The Backyard Chicken Coop

 The Backyard Chicken Coop

Several years ago we decided to keep backyard chickens. I checked with the town to see if we needed a permit and to see if there were any requirements for housing. On our 1/4 acre lot, the town requires that the coop not exceed a footprint of 6' x 8'  and a height 5'-5". 

An overall height of 5'-5" isn't tall enough for a walk in coop, so I decided to design something that would work well for a small flock within those parameters.

I came up with the 4' x 6' Backyard Coop. This coop has an upper enclosed area that houses the chickens at night. The roof panels on one side are hinged so you can easily clean the coop. There is a hinged door on the floor that opens to a ramp which leads to an enclosed pen underneath. There is a roost bar inside, a loft area and nesting boxes that are accessible from outside the coop. 

View through outside egg door into the coop

Egg door on back of coop. The solar panel is for the coop lights.

The recommended space requirements for chickens is a minimum of 4 square feet of space per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet of space per chicken in the run.

This coop is 4' x 6', which equals 24 square feet inside. That is suitable for up to 6 chickens. We only have 3, so that is more than adequate. The run underneath is also 24 square feet, which would be a little small if we didn't let them free range in the yard during the day. 

I decided to also add an additional 6' x 6' run on the front of the coop so that could have an expanded protected enclosed area if we weren't able to let them out or if the weather was bad.

6' x 6' front run

The coop is located under the canopy of a very large maple tree so the chickens have plenty of shade in the summer. They seem to be very happy with their accommodations.

I've finally  the created plans for the Backyard Chicken Coop which are now available in my ETSY shop. The plans include a materials list, cut list and step by step assembly instructions.

There are also plans available for the 6' x 6' front run as well as a 4' x 6' side run.

I also have many popular sizes of greenhouse plans available in both Printed and digital PDF format.

I am working on new designs for larger chicken coops, sheds and other yard and garden items which will be available in my ETSY Shop soon!

~Rob~

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The Cape Coop

Happy Reunion!

Chick that hatched on 4/04/10

This week I had the opportunity to visit the chickens I hatched this past April. I ordered a dozen Buff Orpington hatching eggs from a hatchery and put them into the incubator on 3/16/10. The first chick to hatch arrived on 4/4/10, Easter Sunday, it was a nice Easter surprise. Out of 13 eggs, I ended up with 10 that hatched. The first chick to hatch, for some reason, was smaller than the others. She was always easy to pick out of the flock because of her size.

Pictured above are the chicks on 4/14/10. They were playing in a pen I set up in the backyard. The sun was out and the weather had warmed up enough to let them play outside for a while in the afternoon. They were scratching at the dirt and looking for bugs. I knew I couldn't keep them, I checked with the town (which was probably a mistake) and was told I didn't have enough land to raise chickens. There are many cities and towns that have changed, or are changing their zoning laws to allow homeowners to raise chickens. There has been a huge uprising in home gardening and folks wanting to keep chickens mainly for eggs. Usually you are limited to 6 hens and no roosters. Luckily I was able to find someone to take them, who happened to be a friend of my daughter, so I am able to visit them and watch them grow.

Here are the chickens on 7/20/10. They are huge compared to the last time I saw them. Out of the 10 that hatched, there ended up being 3 roosters and 7 hens. A nice looking flock! Seeing them again made me wish I could have kept them and raised them. It was a very memorable and exciting experience hatching them, something I hope to do again soon.  Who knows, maybe I'll petition the town to try and get the laws changed!

A great book for anyone interested in raising chickens is The Joy of Keeping Chickens by Jennifer Megyesi.