More than 13 million homeowners raise
backyard chickens, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and that number
is expected to grow over the next several years.
You can rear chickens in regions ranging from
rural country farms, to suburban neighbor-
hoods, to congested urban cities. If there’s a
patch of land, you can raise chickens, and the
birds can bring more than just fresh eggs to
your home. You might be surprised to discover
that chickens can make great pets. They’re
friendly, curious, entertaining, and have individual personalities.
If you’re interested in raising chickens, it’s important to first check with your
town’s zoning department to confirm that chickens are allowed at your home. A
recent study revealed that of the 150 most-populated U.S. cities, 93 percent allow
backyard chickens. Chances are your town will, too. That leads us to the next step:
getting a chicken coop.
You could certainly buy a chicken coop, but where’s the fun in that? Summon
your inner DIY spirit and build our simple A-frame coop. Building from scratch
could save you hundreds of dollars, and you’ll be able to construct it to your exact
specifications. As shown, our coop takes up less than 50 square feet of space
and can easily accommodate six to
eight chickens. (Each chicken typi-
cally needs a minimum of four to five
square feet of coop space, depending
on its size and breed.)
The coop has three A-shaped
frames, which are built out of 2x4s.
The upper portion of the frames is cov-
ered with a ply wood roof, and the lower
section with chicken wire. There’s a
small fold-down door on one end to
let the chickens out when you’d like,
and another door cut into the plywood
roof gives you access to the roosting
loft when you need to gather eggs. The
total cost for all the lumber, hardware,
fasteners, and stain should run about
$600. Choosing your chickens is its
own adventure (see sidebar, pg. 59),
but baby chicks are sold at farm-s u p p l y
stores for between $2 and $5 each.M
FOR A COMPLETE
MATERIALS LIST,
VISIT POPULAR-
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BUILDACOOP54 November/December 2021
ILLUSTRATION BY GEORGE RETSECK