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27 DIY Chicken Coops in 2025

Are you thinking about getting backyard chickens? If so, the first thing you'll need is a backyard chicken coop. Building your own chicken coop might seem like a lot of work, but you don't need master carpentry skills to make your own DIY backyard chicken coop.

Here are 27 free DIY chicken coop plans to inspire you.

a raised red diy chicken coop with attached chicken runPin

But first....backyard chickens need a nice place to call home in order for them to flourish and grow. A small chicken coop not only provides a safe place for your chickens to lay eggs and sleep but also offers them protection against animals who might come to prey on your hen house.

Over the past few weeks, I've been posting pics of our backyard chicken coop and our flock on Instagram and getting a lot of questions about our own chicken coop and run setup. I thought I'd answer these common backyard chicken coop questions right here.

Please note that I am not an expert in raising chickens by any means. These are simply my answers based on our experiences building our own backyard chicken coop in an extremely cold climate. And as a bonus, here are a few of our favorite chicken coop ideas too!

Questions About DIY Chicken Coops

And by the way, if you have any questions you'd like me to answer about homesteading off the grid, you'll often find me over on Instagram.

Does my backyard Chicken Coop need a window?

In my opinion, yes. Chickens need great light, ventilation, and something to look at! At the very least, a dutch door would work for easy access. We used a window that Dan bought second-hand. At the moment, one of our turkeys sits in that window each morning and evening. No room for the chickens up there!

Should I paint the inside of my own Chicken Coop?

While I don't think it's necessary to paint the inside of DIY chicken coops, some people do. Dan did paint the floor. I don't think we realized just how dirty it would actually get.

If you do decide to make your own chicken coop and paint it, choose non-toxic paint. Chickens scratch at their feed, the straw, chicken wire, grit, etc. You don't want them ingesting any harmful chemicals.

Should I build an A-Frame Chicken Coop?

So I have mixed feelings about this. A-frame buildings are often popular in cold climates that get a ton of snow. And snow load was something we considered carefully when Dan was making detailed plans for the roof pitch on our own chicken coop.

The problem as we see it with the A-frame chicken coop designs is that there just isn't enough roosting space (or space for nest boxes) indoors. And we have such a cold climate for so much of the year.

So our backyard chickens choose to stay in the chicken house quite a lot, instead of heading out to the run. So we wanted them to have the most pleasant backyard chicken coop we could give them.

Are Automatic Doors a Good Idea for DIY Chicken Coop Plan?

Maybe? We don't have automatic doors because we live off the grid. We're always trying to minimize our power consumption.

I can see the appeal of automatic doors for easy access on your chicken coop though. Especially to keep the heat in during the winter and the cool air in during the summer. But they probably aren't necessary in a simple chicken coop plan.

Best Backyard Coops: 30 DIY Chicken Coops to Inspire You

27 Best DIY Backyard Chicken Coops in 2025

Sure, chicken owners will find lots of DIY chicken coop plans and kits for sale online. Yet some of the best DIY chicken coops use a scrap material list and cost far less than a ready-made kit. Here are the 27 best backyard DIY chicken coops we've found in 2025.

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a pinterest image of a brown and white chicken coop with mountains in the background, text overlay "30 diy chicken coops to inspire you"Pin
The 10 best DIY chicken coops posts for inspiration, designs, plans, and tips when you are planning your own backyard chicken coop. Man building a chicken coopPin

2 Comments

  1. I have never kept chickens, but I do know several friends who do! I think their chickens do benefit from a place to go to be safe. Of course, most who are homesteading would be interested in DIYing the chicken coop!

    Thanks for your ideas and examples that you’ve shared, and, obviously, for sharing it with all your friends at the Homestead Blog Hop! ????

    Laurie

  2. My dad keep chickens when he was alive, about 5 ex-battery hens. He built them a coop with a sensor on the door so it opened for them in the mornings and my dad didn't ever forget to let them out! He was an engineer so he loved automating things!!

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