In todays tought economic times, the relevance to keep domestic chickens has become more popular than ever! Many people look to keeping chickens, not only as a source of eggs and poultry, but as a fun hobby than can utilise any space in the yard very well.

Chicken houses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and provided you stick to some basic rules, you can have nearly any style you like. Some styles work much better than others, and will help the chickens to produce more eggs, as they are more comfortable and less distracted by predators and outside disturbances.

In general, I have found that the following factors help you to create a successful chicken coop:
4.5 sq ft of space per bird
3 nests shared between 8 chickens
9" of perch length for each bird

Using this formula, you should be able to house around 8 chickens comfortably. It is important to understand that while chickens like to forage outside, they also like to be under shelter often. Not just from weather, but from general disturbances such as cats and children.

Most folks tend to build the standard triangle shaped enclosure, as it it easy to erect and utilises space well. Basically a three equal sided shape, one end is fully enclosed and the other end is meshed with wire chicken mesh, that allows them to forage on grass and soil. Ideally, the coop can be moved easily around the yard.

For the enclosed section, you need to consider than it has to be 1) safe and dry 2) easy to clean and 3) roomy enough for the amount of chickens you will have.

The intrusion of pests such as rats or mice or flys can irritate your chickens and cause distress, so consider these when making entrances and windows etc. I always have the main entrance from the meshed area, raised off the ground slightly to deter rodents. A small ramp from the ground to the entrance gives your chickens the ability to access the enclosed area.

When designing, also consider heat retention properties. You dont want warmth to escape or severe draughts to breeze through, so ensure the doors are tight sealed and build a cover for any permanantly open entrances.