Chicken coop options

When we first started with our birds, chicken coop plans were as rare as hens' teeth. Each poultry book we purchased had perhaps one or two plans listed within, as if those few plans would cover every possible set of conditions which flock owners might face. Sadly, that was not the case. Fast forward to the current time when small flock ownership is enjoying quite a revival. Urban chickens and local foods are once again in great demand. As a result, unprecedented numbers of folks in cities, towns and rural settings, are asking the fundamental question - how do we provide cost-effective, practical, safe and attractive housing for small flocks? Happily, flock owners now have access to a tremendous variety of chicken coop plans. Some of these plans are free, and some of them require purchase.

All of them have been built at least once, sometimes hundreds or thousands of times.  To be sure, not all of them are suitable for every possible flock.  If anything, the increasing numbers of small flocks has only driven the need for a huge variety of chicken coop options.  We don't claim to have every possible design here, but we'll try to provide a very good sampling.  By viewing all these options, it is our hope that flock owners will be able to find some valuable ideas for solutions appropriate to their particular circumstances, even if they don't find the exact plan.  If flock owners do find the exact plans they want, so much the better.