There’s nothing better than fresh eggs in the morning. And the only way to get the freshest eggs is to have your own chickens. So no matter what the size of your backyard, there is a chicken coop that will fit your needs.

 Build your own DIY Chicken Coop

Building a chicken coop in your own backyard can be quite easily accomplished with some basic materials and tools. You can use timber that you have lying around, even old shipping pallets make perfect materials for a project of this kind.

Here are 6 Chicken Coops that people have made, including how-to instructions on the process.

1. How to Build a Chook House

This one comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Australia website. Click on the link above to get all the instructions.

This one starts off with a list of all the supplies you’ll need. There are simple step by step instructions (23 steps in all), and also a slideshow showing the build in progress.

This from the site:

Keeping chickens in your backyard can be a great idea. Not only are they terrific pets, but they’re wonderful recycling machines, too. Chickens convert kitchen scraps, garden weeds and grubs into fresh eggs and chook poo, which is an excellent fertiliser.

However, if you want to keep chooks, you must look after their welfare and give them shelter and protection. Your backyard should be fenced and you’ll need a chook house of some description. And you don’t have to build one from scratch, just convert a disused cubby into a palace for your feathered friends.

Click here to go to the site and get all the instructions.

2. Saltbox Chicken Coop, Run and Planter

I found this chicken coop design on the Killer B Design website. It’s by Brooke who describes herself as “I love to build my own pieces, revive ones from thrift stores, and re-purpose everyday objects to create something new and exciting”.

This is a very detailed website, showing all the materials required and a lot of pictures of the finished product plus even more showing all the steps required to build your own.

This from the site:

Keeping chickens has recently benefitted from a huge resurgence. It’s not just a farm thing anymore, many people are choosing to raise chickens for eggs and meat in urban and suburban areas too. Recently I was browsing a major retailer’s website for furniture ideas and saw a beautifully designed coop, run and planter, all-in-one! But with retail prices above $1600 before shipping, it’s not a feasible cost for many.

Click here to go get all the information.

3. Mobile Chicken House

This chicken coop is from “The Homesteading Maven”.  I like this one as it has similar features to a guinea pig cage I built a while back, in that it has a handle and it’s mobile. This lets you move the chicken coop around the yard giving the chickens lots fresh grass… kind of like a chicken run.

This from the site:

I was frustrated with designs I had seen online for a number of reasons: some held too few hens, some were too heavy to move easily, some were too flimsy, some required a lot of bending and reaching to load and unload food and water dishes.  I wanted the food and water to be self-contained, and I wanted the resulting coop to be secure and yet movable by little ole me.

Click here to go to The Homesteading Maven site for all the information.

4. DIY Chicken Coop from Pallets

The team over at “Hansen Woodland Farm” have designed a great affordable chicken coop made from Shipping Skids and Pallets.

This website page shows a series of pictures of the chicken coop during different stages of construction. There is another link on this page that takes you to a material list and more information.

This from the site:

Here’s a great weekend project for anyone who has or is getting chickens. The small footprint of this project is perfect for suburban folks and people with small backyards. You can’t house a lot of chickens in this coop, but our six like it just fine.

Click here to go to the Hansen Woodland Farm chicken coop images.

5. DIY Chicken Coop with Insulation

This project comes from “The Garden Hound” site. This is a great chicken coop design and the website shows lots and lots of detailed photos of the building progress.

This from the site:

We’ll document the process of building a chicken coop with a 43″ x 60″ footprint that can house up to 6 chickens or ducks (you can scale-up the design to accommodate more chickens). This coop will provide for all of the necessities, including a large access door for maintenance, ventilation, removable roost, nest boxes and a window for plenty of sunlight.

Adult chickens require a minimum of 2 square feet of interior living space per bird, plus 2 square feet of exterior living. This coop design has an 18 square foot footprint (including walls) plus a protected run underneath the cage.

Click here to check out this great project.