Why Small Chicken Coops Are Ideal for a Few hens
For a
few hens, small chicken
coops
make the most sense. They take up less room in the yard, can typically
be moved quite easily and are inexpensive to make or buy. For those who
only need a couple of eggs a day or want just a pair of chickens as
pets, there's no need for a huge structure in your backyard.
With smaller chicken coops, buying them pre-made (either in
pieces or pre-assembled) is more practical than with regular sized
coops. Likewise, it’s also simple and easy to make a small chicken
house and scratch yard yourself with basic tools and materials.
To begin, decide on the approximate size of your chicken
coop.
The rule of thumb is that if the enclosure will provide the chickens’
sole environment, they’ll need at least 5 square feet apiece. If you
intend to build a large scratch yard or allow them to free range for
part of the day, you can get by with 2-3 square feet per bird.
Next, if you are building your own coop, you’ll need to follow a
good set of construction plans – either your own design or someone
else’s work. You can buy plans online for instant download from Building
a Chicken Coop.
These plans are only $29.95 and include designs and directions for
small chicken coops, medium size houses and a large chicken barn.
With
a smaller coop, you will hopefully have the room to make the chickens a
larger, enclosed scratch yard, even with limited space in your
backyard. Consider making a movable fence on stakes that can be
adjusted and put in different places off the coop to allow for even
grazing in your yard.
Alternately, you can use or make a design that allows the chicken coop
to be moved around the yard with ease. Also dubbed portable chicken
coops, this type make sense when you don’t have room or materials to
build a predator-proof scratch yard but want to give your hens the
variety of a different patch of grass each day and enjoy the benefits
to your yard as well.
Another plus side to a tiny yet adequate sized coop is the
expense is much less than with a large structure. Material costs for a
DIY project will be minimal, and both the base price and shipping on a
pre-made house are much lower as well, making a tiny flock the most
affordable option in backyard chickens.
Given the obvious benefits of a well-designed chicken coop and
outdoor enclosure, virtually all backyard chicken owners provide their
flocks with a house-like structure. Most ensure that the birds also
have indoor nesting boxes and an outdoor scratch yard or free range
enclosure, giving their birds the benefits of both outdoor time and
protection from danger.
You can buy
a ready- made coop, including the ones pictured on this page,
or build
one from plans available for
download. If you do build it yourself, be careful to buy outdoor grade
lumber, such as pressure-treated wood and other
long-lasting materials.
Go back to Chicken Coop Plans or home to Egg Laying Chickens, or check out more chicken-related resources:
Best Coop Plans:
How to Build a Chicken Coop - detailed plans and construction guide for making backyard coops, including small coops.
These chicken coop plans and building guide are the best I've found, and purchased them myself to build our first coops. There are five different chicken coops included, beginning with the most basic double-story ark and culminating with the largest design, the Chicken Barn with attached screened-in chicken yard. I want to use their plans again for their largest chicken coop, the chicken barn, when we are ready to upsize our chicken flock's habitat. The coop pictured here is a medium-sized all-in-one design.
Recommended Chicken Books:
- Homemade Living - Keeping Chickens: All You Need to Know to Care for a Happy, Healthy Flock by Ashley English
- Storey's Guide - Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow
- Barnyard in Your Backyard - A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and Cattle
Favorite Chicken Quotes
“ A chicken you eat only once — eggs a hundred times." ~ Tajikistani Proverb
“ You cannot cook one half of the chicken and leave the other to lay eggs." ~ Sanskrit Proverb
“ You don’t have to kill the chicken to get eggs." ~ French Proverb
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Don't Miss
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Chicken
Coop Ideas
A page with pictures of unique chicken coop ideas as well as tips on building them and recommended plans to follow for more mainstream looking henhouses. Your chicken coop and pen can be an attractive, fun work of art as well as a practical residence for your birds.
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Small
Chicken Breeds
Caring for small chicken breeds is virtually the same as tending to standard size hens and roosters. They need less food than their larger cousins, but also enjoy foraging and free ranging on grass. Protection from predators is essential, of course, and a secure chicken coop goes a long way to providing them the necessary protection.
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