampness is a problem and you need extra-enclosure for your poultry.

5. Predators are a threat in your area and you need more security than what an ark can offer.

Now how these are made??

To make a Mid-sized Chicken Coop you will require:

a. Net.
b. Plywood sheets.
c. Straw.
d. Poultry feeders.
e. A measuring tape.
f. Nails.
g. Hammer.

Making a mid sized chicken coop is a lot more difficult and requires more skill than an Ark. To make, you first need to find the right place in your home/farm. Make sure the place is adequately ventilated, and under a shade. Also make sure that rain water does not form puddles around your coop.

Designing your coop you need to take into consideration whether it is meant for an urban environment or a rural one. A coop made in a city will need to be aesthetically done while also positioned as such it does not bother the neighbors. Such considerations may be ignored in a rural setting.

Click here to learn how to make a beautiful Chicken Coop that your neighbors will envy!

The Premium Chicken Coop!

Almost a mansion for your birds! These are the best investments you can make as far as raising backyard poultry is concerned.

This one comes with all the bells and whistles including...

1. A chicken run for your birds to graze.

2. Larger room per bird.

3. Greater protection from predators.

4. More aesthetically done.

5. Ideally suited for a large poultry; over 10 birds.

You should go for these if you have...

1. The money, coz they are expensive (usually above $ 200).

2. Ample space to spare.

3. A large poultry, say around 10 - 15 chickens. and...

4. If you want to sell eggs.

Nice!! How can I make one???

Making chicken coups in your backyard may not be as hard as you think. Making a chicken coup is easy if you have a well detailed plan, a focused mind and some time to spare. Actually a large sized chicken coop is just glorified medium sized coop, meaning there is little difference between the two. You will require the same materials and also the same designs however as the name indicates, this one will be larger. An added advantage here is that a large sized chicken coop can be equipped with a chicken run which is very beneficial as it allows the chicken to roam freely without fear of predators that might be prowling in your area.


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Predators are a big concern for backyard flocks and organic poultry producers. The reason for this is: backyard flocks, maintained by farmers, and hobbyists alike, are usually kept in existing barns or Coops which, if not designed properly may be inadequate for keeping predators out. Predation becomes an even more of a concern if free range poultry raising is practiced i.e. neither a barn nor a coop is available and the birds have to find shelter under other buildings in the vicinity. The poultry is at greatest risk during the time they are grazing and during the night if they do not have an adequately protected shelter.

The usual predators for chickens are dogs, cats, weasels, foxes, raccoons, possums, owls, and hawks.

The first step you must take is to identify the predators that have done the damage. Every critter has a way of operation that can let you in as to exactly what animal you are dealing with. Here are a few of the popular signs you may (hope not though) may come across:

Dead Birds

If you find a bird dead in the yard with no missing parts then it was most certainly killed by a dog or a weasel. Dogs and weasels kill for sport and hence when they find their prey no longer moving then they quickly loose interest in them.

Another way in which the birds die is that they may get so frightened by a predator that they may pile up one on top of the other, smothering each other out in the process.

An enclosure is the only way you can protect your bird from such predators; barns and coops works best for this. If your coop has a chicken run then make sure that the wires are dug deep into the ground so that the critter my not dig from under the run.

Missing Birds

Missing poultry is usually the work of coyotes, dogs, fox, bobcat, owl or hawk. One of the surest signs of predation in your backyard is the tracks that animals will leave after a kill. However in any reasonably sized poultry yard tracks are hard to find if they survive at all. Tracks left by dog are usually accompanied by claw marks and are visibly narrower than those of, say a bobcat.

Snakes tend to eat their prey without leaving a trace.

Domestic cats will eat the meatier part of their prey while leaving feathers, wings and other parts behind.

The most common birds that you will have to deal with are hawks and owls. Hawks will work in day time while owls work by the night. Of course you need not bother looking for trails when you are dealing with a bird of prey problem. If you have a chicken run then make sure that the top part of it is covered with a wire mesh.

Missing Parts

If you have found a dead bird with a missing head or leg within a wire enclosure then it will most probably be the work of a raccoon, a weasel or a dog who managed to reach in and tried to pull the chicken out of the wire thus severing the head, the leg, or anything that was protruding from the raised pen or whatever they could get hold of when they tried to reach in. A chicken can also loose it's head if it was scared into a wire mesh which eventually ripped off the head as it tried to break free. No room in wire meshing or chicken wire should be provided for such incidents to occur.

Also remember that in case of missing parts, it is usually raccoons that are suspected as they notorious for their intelligence and skills with their paws. They are great at finding loopholes in your defenses and grab unsuspecting birds by their legs.

You can only double check for any gaps in the wired fencing or mesh that you have so that such issues can be avoided.

Discouraging Predation

The best way you can control any form of predation is to confine your poultry indoors at least during the night.

Use bright security lights to deter predators around your pen, but make sure that it does not disturb your birds. Also cover any opening with a wire mesh especially the top of a run; this not only keeps out the predators but also does not hamper ventilation.

If you are using a chicken ark then frequently moving it around your backyard confuses the predators the next time they make an attempt.

Using electrified wiring around your barn can also help. Be sure to dig the wire 6-10 inches into the ground so that they may not be bypassed.

Finally you can always approach the local wildlife control agency to help you out. They can send out a trapper to catch any critters that may be prowling your place. You can also ask them for advice on how to deal with such problems if they are recurring.

There, in fact are many ready made Chicken Coops, runs and arks available out there. But the problem with them is...

a. They need to be assembled.
b. They are really expensive.
c. They are what they are and are hard be tailored to your specification.

Yes ready made chicken coops are excellent solutions for keeping chicken. But what about maintaining it? and what if you buy a coop/ark or run only to realize that it just wont go with you requirements? Clearly there is no easy way out of this and you need to put in at least some sweat to get something you want. Even if you do decide to get a read made Chicken Coop it will make just plain good sense to arm yourself with some information about how they are made.

You can build a chicken coop at just a fraction of the cost of buying a ready made one. When buying a ready made Chicken Coop, you're really just paying a very high price for the material.