DIY Chicken Coop Plans: 40+ Free Beginner Designs!
Our chicken coop plans are specifically designed to simplify the building process while ensuring safety and comfort for your birds. With basic construction skills, you can efficiently build a suitable home for your chickens without excessive time or expense. To assist you, we prepared these user-friendly, budget-conscious plans at no cost.
These free chicken coop plans offer sizes from small chicken coops to a large chicken houses. Additionally, they serve as a resource for chicken coop ideas, offering innovative designs and inspiration.
DIY Chicken Coop Plans
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Mobile Chicken Coop
Having a portable chicken coop means you can move it whenever and wherever you want to give your chickens fresh grass to scratch and eat. One side of this coop features two sturdy handles that allow you to lift and push it to the desired location in your backyard.
Capacity 8 chickens Dimensions 5 x 13 Difficulty to build Beginner friendly -
DIY Chicken Tractor Plans
Designed with portability in mind, this chicken coop can be easily moved about to offer your flock new grass to scratch and new places to search for worms. The finished coop offers a fenced aviary, roosting area, and nesting boxes for 6.
Capacity 6 chickens Dimensions 4 x 8 Difficulty to build Beginner friendly -
Mobile Chicken Coop Plans
This movable hen house will hold ten chickens who will have access to a secured aviary, an indoor area, and nesting boxes. The detailed DIY plan will guide you through every step to ensure you build a safe shelter for your flock.
Capacity 10 chickens Dimensions 6 x 12 Difficulty to build Beginner friendly -
Coop on Wheels
Those looking for a truly mobile chicken coop may consider this chicken coop plan. The movable hen house offers room for six chickens, nesting boxes, and an aviary that allows birds to scratch grass and forage for worms. You can quickly move the coop without lifting it; just push.
Capacity 6 chickens Dimensions 8 x 15 Difficulty to build Intermediate -
Small Chicken Tractor
If you live in the city and want to enjoy the convenience of having a movable chicken coop, this small chicken coop plan is for you. With a capacity of only four chickens, it is perfectly suited for city life where ordinances restrict the keeping of large flocks.
Capacity 4 chickens Dimensions 3 x 4 Difficulty to build Beginner friendly
Our Chicken Coop Plans Benefits
✓ Simplified process
Our plans take the complexity out of building a chicken coop, offering clear instructions and a materials list, ensuring a successful project, and saving you time and frustration.
✓ Save time and money
Our plans have all the required materials, making it easier to shop and save money. Additionally, following our plans can save you the time you would otherwise spend designing and constructing a chicken coop from scratch.
✓ Overcome zoning and location restrictions
By using our chicken coop plans, you can comply with local zoning ordinances and restrictions, making it easier to start your hobby of raising chickens without worrying about breaking any laws.
✓ Gain knowledge and expertise
Our chicken coop plans are designed to help anyone, regardless of their carpentry or construction experience, build a chicken coop with ease, making it possible for everyone to enjoy the benefits of raising chickens.
Selecting the Best Chicken Coop Design
Chicken coops provide a happy and healthy place for your flock to call home. Whether you are an aspiring chicken grower or an old pro, knowing the different types of chicken coops is crucial to the chicken-rearing hobby. This is vitally important because different coops are designed to hold different capacities.
Always remember it is important to build and maintain a chicken coop that is not seen as a nuisance or eye sore by neighbors. Most complaints about chickens being raised in developed areas are due to poorly designed or maintained coops that distract from the appearance of the neighborhood. The public always sees the worst-looking chicken coops and runs as an example of what to expect from everyone, which leads to more restrictions.
For the unacquainted, there are limitless ideas and coop designs — a chicken coop can be any shape or configuration imaginable. While you can easily find unusually elaborate chicken coops, most hen houses fall under the following types:
1. A-Frame Chicken Coop
Also known as Chicken Ark, an A-frame chicken coop is a small rectangular unit that keeps chickens confined. As the name suggests, it has two sharply sloping walls that meet off the ground, so the coop resembles the letter A. Despite being small, A-frame chicken coops have a nesting box or two, a roosting bar, and space for your chickens to move around. They are popular among beginner chicken growers and in cities where ordinances restrict chicken roaming.
A typical chicken ark is usually designed to host two to four chickens but can be designed with a larger capacity.
2. Chicken Tractor
A chicken tractor is a coop on wheels. The inspiration behind the design is the high level of functionality and movement they offer.
A chicken tractor can include a run or not, but the entire structure is usually lightweight for hassle-free moving. Because they are designed to be moved around, chicken tractors are also relatively compact. Grab bars, or wheelbarrow-like handles, are usually included on one end so you can lift and move the coop wherever and whenever needed.
The biggest issue with this design is the need to manage the movement of the coop. It is critical to move the coop often so you do not allow the area under the coop to become eaten down to damage the vegetation. Also, if you have a small lot, you can quickly develop a yard with patches of bare spots throughout the yard.
3. Walk-in Chicken Coop
As the name suggests, walk-in chicken coops are hen houses designed with a large access door so that you can walk in. This type of coop can be the chicken’s home, or they can provide a small door for the chickens to access the outdoors. It can be built from scratch or repurposed as a backyard storage shed. The most exciting thing about walk-in chicken coops is that they are usually permanent structures, and you can go as big as you want.
Because there’s more room inside, they are easier to clean. This style also allows you to add nesting boxes, roosting bars, enrichment, and accessories to create a more inviting environment for your flock. Many owners also build in a small storage area for storage of feed, equipment, and other supplies needed to clean or care for the birds.
No matter the size, an excellent all-in-one chicken coop should be easy to clean and save time.
4. All-in-one Chicken Coop
All-in-one chicken coops are elaborate and substantial hen houses with a walk-in coop (complete with enough nesting boxes and roosting bars) and a sizeable free range. They come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, so there is something for every flock.
No matter the size, an excellent all-in-one chicken coop should be easy to clean and save all time.