If you’ve got a smaller yard or garden then perhaps plans for chicken coops isn’t what you should be looking for – you should probably be concentrating on something designed specifically for the purpose: plans for chicken tractors.
Now if you don’t know what a chicken tractor is (and I’ll admit I hadn’t come across the phrase until a few months ago) it is nothing to do with some kind of motorized buggy for hens! In fact it’s a smaller chicken coop with wheels and quite often a set of handles.
Chicken tractors are ideal for small gardens and yards – particularly urban areas (although you’ll need to check your local area as unfortunately some restrict the keeping of fowl). They are designed to take just a few hens – which is really all most families need for a decent supply of eggs. They are light weight and, with the assistance of those wheels I mentioned, can be moved around easily. This means you don’t have to find a permanent location for them which has two benefits – no unsightly concrete and they won’t destroy a patch of lawn by scratching it to pieces. As soon as wear starts to show, move them on. They won’t mind at all and it can actually be beneficial to your grass, because chicken droppings are an excellent source of garden nutrients when used properly.
There are other advantages to a small hen house if you’re building it yourself, and that’s pretty obviously the materials cost. It stands to reason that a smaller coop costs less for timber, wire, nails, etc. In my opinion it’s worth shelling out (excuse the pun) for professionally drawn chicken tractor plans so you get clear instructions. They aren’t expensive and there’s help if you need it – not something you usually get with free amateur designs. What’s more, professional plans are unlikely to have missed off important details and so work out easier to put together – even if you have little woodworking skill or few tools.
Buying specific plans for chicken tractors also means you’re not trying to scale down a set of drawings that weren’t intended for the purpose. Making a small version of a full-scale hen house might work – but it’s fraught with difficulties. If you’ve only got a small area, work with it, not against it. Have a look around and you’ll find some chicken tractors that aren’t just good for keeping your chickens in, they’ll make a very attractive additional feature in your garden.