The chicken coop is admittedly one of the most important aspects of raising chickens, a good coop will save the chicken keeper many headaches, as well as make for happier, healthier chickens, so what makes a good coop? Read on to find out.
Where should I place the coop?
This is probably the first thing you need to decide.
A well placed coop shouldn’t be anywhere that has a tendency for water to pool, this will make for a stinky mess that is the perfect place for parasites and diseases to thrive, leading to unhealthy, sickly birds.
Instead, choose a well-drained, slightly elevated area to keep your coop dry and your flock healthy.
Depending on your land, how large and flat your land is will change the place you put your coop.
You don’t want it to far from your house, this makes it more of a chore to feed, water, and collect the eggs, but you also don’t want it to close to your house as it can stink especially after a rain, and if you have loud hens or roosters that can be an issue for some people, although not everyone and i do know people that quite literally have there coop outside there kitchen window, which does have some upsides
If you have a garden or compost pile then it’s usually a good idea to place the coop nearby these.
What makes a good coop?
your life will be a lot easier if you ensure that your coop has all of the following attributes, it will save you a lot of hard work, and headaches.
Plenty of floor space
Although you can legally keep 10 chickens in a square meter of space, this is not recommended if you want healthy happy birds.
Generally it’s recommended that for each chicken you allow at least 1 square meter of indoor space and 2 square meters outside space, however less is required for bantams and more for some breeds of large fowl.
Plenty of good quality perches
At least 30 cm of perch space per bird.
ideally they would be rounded, a tree branch is ideal, however any wood works, consider sanding the perches if they have sharp edges.
Plenty of good quality nest boxes
A maximum 4 hens per nesting box.
Nesting boxes should be dark enclosed on 3 sides, depending on position you may need to hang “curtains” or bits of fabric in the doorway to make the box darker.
Nesting boxes should be slightly raised off of the ground, different breeds require different heights and some breeds do prefer it on the ground (pekins, silkies, etc), whilst some breeds are quite happy to fly up a couple meters off the ground (game fowl, leghorns, etc)
Plenty of ventilation
This is very important if you don’t want to run into respiratory problems.
Ventilation should go in one side and out the other, this means having two sides with ventilation, not just one.
Clean, dry, bedding
This means setting up your coop so that minimal rain can get in.
Replace it at least once a year if you’re using a deep litter system, and more often if not.
Plenty of feeder space
Especially if you are introducing new birds to an existing flock.
You should have at least enough room for all your birds to be comfortably eating at once, ideally at least twice that though.
It should be predator and rodent proof
It’s almost impossible to completely rodent proof your coops, it’s easier to predator proof coops in NZ then in other countries due to lack of predators.
This can include things such as having concrete floors and burying netting to stop predators from digging under the fence, also having covered runs if you have a falcon or harrier problem, locking the chickens in at night can also help.
It should be easy to clean
Nothing more annoying than a hard to clean coop, it makes keeping healthy chickens far more of a chore then it should be.
Things such as removable boards under perches, tarpaulins on the floors of larger coops, easy to remove perches, nest liners, etc.
What are my options?
There are plenty of coop designs out there, some premade, some DIYed, but whenever your choosing a coop its important to keep your specific climate in mind, for example if you live in a place that gets driving rains it is a good idea to get something that has a deeper build or a enclosed house that water cant get into (something with closable air vents is ideal for this type of weather)
Flat pack or kit set
This is probably one of the easiest options, with minimal tools being required.
It can get a bit pricey, with most being $200+ plus most will need an add on run as the run they come with can’t hold many birds long term.
This is quite a fast option, especially if you live near a store that sells them, they don’t take long to set up
Second hand
This option has too many variables for me to say much about it, you can pretty much get coops for any price if you’re willing to wait long enough, although the cheaper coops may need considerable repairs, this can definitely end up being the slowest option.
DIY
This is my personal favourite as I can make the coop to my needs, although I do understand not everyone can build so it is good to have other options.
This option obviously has no price tag as it’s very dependent on where you get your wood, but if i’m using second grade wood i can build a small coop for less than $50, you are also going to need to buy latches, hinges, and screws and/or nails. You will also need tools such as a saw, a drill (and drill bits) etc, so it can get pretty pricey if you don’t play your cards right.
You can look online for lots of really good coop ideas.
Premade
This may be the most expensive option as you will need to ship the whole coop.
There’s not a lot of options as not many people sell premade coops and the ones that do tend to sell them for a considerable amount of money.
This is the only option that you are guaranteed to need no tools, and is a good option if you have the money to get them. All the premade coops I have seen for sale have been of exceptional quality.
Different coops for different stages
Although it is possible to raise chicks in the same coop they will live in as adults, its really ideal to keep young chicks in a brooder and move them to bigger pens when they need more space, especially if your planning on raising meany birds as it means you don’t have to move your adult birds out of their coop to make way for the younger generation, so lets have a look at the requirements for each stage of life.
Brooder
If you are planning on raising chicks then you will need a brooder unless you’re hatching under a hen, in that case you will need a separate house for your broody hen, the brooder is the coop you put your day old’s in, they will stay in the brooder until they are old enough to go without a heat source (typically four or more weeks old depending on breed).
A brooder can be anything from a plastic storage container with a netting roof to a purpose built brooder.
All a brooder needs is a heat source (heat lamp or heat mat), a chick friendly feeder and a chick friendly drinker, and some dry bedding.
Grow out pens
This is the second stage of coop, these are the coops you put your birds in after 4-6 weeks of age, they should have plenty of space for the growing birds, these will need perches, feeders, drinkers, and if your planning on leaving any birds in the grow out pens until point of lay, then nesting boxes. You will not need a heat source.
If you are only planning on raising birds when you don’t have any adult birds at the time of growing out the young birds, then you wont need a grow out pen, otherwise you will.
Layer coops
These will need netting boxes, perches, feeders and drinkers, plenty of space, and a run.
These are the coops the birds are moved to after the growing stage, generally by the time they are moved to this coop you have sold or culled any birds you don’t wish to keep to make room for the birds you do wish to keep.
For most people this is the last stage of coop, but let’s explore some other coops.
Rooster coops
These are for growing roosters, fattening roosters for the table, bachelor roosters (back ups), etc.
The idea is to give the roosters enough space, and to keep them away from any hens or pullets, so that they don’t fight.
They need perches, feeders and drinkers, and plenty of space.
Rooster coops can also be smaller coops that the roosters are individually penned in, the single bird option is best for some breeds that have a tendency to fight such as game fowl, also any rooster required for exhibition should be single penned as soon as they start to fight to prevent combs from being ruined for exhibition.
Conditioning pens
These are coops designed specifically to condition birds of a particular breed for exhibition, for example a breed such as Old English Game would require high perches and plenty of room to run, they also tend to do better when a little exposed to weather, this can help get them into condition, pretty much for OEG you want to mimic the natural conditions as much as possible, and if you can its best to free range them up until preparation for show, whereas a breed such as silkies need quite the opposite, with low perches, and weather protection (often being kept inside barns) and they don’t need nearly as much space as they aren’t as active, so it’s important to understand the specific requirements of your breed.
They will need perches, nesting boxes (for coops with hens or pullets), feeders and drinkers.
Training pens
These are coops designed to imitate the conditions at shows, they aren’t long term coops often only housing birds for a number of hours at a time, they can be anything from DIY pens made out of plastic storage containers, to professionally made show pens, with all working well.
They will need feeders and drinkers.
Breeding pens
Depending on how many birds you plan to keep in a breeding pen (anything from one onwards) will drastically change the design of your coop, if your doing stud mating or AI then you can keep your hens and cocks in separate pens, however generally breeding pens need to keep from two to ten birds, with most of mine being two to four bird pens as i mostly pair mate my birds.
These will need nesting boxes, perches, feeders and drinkers.
Broody houses
These are coops designed specifically for hens with chicks, they should be predator and chick proof, with plenty of space as when the chicks grow they will need lots of space.
They will need nesting boxes, perches, chick friendly feeders and drinkers, and plenty of space.
What type of run should I use?
Whilst most kit-set coops come with a small run, which often isn’t big enough for many birds long term, it’s likely that you will need to buy or build a bigger run unless you choose to let your birds to free range.
You can buy electric poultry nets which you can find for $200+, or you can make your own, whether that means a wild bird proof run or simply some chicken netting and waratahs to keep the chickens in, or occasionally find one second hand. All options work well.
To be honest it doesn’t matter to much what kind of run you use, mostly just use whatever you can afford, however it really depends on what predators you have, if you have feral dogs then a chicken wire fence isn’t going to do much, but if you plan on moving them then a permanent bird proof run won’t do either.
Conclusion
Choosing the right coop is one of the most important decisions a chicken keeper can make. Whether you opt for a DIY build, a kit-set, or a premade coop, the key factors remain the same—good ventilation, proper space, easy cleaning, and predator protection. With the right setup, your chickens will thrive, providing you with healthy eggs and a happy, stress-free flock. Remember, a well-thought-out coop is an investment in the long-term health and productivity of your birds.