It would be near impossible to provide a chicken coop plans review for all the plans out there, so I’m concentrating on the three chicken coop plans that most appeal to me.
A bit subjective? You betcha – but I couldn’t think of any other approach! I think I’ve got a representative selection anyway – chicken coop designs that will suit pretty much everybody.
I haven’t included free plans. Although there may be some good ones out there, quite frankly I haven’t got the time to search through a lot of poorly produced ones to find the nuggets. I’m sticking with professionally created chicken coop blueprints that are more likely to be well thought out, complete and provide help if I get into difficulties (I’m not the world’s best woodworker).
OK? Here we go then. I’ll try to keep these relatively short and to the point – there’s plenty more info on the relevant websites when you want to get into detail.
Building A Chicken Coop by Bill Keene
From the start I like Bill’s clean, simple and uncluttered approach. That’s not to suggest there isn’t adequate information. There’s plenty of detail, it’s just presented in a refreshingly straight-forward manner.
His chicken coop plans cover three different styles so there should be something for everyone. First is a small, portable chicken coop design, then there are medium and large ones.
Along with the important chicken coop plans themselves, there are also bonus ebooks to download covering best position for your chicken coop, building nest boxes for free, best materials for the ground and cheapest materials. To be honest, calling them a “bonus” is a bit of a gimmick as they could just as easily be in the main book. However, it’s all good useful stuff so whatever he wants to call it is fine by me!
One thing that should give you particular confidence in the quality of these chicken coop plans is that Bill is prepared to give a 60 day money back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied, for any reason, you get a full refund. Try that in your local bookstore!
Full details of Building A Chicken Coop available here.
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Catawba Coops by David Bissette
Everything about David’s chicken tractor plans and his website is a bit different – and very high quality. For a start, these are chicken coop plans for urban gardens. As the picture here shows, that can be just one or two chickens!
In truth, they’re usually made a bit bigger, but it shows how versatile his chicken tractor plans can be (don’t ask me why these smaller portable coops are called chicken tractors – they just are).
Along with the professionally drawn chicken tractor plans themselves, again you get some bonuses (seems pretty common) – although these are bonuses of noticeable value. First there’s how “city slickers” can get to keep chickens within city limits – some don’t normally allow this so it could be real important to you. Second is a 3D program that let’s you walk through the plans on your computer. I thought it might be a bit of a gimmick but actually it’s really useful way to look at features that you just can’t get with a flat plan. David also gives a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
I’d also have to say that whether you buy the chicken tractor plans or not the site is well worth a visit because of the useful information, great gallery that shows what others have done and the chicken blog. Really thoroughly recommended. Click here to visit Catawba Coops now.
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Chicken Coop Guides by John White
I’d have to say right off that unlike with Catawba Coops I’m not a great fan of John’s website. That shouldn’t detract from the quality of his chicken coop plans though. When you know they’re created by someone who is not only an experienced woodworker but also an architect, you have to pay attention. Not many of us are great web designers, after all!
John’s plans offer the greatest versatility of the lot, from chicken tractors to commercial units that would normally cost thousands of dollars. If you’re looking to keep more than a few chickens these chicken coop plans have got to be worth looking at.
There are various options shown and even a video recommendation from some guy who is clearly very happy with his purchase! There are the seemingly obligatory bonuses and money back guarantee as well.
If I sound less enthusiastic about these chicken coop plans it’s perhaps because the other two designers fulfill my needs. However, the plans themselves are of an excellent standard so if you need something a bit bigger, or a bit out of the ordinary, these are well worth a look. Full details here.
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OK, that’s me done for this chicken coop plans review, I hope you find it useful. Before I go there is just one other site I’d like to mention, packed with great chicken coop info: Chicken Keeping Secrets. Give it a look, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.