Reviving this old topic: we are thinking about building a chicken coop in our backyard. Our city allows it as long as it doesnât become a nuisance to the neighbors. Our plan is to have 2 chickens for now so that should be fine. I understand there are hundreds of designs online but Iâd love to talk to someone in our membership who recently built a chicken coop. We are not looking for fancy but functional 
What worked? What didnât? etc. Thank you.
Iâd recommend a âtractorâ vs a âcoopâ if you have some space in the yard. You can move the tractor around the yard without releasing the chickens so they have access to fresh plants and bugs. It also means that the chickens wonât be exposed to neighborhood dogs.
This plan works pretty well. Some folks put lawn mower wheels on the coop end so that a single person can roll the tractor to a new location:
Focus on light weight and portable, especially in the mild TX climate. Many folks overbuild.
Thank you Mike for your constructive feedback. I do like the idea of adding wheels on the coop. Smart idea!
I plan to build a chicken tractor once The Colony allows finally backyard chickens to be legally kept. I am planning on building a 6âx12â rolling enclosure with bicycle tires than can be lowered to lift it off the ground. Will have a wire bottom to keep critters from digging under when trying to get to the chickens. Most of it will have a shade cloth cover with a nest box and coup enclosure at one end. Most of it will be built from EMT electrical conduit and other light materials. I also plan to put a solar panel on top of the coup to power a automatic door opener/closer and a small fan or heater when needed. The basic design I am doing is a combination of several popular designs using the best features from each. My house is on a nearly 3/4 acre lot and backs up to a creek near Lake Lewisville so I only have two neighbors that I have to worry about annoying. I plan to have the maximum allowed up to 6-8 chickens if they someday update the city ordinances.
Check out Backyard Poultry magazine at https://countrysidenetwork.com/magazines/backyard-poultry-magazine/ or Countryside magazine from the same publisher.
After graduating from school I spent several years planning a move to the country and was planning on gardening, raising chickens and a few cows. For now my plans have been delayed but I hope to someday build and move to my own place in the country and live away from the big city. I have quite a few books and have done lots of research on many homesteading/gardening/DIY topics and alternative construction methods.
Recommendations as my old post above. Make doors that can be closed to keep pests away from the chickens at night and with enough access so that you can rake out the coop easily, as there will be a lot of chicken poop on the floor. Also make any fencing or windows with wire tough enough that predators canât rip it and get in.
Another advantage of a mobile chicken tractor is that the mesh bottom means less waste management.
A friend of mine is using car window motors to open/close his coop door via an Arduino. He recommends this one as being quite cheap:
No limit switches used: instead, he uses a current sensor in a tight loop to watch for a current jump to indicate the motor is at its limit.
You going to make it remote control movable?
Ainât happening my dear!