Raising chickens is fun for the whole family. Kids especially love collecting fresh eggs.
Before you design your chicken coop you should consider the following chicken coop designs. There are essentially two types of chicken coops, those which are in one spot and others which can be moved around your yard or pasture. Which type is the best? For most people there is no right or wrong answer. Happy chickens make better layers, as long as you make sure the chicken coop designs you are considering provide for basic needs your chickens will be happy.
Chicken Coop Design Essentials
What type of chicken coop are you planning on building? You could have a chicken coop that is stuck in one location versus a chicken tractor. There are pros and cons to each design. A mobile chicken coop, also known as a chicken tractor is nice because you can easily move it around. Every 3 or 4 days you can move the chicken tractor to a new spot. Your chickens will eat the bugs and weeds under the tractor. This type of chicken coop design won’t need to be cleaned out as often as a traditional chicken coop since it is moved frequently there won’t be a build up of chicken poop.
A stationary or traditional hen house should be located where you can keep an eye on your flock. Predators may have a way of sneaking in even the best designed chicken coop. This traditional chicken coop design is a great choice if you already have a spot picked out and don’t like the idea of moving the chickens every few days like you would have to in a chicken tractor. After about 6 weeks of being in the hen house and your adult chickens get used to their hen house and yard, they can be let out during the day to free range. Before dusk they will automatically head back to the chicken house to roost.
So which chicken coop design is right for you? Some people start out with a traditional chicken coop design and then later add a chicken tractor so their chickens can take advantage of all the weeds growing especially in the spring.
If you are uncertain which design you are wanting to go with, it’s probably best to go with a traditional hen house.
