There are many benefits to designing your own chicken coop. You can make it exactly what will best for your flock and your property. However, whenever a beginner is designing a chicken coop, there is plenty of room for error. Today, I’m going over the 8 chicken coop features to NEVER forget for your flock. This post contains affiliate links, which may lead to a commission if purchased. Thanks for your support!
Chicken Coop Features NEVER To Forget
- Protection
- Roosts
- Ventilation
- Access for cleaning
- Food & water
- In/Out Access for Birds
- Elevation Consideration
- Nest Box
Let’s break each one down a little more.
Make Sure To Add These Chicken Coop Features
1. Protection
First and foremost, the chicken coop is meant to provide protection for your birds. We break this down into two categories.
- Protection from the elements
- Protection from predators
Protection From The Elements
Depending on your environment, protection from the elements can be very different from one location to another. In hot locations, for example, protection from the elements may come only in the form of a shady area with lots of airflow. Alternatively, areas that get cold and/or windy tend to have 4 sturdy walls to protect birds from wind, precipitation, and frigid temperatures. While many chicken coops have 4 walls, I have heard of 3 sided shelters being successful, even in cold environments like Alaska.
Protection From Predators
One of the main chicken coop features not to forget is protection from predators. Protection from predators can come in many forms, such as the following.
- Walls
- Roof
- Floor
- Hardware cloth
- Electric poultry netting/fencing
- Latches on doors
- Avian netting (for aerial predator protection in runs)
When considering predator protection, it’s important to look for potential weaknesses in your coop. Cracks and openings can quickly become a security risk if not mitigated right away.
2. Roosts
Chickens usually prefer to sleep above the ground — plus, it’s safer and generally healthier for them to do so. There is lots of debate in the chicken world as to the “best kind” of roost. 2x4s with a flat surface tend to be the general consensus. However, more and more chicken owners are gravitating toward round and “imperfectly shaped” roosts, made of natural branches and varying textures. Whichever you choose, it’s good practice keep roosts in a place that avoids drafts, if possible. This is especially true in cold environments.
3. Ventilation
Perhaps the most commonly missed of the chicken coop features is proper ventilation. Chicken coops should not be airtight. The best chicken coops have plenty of ventilation high up, in a location above where the chickens roost. (It’s best do avoid drafts down low, especially in frigid temperatures.) Without proper ventilation, moisture will get trapped inside the coop, which is a huge contributor to chicken illness. The best coop is a dry coop. Even if water is kept outside the coop, condensation can collect simply from chickens breathing. Make sure to add proper ventilation when considering chicken coop features to NEVER miss.
4. Access For Cleaning
Easy access for cleaning is often overlooked when designing a DIY chicken coop. If the coop is large, a nice big door to allow scooping bedding with a large shovel is a huge asset. Smaller coops such as “kit coops” will often incorporate a removable tray, which can also make cleaning a breeze. My personal favorite coop style is a full walk-in coop, which makes cleaning with the deep litter method much easier, too.
5. Food & Water
Contrary to popular belief, food and water doesn’t always have to be located inside the chicken coop itself. However, it is one of the more important chicken coop features to never forget. Whether food & water should be kept inside or outside the coop is hotly debated in the chicken world. Whichever you choose, just make sure that you don’t forget to designate a specific area (or two) for mealtime & hydration.
Here are some of the feeders & waterers that we’ve used over the years.
6. In/Out Access For Birds
While birds can be let in and out manually with a large door, most coops have some sort of a “chicken door”, which the chickens use. I highly recommend getting an automatic coop door — we’ve used both Run Chicken and ChickenGuard with great results. I’ve found that the auto chicken doors are much more dependable than I am at staying on-schedule and locking the birds in safely, before the predators come out.
7. Elevation Consideration
Though every chicken coop will have some kind of elevation, it’s important to consider how much elevation is best for you and your flock. Chicken tractors often have direct access to the ground, but it can make them more vulnerable to predators and flooding. Elevated coops with added floors offer more predator protection, but they can be more difficult to clean out. Make sure to consider which elevation you need for your birds, while considering chicken coop features.
8. Nest Box
Assuming you have hens who will be laying eggs, you’ll want to add a nest box of some sort. Our all-time favorite nest box is this nest box by HenGear. It allows the egg to roll away from hen access which keeps the egg shells clean, prevents broodiness and egg eating, nest box sleeping, and more. I really recommend checking it out. You don’t need one nest box per hen, but I always recommend having more than one, in case you get a bullying situation.
Is A Chicken Run Included In Essential Chicken Coop Features?
Although a chicken run is great to have, I’m not including it in essential chicken coop features. This is because we didn’t have a chicken run for years — and our free ranging chickens were quite happy. There’s nothing wrong with having a chicken run, though! It may cost extra, but it will likely keep your chickens safer, and prevent them from wandering. Whether or not to build a chicken run is completely up to you. We like to throw Grubterra treats into the chicken run to help them turn over the wood chips.
Chicken Coop Features, In Summary
These are the chicken coop features that I consider every time we build a new chicken coop. And we’ve built quite a few of them! I like to think they’re getting better every time. What chicken coop features do you consider absolutely essential?