Coop & Run Style

Coops and runs can come in all different sizes and styles. The one you choose will likely be based on your flock size, the amount of space on your property, your budget, and what you find visually appealing. 

There are several commercial companies in New Zealand that supply ready-made coops and coop kitsets that take care of a lot of the design considerations for you.  There is also the option of building your own coop – if you go down this route, it is worth investing in a good coop design plan.

In this section, we will cover all the basics things you need to consider when either buying or making your own housing set-up.

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Coops and runs can come in all different sizes and styles. The one you choose will likely be based on your flock size, the amount of space on your property, your budget, and what you find visually appealing. 

Coop & Run Mobility

When planning out your coop and run, you will first need to decide whether you want a permanent coop that will always stay in one fixed location on your property or whether you want a portable coop that can be moved around.

Permanent Coop

Permanent coops are best suited to larger flocks or smaller yards and offer the advantages of being able to keep them better weather-proofed and predator-proofed. Many people with permanent coops also like to build pretty designs with landscaping that make them an attractive feature of the garden.

The main disadvantage is that the chickens are in the same yard space all the time, which can damage the ground, give them less variety of things to forage on, and lead to a build-up of waste, bacteria, and parasite eggs.

Portable Coop

Portable coops are good if you have a small number of birds and a large space that you can move them around. Many owners choose to move the coop daily. The main advantage to portable coops is that the flock has new foraging opportunities every day, which prevents your yard from getting damaged and helps reduce the burden of waste, bacteria, and parasite eggs.

The main disadvantage is that they usually have to be built with light-weight materials to make them easy to move, which makes it harder to keep predators out and protect your birds against the elements.

Coop Style

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Coop Elevation

Most chicken coops are raised off the ground either with stilts or cinder blocks. The recommendation is that coop should be raised at least 15 cm higher than your tallest chicken so you should plan for a minimum height of 50 to 60 cm above the ground. 

The main advantages of a raised coop are:

  • Protection against predators and rodents by making it harder for them get inside the coop or build nests under the floor
  • Protection against flooding and damp which helps keep the inside of the coop dry and reduces the risk of mould
  • Extra space and shelter in their enclosure by providing another level they can access under the coop. This can be a great spot for placing their feed containers or dust baths to keep them out of the rain.

The main disadvantages are that it can be difficult crawling under the space to clean and chicks in particular like to hide in back corners of the space which makes it difficult to herd them into the coop at night when they are learning how to roost.

If the coop is raised too high off the ground, it might limit the amount of vertical space inside the coop and therefore the amount of roosting space available to your birds.  Raised coops are also potentially more expensive to build and maintain since you may need more materials to construct a floor and you will need to use fresh bedding instead of dirt or mulch for the litter.

Coop Design

There are several common design styles of coop:

Chicken Ark

These small A-frame coops are a good transition home for chicks that are moving out to the garden or for housing bantams and other smaller breeds. They are lightweight and easy to move around the property. They can usually hold two to four chickens depending on the size.

Hen House

This is the classic single-storey chicken coop that can usually accommodate up to six chickens. Make sure to choose a design that will be easy for you to collect the eggs and clean the bedding.

Two-Level Coop

These coops are basically just a hen house that has been raised high enough to allow chickens to have an extra living space underneath. This can increase the amount of available area they have access to and provide shade and shelter against challenging environmental conditions.

Walk-In Coop

These coops are built on the ground and are convenient for being able to easily move around the coop to carry out common chicken rearing tasks. The size can easily be adjusted to accommodate larger flocks and provides chickens with a lot more free height to roost.

Chicken House

These are often larger buildings with multiple rooms and/or utilities specifically included in the design for people who are keeping larger flocks.

Chicken arks, hen houses, and two-level coops can also be converted into chicken tractors by placing wheels underneath them so that you can easily move them to other spots on your property.  Many people will design whole landscapes around their walk-in coops or chicken houses.

Coop Height

Regardless of the coop design, the ceiling of the chicken coop should be at least 60 cm above the coop floor to allow for adequate roosting space.

Coop Accessibility

Both you and your chickens need to be able to access the inside of the coop easily.  Most chicken coops will have a larger main door that you can use and at least one pop hole which is a smaller opening that chickens can use to go in and out of the coop.   

According to the Codes of Welfare in New Zealand, the pop hole must be at least 35 cm high and 40 cm wide so chickens can comfortably move through the opening.  The pop holes should be positioned to face away from wind and rain and they should also have a door that allows you to lock the chickens inside the coop when necessary.  If you are unable to let your chickens in and out of the coop at sunset and sunrise, you may want to consider getting an automatic door. 

If the pop-holes are not at ground level, then it is a good idea to install a ramp to prevent chickens from injuring themselves as they try to jump in the coop.  The ramp needs to have horizontal slats so that chickens have something to grip onto.

Walk-in coops are usually pretty easy to get inside and clean.  For smaller coops, some designs will have a pull-out shelf or drawer that sits underneath the roost to make it easier clean out droppings.

Coop Features

Inside the coop, the key features you need to think about are nest boxes where chicken can go to lay eggs, roosts where they will sleep at night, litter to provide them with a comfortable surface and to help manage waste, and ventilation to help with climate control. We will discuss these all in more detail in upcoming sections.

Coop Materials

The materials a coop is made of will depend on whether your coop is fixed or mobile and how sturdy you want it to be. Whether you are buying or making a coop, look for materials that are easy to clean and don’t have rough, porous surfaces that mites or bacteria can thrive on.

Structural Material

Most chicken owners choose wood as the material of choice for building coops. Choose a hardwood rather than pine or cedar which tend to rot within a year or two.  Just make sure that joints and corners have no crevices and cracks that can allow drafts and pests to sneak in.

Plastic coops are also gaining popularity because they are easier to keep clean and lower the risk of getting infestations of mites. 

Light coloured materials are better since hens don’t like being in dark or dingy environments.  This can also make it easier to keep the coop cooler in summer.

Roof Material

Plyboard is the most common material used for the roof. A tin roof may make the coop unbearably hot in summer and cold in winter if insulation is not provided. A felt or bitumen roof may harbour mites.

Floor Material

The type of floor material will depend on whether your coop is raised or on the ground. Concrete and dirt are popular options for coops that are built on the ground. 

The main advantage to concrete is that it will by much easier to clean and disinfect.  Regardless of the material, the coop should be built with the floors slightly sloping towards the door. This way you can spray the hose in the coop and the dirt on the floor easily slides out to the ground below.

Run Style

If you are not planning to let your chickens roam freely on your property, you will need something to keep them contained.  Some options include:

  • Basic fencing where the sides are enclosed and top is completely open
  • Tunnels which can be used to allow chickens access to other parts of your garden
  • Enclosures that are surrounded with wire mesh on the top and sides
  • Roofed runs that are usually surrounded with mesh on the sides and a solid roof on top to protect chickens from the elements.

Run Materials

Fencing Materials

Standard chicken wire or galvanised link fencing is not very good for enclosed runs because the holes are large enough that a lot of rodents, birds, and insects can still push their way through. Hardware cloth with < 1cm holes provides much better protection if you want to use a harder fencing material.

Alternatively, installing predator-proof netting to a height of > 1.8 m around the run enclosure and across the top is great to keep out unwanted visitors.

Predator Apron

To protect against predators, it is a good idea to bury the fence at least 45cm to 60cm vertically underground. You can also add a horizontal predator apron extending horizontally outwards 45cm to 60cm from the base of the fence on the surface of the ground since this is where most predators will try to dig. Ideally, thick wire or galvanised steel should be used so that the predators can't damage it.

Floor Materials

If your chickens are in one location for long enough, the chances are that they will reduce the floor of their run to bare dirt or mud in no time.  If you have a mobile coop and a big enough garden, you may be able to rotate the coop to different locations, which will help spare your grass and is also good for preventing the build-up of parasite eggs and bacteria in any one area.

If your coop and run are fixed, you can cover the area with a thick layer of bark chips, sand, or dried leaves. Some people will have concrete or bricks underneath this layer to make it easier to clean.

Straw is not particularly good because it doesn’t absorb moisture well and can easily become mouldy in an outdoor environment. Pine shavings also tend to degrade too quickly.

Smooth gravel can help with runs that are already muddy, particularly near high traffic areas like the entrance to the coop can help keep the mud levels down and prevent them from tracking mud into the coop.  Just be careful because the rough surface can hurt their feet. 

Regardless of what material you use, it is important to make sure there are no foreign objects like bits of plastic from children and pet toys, paint chips, and yard decorative materials that can get stuck in your chicken’s digestive tract.