Your fine-feathered flock will appreciate a safe, functional, and stylish coop.
There’s no place like home, and that’s just as true for your chickens as it is for the humans who care for them. And while you could spend $100,000 on a coop for chickens (for real!), there are lots of easy, affordable DIY chicken coops you can build too. You'll want to think about a size that's not too big and not too small (keep in mind you might end up wanting more chickens than what you start with!) that will keep your chickens safe, happy, and laying eggs. Once you have the essentials in place, you can have fun with paint color, shutters, salvaged doors, and other aesthetics to design the perfect "tiny home" addition for your yard. As you decide on the best chicken breeds for your flock and do your research on how to best care for them in this handy guide to raising chickens, check out the step-by-step tutorials or chicken coop plans you can purchase on the slides ahead or even design your own dream coop to create a home sweet home for your new feathered friends. (Or if DIY isn't the right choice for you, check out these ready-made chicken coops you can buy.) No matter the route you go, don't forget the accessories for your coop—yes, chickens need accessories too. Drinkers And Feeders
And now for the coops themselves. Find just the right one, and you might just want to move in too!
Built by her grandpa in 1964, Mel Ridley’s childhood playhouse is now the happy home to Lou and her other feathered friends.
Designer Lee Kleinhelter (@pieces.inc) made sure her Atlanta coop was in keeping with her home’s exterior by sticking to a chic black-and-white palette.
Chloe Mackintosh (@boxwoodavenue) and her dad designed and built her small cottage-style coop that's home to her eight hens.
See more at Boxwood Avenue.
Author and self-titled chixologist, Kate Richards utilized every inch of her small Los Angeles backyard for her bright and colorful 5'-by-12' stacked chicken coop and run.
See more at Drinking with Chickens.
Measuring 29 sq. ft., our charming 4'4"-by-7' Country Living Anniversary Chicken Coop features louvered gable vents, two roosting dowels, and a hinged roof on the nesting boxes.
Purchase the Country Living Anniversary Chicken Coop plan through Our Town Plans.
Thanks to a saved stash of architectural salvage, what started as a simple chicken coop quickly grew into a “fit for an antiques dealer” home for Amy Whyte’s flock.
A pretty blue upcycled door is one of many salvaged elements Jess Parker incorporated into her "Mint Homestead" chicken coop. The interior is planked with old barn wood, the roof is reclaimed corrugated metal, and an old shipping pallet is now a welcoming porch. For an added vintage accent, she topped the door with a vintage awning she found at an estate sale.
This Cape Cod-inspired structure belonging to photo stylist Heather Bullard (@heatherbullard) is prettier than most human dwellings! You can build Heather's "Chez Poulet" for your own chickens using stock building materials and hardware from the home improvement store.
See more and order plans here.
Situated behind her circa-1850s Kentucky home, Shannon Latham’s (@littleenglishclothing) 5'W-by-10'L-by-4'H “The Chicken Church” was inspired by a centuries-old local church, Pisgah Presbyterian Church, and hand-built by Amish craftsmen.
Chicken expert and author Melissa Caughey of Tilly's Nest (@tillysnest) built a house-worthy chicken coop that is as charming as it is functional. How fun is that green (Herb Garden by Benjamin Moore) front door?
A dark stain elevates the wood planks of Karen Bertelsen's stylish chicken coop, while elongated door handles and house-worthy sconces deliver even more high style. But she also made sure the function matched the style with lots of components such as an exterior nesting box (which the chickens have access to from inside the coop) and tucked away storage components. To keep her coop predator proof, Karen installed Rare Earth Magnets on all the doors.
See more at The Art of Doing Stuff.
A standing seam metal roof and board-and-batten shutters (not to mention the shiplap walls inside!) bring tons of farmhouse detailing to Caroline Scott’s enviable chicken coop.
An unused grain bin finds a second life repurposed as a unique chicken coop. The attached large enclosed run gives the chickens plenty of outdoor space.
Matthew & Alysha Sneed looked to a farmhouse they spotted in Country Living for inspiration for their cozy chicken coop that is complete with windows and a front door. Using scrap wood and windows and a door from a second-hand store kept costs down.
See more at Sneed Acres.
Deep in the heart of Texas, this dream-worthy large chicken coop—with more than 900 square feet of run space—keeps Erin Schaefgen’s 50-plus chickens in scratching bliss.
Fashioned after the guest cottages on her Mississippi farm, Callie Richardson's (@thewhitemagnoliafarmhouse) 140-square-foot chicken coop boasts shingled siding and a pair of barn-style sconces. The spacious coop includes a potting area in the front half, while the 14-foot vaulted ceiling makes for plenty of room to incorporate roosting bars and nesting boxes for her flock of 12.
With its thatched roof and decorative oeil-de-boeuf frame, this plaster-wrapped beauty by Tone Alexander (@tonealexander) references Cape Dutch style. The large chandelier provides a fun, unexpected finishing touch.
Antiques dealer Christi Wilson (@thebrownshed) designed a pretty backyard coop that both complements her own farmhouse and provides function with easy cleaning. The 8'-by-12' structure (with an attached enclosed run of the same size) is divided with the front area providing space for feed and supplies and the back area housing the nesting boxes and roost. Its roomy walk-in design is ideal for six to nine chickens.
See more and buy the plans at The Brown Shed.
Look to architectural salvage, such as this large cupola, for a one-of-a-kind chicken coop. Outfit the inside with nesting boxes and places for food and water and you're all set.
Kristi Reed picked a rustic cabin-style chicken coop to make her chickens feel at home on her Montana ranch. Natural wood siding, iron strap hardware, and a corrugated metal roof add rustic detailing that blends with the wide-open landscape.
See more at Windy Peak Vintage.
Rebecca was the social media editor at CountryLiving.com and WomansDay.com.
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