• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS

Dish up the simple joy of healthy, down-home foods your family will LOVE… tonight.

Join 12,000+ families served since 2010!

  • Join Now
  • About
    • About Wardee & TCS
    • Our Team
    • FAQs & Help
    • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Blog
    • Recipes
    • Archives
  • Podcast
    • #AskWardee
    • Know Your Food with Wardee (retired)
  • Shop
    • Bible-Based Cooking Program
    • Print Textbooks
    • eBooks & eCourses
    • Recommended Tools & Supplies
    • More Books We Love
    • Complete Idiot’s Guide To Fermenting Foods
      • Errata
  • Login
You are here: Home » Raising Food » Livestock & Critters » Housing For Your Chickens

Make a healthy dinner in 30 minutes or less... while spending $0 extra! Click here to get the Eat God's Way “30-Minute Skillet Dishes” worksheet + videos FREE!

Housing For Your Chickens

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Housing for Your Chickens | If you've gone "coop shopping" or spent hours browsing chicken coops on Pinterest like I have, you know that chicken housing can be as simple as a reclaimed child’s playhouse or as elaborate as a small mobile home. It all depends on your goals and the time and resources you are willing to invest in the project. Here are the most important things we've learned about chicken coops over the years. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

No homestead is complete without chickens. We started out with eight in our first year of homesteading, but within a year we had tripled the size of our flock. We loved them! More chickens require more housing, so my husband frequently built coops for our growing flock last year.

If you have gone “coop shopping” or spent hours browsing chicken coops on Pinterest like I have, you know that housing can be as simple as a reclaimed child’s playhouse to something as elaborate as a small mobile home. It all depends on your goals and the time and resources you are willing to invest in the project.

Since we want to breed ours someday, we built three separate coops with three separate yards for our flock. My husband built the first coop from plans we’d purchased off of Etsy. By the time of the third, however, he designed his own based on a few things we’d learned about chicken coops along the way.

A good shelter should provide about 4 square feet per each heavy-sized, full-grown bird.

While this may seem large, it is recommended by Storey’s Guide to Raising Chickens.

A secure coop must provide protection from the elements and predators.

All of our coops sit on concrete blocks about 12 inches off the ground. This prevents predators from digging into the coop, and allows the chickens to shelter from rain and wind underneath their coop during the day. Each window is covered from the inside with hardware cloth. On the outside each opening is secured with a series of bolts and cup hooks that lock. This is our second year with chickens and we have yet to lose any to predators.

A coop should have good ventilation while remaining draft-free.

The purpose of ventilation is to supply fresh air, remove heat released when the chickens breathe, remove harmful gases from their droppings, and remove dust particles stirred up from their bedding. Openings should be placed near the ceiling to give warm, moist air an escape route. We have numerous little doors, and differently-sized vents that open and close in different configurations. These allow for cross breezes in the summer. During the winter, they are kept closed to protect the birds from drafts.

Each bird needs adequate space to roost.

Each roost should allow 8 inches of space per bird. Roost bars should be rough enough that the birds can hang on to it, but not so rough that it will give them splinters. They should also have rounded edges, so as not to hurt their toes. We have used wooden curtain rods as well as wooden poles used for bannisters. Both can be purchased at any home and garden store.

Each coop should have a place to lay eggs where they can easily be gathered.

One nest box is recommended for every four to five hens. Ideal dimensions are about a 12×12 to 14×14 inch square and 12 inches deep. I know some chicken keepers have successfully used plastic dish pans, and I have seen ready-made nest boxes available at the local ranch supply. The majority of our coops have nifty looking nest boxes built into a cubby. In the last coop however, we ran out of time before we could add them. The chickens took care of the issue themselves buy building a beautiful nest in the corner which, ironically, has turned out to be a favorite nesting spot of the girls. It works, and so we’ve let the situation, however unconventional, ride for the moment. The important thing is that they have a dark place out of the way to lay their eggs. Our nest boxes are situated towards the back of the coop with a hinged roof that can be lifted for easy egg collection.

The chickens need easy access their home, and so do you!

A friend of mine has a beautiful walk-in coop with storage space where she can comfortably care for her hens. Ours, on the other hand, are reach-in models built just off the ground. Whichever design you choose, the chickens should enter and exit easily, and you should be able to comfortably reach inside for cleaning, retrieving eggs, and any necessary care-giving.

My favorite coop has two large front doors that open on the outside, making it easy to service and clean the inside of the coop. Our chickens however, are allowed in and out by means of a little side ramp and a tiny door. While it is entertaining to watch them enter and exit the coop, someone does need to be here every night to lock them in. If you travel often, or want the ease of allowing your chickens to come and go as they please, you might consider fitting your coop with an automatic door that can be programmed to open and close in the morning and at night.

Housing for Your Chickens | If you've gone "coop shopping" or spent hours browsing chicken coops on Pinterest like I have, you know that chicken housing can be as simple as a reclaimed child’s playhouse or as elaborate as a small mobile home. It all depends on your goals and the time and resources you are willing to invest in the project. Here are the most important things we've learned about chicken coops over the years. | TraditionalCookingSchool.com

A coop should be easy to clean.

We use the deep bedding method and either use hay from our property or straw as bedding. Do your research carefully though! While the hay has not caused any problems whatsoever in our birds, I know that it has caused respiratory issues for others. About once a week, or when I notice things are especially dirty, I add an extra layer of bedding. Once a year we pull it all out and compost it, allowing it to sit for a year before adding it to the garden.

Some optional extras, in my opinion, include:

  • Electricity for a heat source or artificial lighting if you want your hens to lay through the winter.
  • Feed and watering stations inside the coop. Ours are located outside which does create the extra chore of having to put them out in the morning and bring them in at night. However, feeding the chickens in the morning is my favorite time of day, and it gives me a chance to monitor the flock and see how everyone is doing.
  • An inside storage area to make feeding time chores a breeze.
  • A covered run to provide extra protection for the flock. This is something to consider if you have a problem with hawks or other predators.

Do you keep chickens? Tell us about your coop!

More: Paula’s Granary Turned Chicken Coop.

We only recommend products and services we wholeheartedly endorse. This post may contain special links through which we earn a small commission if you make a purchase (though your price is the same).

Posted in: Livestock & Critters Raising Food

About Jenny Cazzola

Tired of the stress of city life and motivated by a desire to be more self-sufficient, Jenny and her husband decided to trade life in the busy suburbs for life on a quiet country homestead. In the fall of 2012, they moved to an acreage in rural Northeastern Oklahoma where they are learning to live off the land and working to establish a small home grown heirloom produce business. On her blog Black Fox Homestead, Jenny writes about their transition from city to country life, offers tips on natural gardening, recipes from her kitchen, and ideas for frugal, simple living. She and her husband currently share their homestead with four shih-tzus and eight growing Rhode Island Red chicks; but she hopes to see ducks, dairy goats, and possibly a cow in her future.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Debbie Nateghi says

    July 11, 2015 at 4:18 pm

    I am trying to finish out my coop and run for my 6 chicks who will be ready to use their new home very soon. You information about coop suggestions,feedings and nesting boxes are very informative. What I would like to know, is if you could post any pics of your coops up on the cylinder blocks as you described in your article? This is a new adventure for me and my plan was to put the chicken coop inside a rectangular shaped run with cattle panels framed out and hardware cloth across the top to keep predators out. One side will be up against our shed and that is the same wall I plan to put the coop up against. I am looking for insirational visuals to complete my project. The coop itself has 2 large nesting boxes and I have 6 hens. How else can I add nesting boxes within the run? Is that even possible to do or must they be in the coop itself? Thanks in advance for your response.
    Debbie D.

    Reply
    • Jenny Cazzola says

      July 13, 2015 at 3:45 pm

      HI Debbie, Actually I do not have any additional photos. The shot above is the closest I have to showing the concrete blocks. What you have though, sounds very similar to our situation. We also have our coop/run situated up next to our barn.

      As far as nest boxes go, chickens like to have a quiet, private place in order to lay their eggs. While you may have a few that will drop an egg in the chicken yard, the majority will go to the nest boxes the lay. The most important things your run will need to provide will be a place for them to scratch and peck, and a place for them to dust bathe. Good luck and best wishes on your chickens!

      Reply
      • Debbie Nateghi says

        August 17, 2015 at 1:33 pm

        Thank you!!!

        Reply
  2. Alice says

    August 16, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    The two leghorn-looking, blue – legged hens are really pretty! Are they mutts?

    Reply
    • Jenny Cazzola says

      August 17, 2015 at 7:49 am

      Hi Alice, No those are American Bresse. They are lovely birds and a great dual purpose breed.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi and Welcome!

I’m Wardee Harmon and I help Christian families who know they should eat healthy but are tired of complicated, time-consuming, weird-tasting, and unsustainable “healthy” diets…

…who want to look and feel better, save time and money, and have more energy for enjoying family life and serving Him fully!… like I was. Click here for more…

Recently on the Blog

  • Fizzy Apple Cider Switchel (VAD)
  • VitaClay Review & Buyer’s Guide
  • How to Make Healthy Cookies #AskWardee 006
  • Bean and Barley Soup (Instant Pot, Stove Top)
  • Soaked Spelt Banana Bread (VAD)
  • Ancient Grains 101
  • How to Heal Digestive Issues Naturally (Leaky Gut, SIBO, IBS, Celiac & more)
  • How To Meal Plan In 4 Easy Steps (KYF103)
  • Debunking 4 Sourdough Myths (& How To Overcome Them)
  • How To Use A Pressure Cooker 101

Recently Commented

  • YTmp3 on How To Make Healthy Mild-Tasting Mayonnaise #AskWardee 128
  • Debbie on 45 Real Food Copycat Recipes (Olive Garden, Chipotle & more!)
  • YTmp3 on Homemade Sauerkraut In A Stoneware Crock
  • AJ on Homemade Dog Food In The Instant Pot
  • Ali on Rhubarb Salsa
  • Leif on Amish Butter: Really?
  • Makenzie Reed on How To Make An Herbal Eye Pillow For Relaxation & Headache Relief

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Before Footer

g-NOWF-glinz

…are what we eat! God’s Natural, Organic, Whole Foods, Grown Locally, In Season.

We love working with other Christian families who love good food and want to eat according to God’s design…

Not only because we believe it’s the healthiest way, but because we want to give Him glory for creating good food as the best medicine!

Learn more about GNOWFGLINS here…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOcH27DM1dI

Eat God’s Way Cooking Program

Our Eat God’s Way cooking program is for Christian families who know they should eat healthy but are tired of complicated, time-consuming, weird-tasting, and unsustainable “healthy” diets…

…who want to look and feel better, save time and money, and have more energy for enjoying family life and serving Him fully!

Join 12,000+ families served since 2010! Learn more here…

Copyright © 2025 Traditional Cooking School by GNOWFGLINS • About • Help • Privacy • Partners