Home is the safest place for everyone, and your chicken deserves to live in a safe place as well, somewhere they can run, grow, nourish, and cluck around. Chicken coops are the most traditional way to provide shelter and protection for your chickens without making a mess in your home.
If you already have a large flock of chickens and want to keep them somewhere nice, warm, and safe, you should look into some of these large chicken coop plans. Let’s come up with some ideas and designs for coops you can build for your chickens.
Seven Different Large Chicken Coop Ideas
It’s time to start thinking of designs for a safe and cozy coop for the chickens. We have some incredible large chicken coop plans. Let’s start!
The Barn
This is the oldest type of chicken coop you can frequently find in a village; in earlier times, people used mud and soil to build coops for their chickens. Although the “barn” design is quite similar, you can use wood in this instance.
It keeps the chickens safe in cage and provides them with adequate shelter. They will be free to roam the yard the rest of the time and return to their coop at night. The only downside is that there won’t be any windows for sunlight to enter or a way to check on the chickens from the outside.
Around 20 chickens can be kept at once, and it can be built with two stores and a climber for the chickens to use. This is a low-cost option for a sizable coop you can construct on your own.
Room to Run Coop
The room to run is more like creating a small palace for about 20 to 30 chickens. You’ll need to build a 36-square-foot nursery completely enclosed with wire and, if necessary, wood.
Although the design resembles a walk-in coop and looks more professional, it differs in that you can also add storage space and a door that allows you to enter the room with enough space to stand up without bumping your head on the ceiling.
Walk-in Coop
Giving your chicken more space to play around and cluck is a good idea. A walk-in coop will have a larger space adjacent to the small coop, with a net and fencing surrounding it. The chicken will have more room to explore, find worms and insects to feed on, and wander around.
In the evening, you can check on them from outside and keep an eye on them. It’s mostly made for ten to fifteen chickens, however, and the interior can be made as large as necessary depending on how many chicks you have.
The Tractor
This particular coop design is unique because it is entirely based on a tractor-shaped coop. The coop will be made of wood and equipped with wheels so you can move it from one location to another.
On one side, there will be handles that you can use to push the coop through. You can reposition the coop in your yard by simply pushing it to a different corner. It’s the most portable option out there.
Garden Loft
The garden loft design is an option if you really want a large coop with more creativity inside of it. The actual coops are positioned at waist level, have a standard size of 3.6 x 2.7 x 2.6m, extra space for chickens to run around in below, and a full walk-in door for you to enter.
Two long ladder rungs are located inside the chicken coop, and two additional long railings on the outside of the coop span its entire width.
You can clean it quickly and easily. It has the advantage of dividing the space for easy cleaning and having removable egg sacs inside the henhouse to make egg collection easier. You can hang the water pot and feed it, or you can place it on the ground.
If you have a large flock of birds in your yard, this is a must. There will be sufficient room, a transparent polycarbonate ceiling, shade, light, and good ventilation.
Chicken Ark
You can choose an affordable option with a medium amount of space if you prefer the Ark design for chicken coops. It’s a small, fenced area in the middle of a triangular-shaped enclosure.
It has an A-frame shape, is made of wood and net, and lacks a solid base or ground. The chicken can simply be placed inside and completely enclosed. This type of coop is typically used in areas where chickens are threatened or have no free rein. The good part is that it’s portable, so you can take it to greener pastures whenever you want.
Poultry Shed
The most basic and frequently constructed design for a chicken house is a poultry shed. They are very common to find in a farmhouse or a poultry owner’s house. For those who run a poultry business, it’s a cost-effective and adaptable choice.
With numerous flocks, nest boxes, water pots, and feeders built in, this design is entirely contained. The area you will create with fences around it is open for the birds to roam.
There will be a place for storage supplies as well, where you can store their food, and cleaning stuff. It will have a net cage, proper ventilation, natural light, and a foldable shed that can be closed and opened.
Things to Consider Before You Build A Chicken Coop
With the proper plans, some woodworking skills, and materials, you can build the coops on your own; it won’t be too difficult. However, in order to build a coop for your chickens’ welfare, you may really need some basics like how much space you need, how to clean the mess, etc. You can skip this section, but let’s go over some quick coop-building guidance.
How Much Room Do You Need?
Decide how much space you require first. If you already own a farmhouse, the area won’t be an issue, but if it’s in your backyard, you should give it some thought first. You can estimate the area, the entry and exit points, the desired direction, etc.
Do you have a lot of chicken?
The chicken count follows. You must give them enough room to run around and move freely; you do not want them to clog up your adjusted space with chicken and filth. The amount of space you require is largely determined by how many chickens you currently have or plan to have in the future. So very well, get a count of that.
Do you want it to be movable?
It’s an important part that many people overlook. Do you want the coop to be portable so you can move it when necessary to another spot? Some contemporary coops are designed to be moved in their entirety without being damaged. For instance, the wheeled tractor coop. So you can move it easily if you need the yard space for a party or to build something.
A Good Ventilation is a Must
It’s essential that the chicken coop have a good air ventilation system. The coop should have enough oxygen, air, and light. As important as it is for their growth and well-being, it also helps to reduce the filthy odor.
Easy Clean Up
Although it is the chicks’ home, they will not take responsibility for cleaning it, so you have to think about how easily you can do it. It has a lot to do with the construction of your coop. Find and plan an easy way to sweep up the filth and grime without working too hard.
Safe from Predators
Being one of the most innocent and helpless domestic animals, chickens often end up being prey for most other animals. You really need protection against cats, coyotes, snakes, and chicken thieves as well. So make sure you are getting a good defense.
What’s Your Plan?
Every creature considers its home to be its place of origin; even birds that soar through the air freely return to their homes and nests at the end of the day. Your chickens also require shelter in order to live comfortably and safely. Building a coop for chickens has been done for a while, and as time goes on, the designs become more exceptional and creative.
You can now set up any large chicken coop plan, build it on your own, and design it however you want. There could be paintings, an attached vegetable patch, or toys for the chicken to play with. The bottom line is, if they’re yours, feed them with love!