Chicken Coop Plans: 5 Free PDF Plan Sets

4' × 4' · 2–4 hens · $180–$250 · One weekend (8–14 hrs) · Beginner

A raised box on four legs with a single-slope shed roof — the most forgiving structure a first-time builder can attempt. Every cut is square, there is no compound miter anywhere in the plan, and the whole thing is framed from off-the-shelf dimensional lumber. The raised floor keeps birds off cold ground and creates a shaded dust-bath zone underneath.

Coop / run

16 / 40 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

40"

Vent area

2 sq ft

Roof

4:12 shed

Best for: A first build, or a starter flock of two to four hens on a suburban lot.

Watch out: At 16 sq ft you are at the ceiling for four standard hens. If you suspect you will add birds, build the 4×8 instead — expanding a finished coop is almost always a teardown.

Key materials: 12× 2×4×8 studs, 3 sheets ½" plywood, 16 lin ft of 1/4" hardware cloth, 4× 4×4 posts cut to 18"

Read the 4×4 coop plans →

4' × 6' · 2–3 hens · $100–$180 · One day (6–8 hrs) · Beginner

Two triangular end frames joined by ridge and base rails, with the sheltered roost in the upper third and the run underneath. It is the fastest real coop you can build — no walls to square, and the roof and walls are the same planes. Iconic backyard silhouette and it sheds rain and snow without any thought about pitch.

Coop / run

12 / 24 sq ft

Nest boxes

1

Roost

30"

Vent area

1.5 sq ft

Roof

12:12 (the A itself)

Best for: Fast builds, tight budgets, and anyone who wants a coop finished in a single Saturday.

Watch out: The triangular section wastes floor area and headroom — you will crouch to clean it. Do not size it for more than three birds no matter what the footprint suggests.

Key materials: 8× 2×4×8, 2 sheets ½" plywood for the enclosed end, 24 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the A-frame coop plans →

4' × 5' · 3–4 hens · $40–$110 · Two weekends (14–20 hrs) · Intermediate

Built almost entirely from disassembled pallets, using the stringers as framing and the deck boards as siding. Deceptively labor-heavy: the savings come out of your weekend, not your wallet. Budget several hours just for denailing and sorting boards to consistent thickness.

Coop / run

20 / 40 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

40"

Vent area

2 sq ft

Roof

3:12 shed

Best for: Learning to build with zero financial risk, or anyone with free pallet access.

Watch out: Use only HT (heat-treated) stamped pallets — MB stamps were fumigated with methyl bromide and have no business near livestock. Pallet wood is rarely flat, so plan on shimming everywhere.

Key materials: 6–8 heat-treated (HT stamp) pallets, 1 sheet OSB for the roof deck, roll roofing, hardware cloth

Read the free coop plans →

3' × 4' (stacked) · 2–3 hens · $200–$350 · Weekend (10–14 hrs) · Intermediate

Roost box stacked directly over the run so the whole thing occupies a 12 sq ft floor plate. Finished in cedar pickets so it reads as intentional garden furniture rather than a farm structure — which is frequently the difference between an approving and a complaining neighbor.

Coop / run

12 / 24 sq ft

Nest boxes

1

Roost

30"

Vent area

1.5 sq ft

Roof

4:12 shed

Best for: City lots, HOA neighborhoods, and yards under 500 sq ft.

Watch out: Vertical designs concentrate ammonia in the upper box. Give it the full 1.5 sq ft of ridge venting even though the footprint is tiny.

Key materials: 10× 2×3 furring strips, cedar fence pickets for siding, 1 sheet ½" ply, piano hinge

Read the urban coop plans →

3' × 8' (against a fence) · 3–5 hens · $150–$280 · Weekend (10–12 hrs) · Beginner

A shallow shed-roof structure that borrows the back fence as its rear wall, cutting both materials and footprint. Long and narrow, so it tucks along a property line where a square coop would eat the whole side yard.

Coop / run

24 / 48 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

50"

Vent area

2.5 sq ft

Roof

3:12 shed, sloping away from fence

Best for: Narrow side yards and lots where every square foot of open lawn matters.

Watch out: Most cities require a setback (commonly 3–10 ft) from property lines for accessory structures. Confirm before you bolt anything to the fence.

Key materials: 10× 2×4×8, 2 sheets ½" ply, corrugated panel roof, ledger bolted to fence posts

Read the small backyard plans →

4' × 8' · 4–6 hens · $120–$200 · One day (5–7 hrs) · Beginner

PVC arches bent over a 2×6 ground frame and sheathed in hardware cloth, with a tarp over the back half for weather shelter. The cheapest square footage you can enclose, and it goes up in an afternoon with no framing skills at all.

Coop / run

32 / 32 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

60"

Vent area

4 sq ft

Roof

Arched (no pitch)

Best for: Mild climates, grow-out pens, and anyone who needs covered space fast.

Watch out: PVC goes brittle under years of UV. Paint it or expect to replace arches around year three. Not a snow-load structure.

Key materials: 6× 3/4" PVC 10-ft sticks, 2×6 base frame, 50 lin ft hardware cloth, tarp or greenhouse film

Read the beginner coop plans →

4' × 8' · 4–6 hens · $380–$480 · Two to three days (16–24 hrs) · Intermediate

The goldilocks build — one sheet of plywood wide, two long, so sheet goods rip with almost no waste. Walk-around access on all four sides, exterior nesting boxes that let you collect eggs without opening the coop, and enough headroom to reach the far corner with a rake.

Coop / run

32 / 64 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

60"

Vent area

3.5 sq ft

Roof

4:12 gable

Best for: The standard family flock. If you are unsure what size to build, this is the safe answer.

Watch out: Exterior nest boxes are a common water-intrusion point. Flash the top seam and slope the box roof at least 2:12.

Key materials: 22× 2×4×8, 5 sheets ½" plywood, 32 lin ft hardware cloth, asphalt shingles, 2 exterior nest boxes

Read the small coop plans →

6' × 6' · 6–8 hens · $450–$650 · Three days (20–28 hrs) · Intermediate

A square, skid-mounted box with a proper gable roof and a human-height door on one wall. Square framing makes the roof simple and gives you a genuinely rot-resistant structure that will still be standing in a decade.

Coop / run

36 / 80 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

80"

Vent area

4 sq ft

Roof

4:12 gable

Best for: Keepers who want one permanent coop and never want to think about it again.

Watch out: Skid-mounted means it can be dragged, which some jurisdictions treat as "temporary" and others do not. It changes your permit answer — check first.

Key materials: 28× 2×4×8, 6 sheets ½" ply, 4× 4×4 skids, 40 lin ft hardware cloth, architectural shingles

Read the how to build a chicken coop →

6' × 8' · 8–10 hens · $600–$850 · Three to four days (26–34 hrs) · Intermediate

A single-slope shed roof running front-to-back, which puts the tall wall at the door for standing headroom and drains everything to the back. Cheaper and faster to frame than a gable while still giving you a large, well-lit interior.

Coop / run

48 / 100 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

100"

Vent area

5 sq ft

Roof

3:12 shed

Best for: Growing flocks and anyone who wants walk-in convenience without walk-in cost.

Watch out: A 3:12 shed roof in heavy-snow country needs the rafters upsized to 2×6 and the spacing tightened to 16" on center.

Key materials: 34× 2×4×8, 8 sheets ½" ply, corrugated metal roofing, 48 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the coop roofing guide →

6' × 8' · 8–10 hens · $700–$950 · Four days (30–38 hrs) · Advanced

The classic gambrel barn profile, which buys real loft volume above the roost for feed and bedding storage. The gambrel is the only genuinely tricky part — each rafter is four pieces joined with plywood gussets, and every one has to match.

Coop / run

48 / 96 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

100"

Vent area

5 sq ft

Roof

Gambrel (two-slope)

Best for: Builders with some framing experience who want the coop to be a feature of the yard.

Watch out: Cut one rafter, test-fit it, then use it as the template for the rest. Getting the gussets wrong on all twelve is a full rebuild of the roof.

Key materials: 36× 2×4×8, 8 sheets ½" ply, gambrel rafter gussets, cedar trim, shingles

Read the large coop plans →

5' × 8' · 6–8 hens · $550–$750 · Three days (22–30 hrs) · Intermediate

Framed with hinged upper wall panels that swap the coop between a 6 sq ft summer vent configuration and a 2 sq ft winter one, with insulation between studs behind the sheathing. One structure that works in a 105°F August and a 5°F January.

Coop / run

40 / 80 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

80"

Vent area

6 summer / 2 winter sq ft

Roof

4:12 gable

Best for: Continental climates with genuinely hot summers and cold winters.

Watch out: Winter ventilation goes at the ridge, above bird height. Cutting it to zero traps moisture and causes frostbite far faster than cold air alone does.

Key materials: 26× 2×4×8, 6 sheets ½" ply, R-13 batt, removable vent panels, hardware cloth

Read the climate coop guide →

6' × 10' · 4–6 hens · $500–$800 · Four days (28–36 hrs) · Advanced

A coop on the north end sharing a wall with a glazed growing space on the south. Bird body heat buffers the greenhouse overnight; the greenhouse pre-warms coop air on sunny winter days. A genuinely efficient pairing in cold, bright climates.

Coop / run

24 / 96 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

60"

Vent area

5 sq ft

Roof

4:12, glazed south face

Best for: Cold-climate homesteads already running a season-extension garden.

Watch out: It will overheat catastrophically in summer without automatic roof vents. This is a cold-climate design — do not build it in the desert.

Key materials: 30× 2×4×8, twin-wall polycarbonate glazing, 4 sheets ½" ply, ridge vent, hardware cloth

Read the winter coop guide →

8' × 8' coop + 8' × 8' run (209-7/8" overall) · 12–16 hens · $1,400–$2,200 · Five to six days (two people) · Advanced

Our own CAD-drawn plan set and the only design on this site with a full downloadable PDF. The coop floor sits 24 inches up on four 4×4 posts, so the birds get the shaded space underneath on top of the attached screened run. A 92-1/2 inch exterior nest bank lets you collect eggs without opening the coop.

Coop / run

64 / 64 sq ft

Nest boxes

4

Roost

160"

Vent area

7 sq ft

Roof

4:12 gable, 141-3/8" to the ridge

Best for: Serious egg production, and anyone who wants a complete dimensioned plan rather than a design to interpret.

Watch out: At 17 ft 6 in overall this is a permitted accessory structure in most jurisdictions — commonly anything past 100–120 sq ft of footprint. Confirm setbacks before the first post goes in.

Key materials: 104× 2×4×8, 8× 4×4×8, 10 sheets 3/4" plywood, 104 pcs lap siding, 10× 4×8 metal roof sheets, 4× 18"×23" windows

Get the free plan set →

10' × 12' · 25–30 hens · $1,800–$2,800 · Two weeks (70–90 hrs) · Advanced

A permanent outbuilding on concrete piers with a framed feed room partitioned off the bird space. At thirty birds you are running a small operation, and the plan reflects it — dedicated storage, a wash-down floor, and roosts you can pull for cleaning.

Coop / run

120 / 300 sq ft

Nest boxes

8

Roost

300"

Vent area

13 sq ft

Roof

5:12 gable

Best for: Homesteads selling eggs, or anyone consolidating multiple small coops into one.

Watch out: This is a permitted structure nearly everywhere, and in many counties it triggers a property-tax reassessment as an improvement. Budget for both.

Key materials: 80× 2×4×8, 2×6 rafters, 20 sheets ½" ply, concrete pier footings, metal roofing, 120 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the large coop plans →

8' × 10' · 16–20 hens · $1,200–$1,700 · One week (48–60 hrs) · Advanced

Built around a roll-out nesting bank and a droppings board under the roosts, so the two daily chores — collecting and scraping — each take under five minutes. Steel roofing over a vented ridge handles both sun load and snow without maintenance.

Coop / run

80 / 200 sq ft

Nest boxes

6

Roost

200"

Vent area

9 sq ft

Roof

4:12, corrugated steel

Best for: Anyone whose flock has outgrown a 6×8 and who values daily chore time over build cost.

Watch out: Bare steel roofing radiates heat downward. Use a radiant barrier or furring strips to create an air gap in any climate that clears 90°F.

Key materials: 58× 2×4×8, 14 sheets ½" ply, 8 corrugated steel panels, ridge vent, 100 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the coop materials guide →

8' × 10' (existing shed) · 15–20 hens · $250–$500 (shed already owned) · Two days (14–20 hrs) · Beginner

Converting a stock 8×10 garden shed into a coop is the highest square-foot-per-dollar move available, because the expensive part — the shell — already exists. The work is cutting a pop door, adding gable vents, building the roost and nest bank, and sealing the floor.

Coop / run

80 / 160 sq ft

Nest boxes

6

Roost

180"

Vent area

8 sq ft

Roof

Existing

Best for: Anyone with an underused shed. Also the fastest route to a large coop.

Watch out: Stock sheds ship with almost no ventilation. You need roughly 8 sq ft of vent for this footprint — two gable vents plus a soffit run, not one small window.

Key materials: 8× 2×4×8 for roosts and nest bank, 2 gable vents, pop door kit, 60 lin ft hardware cloth, vinyl floor

Read the coop ventilation guide →

4' × 8' · 3–5 hens · $220–$380 · Two days (12–18 hrs) · Intermediate

A wheeled frame with the enclosed roost over one third and open run under the rest, light enough for one person to move daily. Fresh grass every morning means lower feed cost, no bare-dirt run, and manure spread across the yard instead of concentrated.

Coop / run

16 / 32 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

50"

Vent area

3 sq ft

Roof

3:12 shed over the closed third

Best for: Rotational grazing on a lawn or pasture, and keepers who like a daily rhythm with the flock.

Watch out: Weight is the whole design constraint. Every upgrade — real shingles, thicker ply, a second nest box — is weight you lift 365 times a year. Stay ruthless.

Key materials: 16× 2×4×8, 2× 10" pneumatic wheels, 1 sheet ½" ply, 40 lin ft hardware cloth, corrugated panel

Read the chicken tractor plans →

6' × 10' · 5–8 hens · $180–$320 · One day (7–10 hrs) · Beginner

A cattle panel bent into an arch over a skid base — enormous enclosed volume for the material cost, and light enough to drag with one hand. Cattle panel is far more durable than PVC and shrugs off both UV and hail.

Coop / run

20 / 40 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

80"

Vent area

5 sq ft

Roof

Arched

Best for: Pasture rotation on a budget, and anyone who wants maximum covered area per dollar.

Watch out: The arch profile catches wind like a sail. Stake the downwind corners or you will find it two yards over after the first storm.

Key materials: 5× cattle panel or 3/4" PVC arches, 2×6 skid base, 60 lin ft hardware cloth, tarp, 2 wheels

Read the mobile coop plans →

3' × 8' · 2–4 hens · $160–$260 · One day (7–9 hrs) · Beginner

The A-frame profile on skids with lift handles at one end — a wheelbarrow-style move where you pick up one end and walk it forward. The lightest genuinely weatherproof mobile coop in this library at roughly 70 lbs finished.

Coop / run

12 / 24 sq ft

Nest boxes

1

Roost

40"

Vent area

2 sq ft

Roof

12:12 (A-frame)

Best for: Small flocks on small lawns, and keepers who cannot lift much.

Watch out: Twelve square feet is three birds, honestly. The long footprint tempts you to add a fourth and a fifth — resist it.

Key materials: 12× 2×3×8, 1 sheet ½" ply, 30 lin ft hardware cloth, 2 handles, roll roofing

Read the A-frame plans →

3' × 5' · 2 hens · $140–$220 · Half day (4–6 hrs) · Beginner

A two-bird tractor sized to fit through a standard 36-inch garden gate — which is the constraint that kills most mobile coop plans on a fenced suburban lot. Rolls on casters rather than pneumatic wheels because it never leaves flat lawn.

Coop / run

8 / 15 sq ft

Nest boxes

1

Roost

20"

Vent area

1 sq ft

Roof

3:12 shed

Best for: Two-hen city flocks where the coop has to pass between house and fence.

Watch out: Measure your narrowest gate before cutting. Thirty-six inches nominal is often 34 inches of actual clear opening.

Key materials: 8× 2×2 furring, ½" ply roost box, 20 lin ft hardware cloth, 2 caster wheels

Read the urban coop plans →

6' × 8' · 6–8 hens · $600–$900 · Three days (24–32 hrs) · Intermediate

Built inverted from a cold-climate coop: three of four walls are hardware cloth above knee height, the roof floats on furring strips to vent its own underside, and shade cloth extends past the run on the west face. Roughly 10 sq ft of permanent vent for 48 sq ft of floor.

Coop / run

48 / 120 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

80"

Vent area

10 sq ft

Roof

3:12, white reflective panel with air gap

Best for: Phoenix, Tucson, Vegas, and anywhere that clears 105°F for weeks at a time.

Watch out: Heat kills far more backyard hens than cold does. Shade over the run matters as much as coop venting — birds will not use an unshaded run at 110°F.

Key materials: 32× 2×4×8, reflective steel roofing on furring, 60% shade cloth, misting line, 60 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the Arizona coop guide →

6' × 8' · 6–10 hens · $750–$1,050 · Four days (28–36 hrs) · Intermediate

Insulated between studs with a full plywood interior liner so birds cannot pull at the batt, and vented exclusively at the ridge — above bird height — so moisture leaves without creating a draft across the roost. Deep-litter floor for composting heat.

Coop / run

48 / 96 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

100"

Vent area

4 sq ft

Roof

5:12 gable with ridge vent

Best for: Minnesota, Vermont, the Dakotas, and Canadian prairie winters.

Watch out: Do not add a heat lamp. Hens acclimate fine to sub-zero; heat lamps are the leading cause of coop fires and they leave the flock unable to cope if the power drops.

Key materials: 34× 2×4×8, R-13 batt in walls, R-19 in ceiling, interior ply liner, ridge vent, 48 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the coop insulation guide →

6' × 8' + 8' × 12' run · 6–8 hens · $800–$1,200 · Four to five days (32–42 hrs) · Advanced

Every opening covered in quarter-inch 19-gauge hardware cloth stapled and then screwed through fender washers, a 12-inch apron buried down and out around the entire perimeter, a fully roofed run, and two-action latches on every door. Built for country where you will lose birds otherwise.

Coop / run

48 / 96 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

80"

Vent area

5 sq ft

Roof

4:12 gable

Best for: Rural properties with raccoons, weasels, foxes, or hawk pressure.

Watch out: Chicken wire is not predator protection — a raccoon tears it and a weasel walks through the mesh. Hardware cloth is the entire point of this plan; do not substitute.

Key materials: 36× 2×4×8, 1/4" 19-ga hardware cloth throughout, 12" buried apron, fully covered run, two-action latches

Read the predator-proofing guide →

4' × 6' · 10–15 chicks → 4–6 adults · $280–$420 · Two days (14–18 hrs) · Intermediate

A coop with a removable center divider and a mounting rail for a radiant heat plate, so it serves as a brooder for weeks one through six and then converts to a standard coop by pulling one panel. Saves building — and storing — a separate brooder every spring.

Coop / run

24 / 48 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

60"

Vent area

3 sq ft

Roof

3:12 shed

Best for: Anyone raising chicks annually who is tired of the cardboard-box-in-the-garage phase.

Watch out: Chicks need roughly 0.5 sq ft each at week one and 2 sq ft by week six. Fifteen chicks fit at the start; ten is the honest number by the time they feather out.

Key materials: 18× 2×4×8, 3 sheets ½" ply, removable divider panel, heat-plate mount, 36 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the coop size calculator →

3' × 4' · 1–3 birds (temporary) · $120–$200 · Half day (5–7 hrs) · Beginner

A small, fully sealable box kept well away from the main flock for new-bird quarantine, injury recovery, or a broody hen you need to break. The floor is sealed vinyl specifically so the whole thing can be disinfected between occupants.

Coop / run

12 / 16 sq ft

Nest boxes

1

Roost

24"

Vent area

1.5 sq ft

Roof

3:12 shed

Best for: Any keeper who adds birds from outside their own flock — which is nearly everyone.

Watch out: Thirty days of genuine separation is the standard quarantine, and "separate" means separate airspace and separate boots, not the other end of the same run.

Key materials: 8× 2×3×8, 1 sheet ½" ply, sealed vinyl floor, 20 lin ft hardware cloth, separate feeder set

Read the beginner breed guide →

5' × 7' · 6–8 hens · $520–$720 · Three days (22–28 hrs) · Advanced

Nest boxes floored with astroturf on an eight-degree slope so eggs roll forward into a padded exterior tray the moment they are laid. Effectively eliminates egg-eating and cracked eggs, and collection happens without opening the coop at all.

Coop / run

35 / 80 sq ft

Nest boxes

4

Roost

80"

Vent area

4 sq ft

Roof

4:12 shed

Best for: Flocks with an egg-eating problem, or anyone selling eggs who wants them clean.

Watch out: The slope is fussy. Under about six degrees eggs sit; past twelve they roll hard enough to crack on the tray. Build a test box before committing.

Key materials: 26× 2×4×8, 6 sheets ½" ply, astroturf nest liners on 8° slope, exterior collection tray, 40 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the nesting box guide →

6' × 8' · 6–10 hens · $580–$800 · Three days (24–30 hrs) · Intermediate

Framed with a twelve-inch retained litter well and a full-width clean-out door at floor level, so bedding composts in place through the winter and gets forked out twice a year instead of weekly. The composting mass also releases real heat in cold months.

Coop / run

48 / 96 sq ft

Nest boxes

3

Roost

100"

Vent area

5 sq ft

Roof

4:12 gable

Best for: Cold-climate keepers and gardeners who want the finished compost.

Watch out: Deep litter only works if it stays dry and gets turned. Let it go damp and you have an ammonia problem instead of a compost pile.

Key materials: 32× 2×4×8, 12"-deep sealed litter well, 6 sheets ½" ply, wide clean-out door, 48 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the coop cleaning guide →

4' × 6' (footprint doubles as run) · 4–5 hens · $320–$480 · Two days (16–22 hrs) · Intermediate

The coop sits on 40-inch legs and the enclosed run occupies the shaded space directly beneath, so a 24 sq ft yard footprint delivers both. The single most space-efficient layout available on a small lot.

Coop / run

24 / 24 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

50"

Vent area

2.5 sq ft

Roof

4:12 shed

Best for: Small yards where the coop and run cannot occupy separate ground.

Watch out: The under-run gets no sun and stays damp. Grade the ground beneath to drain and use deep sand rather than dirt or shavings.

Key materials: 20× 2×4×8, 4× 4×4 posts cut to 40", 3 sheets ½" ply, ramp, 32 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the small backyard plans →

8' × 12' (run only) · Attaches to any 6–10 bird coop · $400–$650 · Two days (14–20 hrs) · Intermediate

A roofed, fully enclosed run that bolts onto an existing coop, with a clear polycarbonate roof so the run stays bright while staying dry. Hardware cloth on all four walls and a buried apron on the perimeter make it hawk- and dig-proof.

Coop / run

0 / 96 sq ft

Nest boxes

0

Roost

0"

Vent area

0 sq ft

Roof

2:12 shed, clear polycarbonate

Best for: Extending an existing coop, or wet climates where an open run turns to mud by November.

Watch out: A roofed run changes snow load on the attached coop wall. Tie the ledger into framing, never into siding alone.

Key materials: 24× 2×4×8, clear corrugated polycarbonate roofing, 96 lin ft hardware cloth, buried apron

Read the chicken run design guide →

8' × 8' · 6–8 hens · $180–$320 · Two days (14–18 hrs) · Intermediate

Pallets laid flat as a raised deck floor with cattle panel arches sprung off the perimeter frame. Combines the cheapest floor with the cheapest enclosed volume, and the raised pallet deck solves the mud problem hoop coops usually have.

Coop / run

32 / 64 sq ft

Nest boxes

2

Roost

80"

Vent area

6 sq ft

Roof

Arched cattle panel

Best for: Maximum enclosed area for minimum spend, on ground that drains poorly.

Watch out: Pallet decking has gaps that will swallow eggs and catch feet. Sheath the top with a layer of ply or hardware cloth before the birds move in.

Key materials: 4 HT pallets as deck, 4 cattle panels, 2×6 perimeter, 70 lin ft hardware cloth, tarp over rear half

Read the free coop plans →

6' × 12' · 2 × 6 hens (separated) · $1,000–$1,400 · Six days (44–56 hrs) · Advanced

One structure and one roof split by a solid full-height center wall into two independent coops with their own pop doors and runs. Runs the cost of about one and a third coops instead of two, and lets you integrate a new flock across wire before mixing.

Coop / run

72 / 200 sq ft

Nest boxes

6

Roost

200"

Vent area

8 sq ft

Roof

4:12 gable, shared ridge

Best for: Keeping a breeding group separate, running two age cohorts, or slow-introducing new birds.

Watch out: The partition has to be solid, not wire, if the point is disease separation. Wire is fine for visual introduction but shares airspace.

Key materials: 52× 2×4×8, 12 sheets ½" ply, full-height center partition, two pop doors, 110 lin ft hardware cloth

Read the expensive coop mistakes →