Backyard chickens, made simple.

Chicken coop plans

Buildable plans with the run, a material list and a cut list, sized at 4 sq ft of floor per hen.

• Coop plans for 4 to 30 hens

  Six designs, including a walk-in coop and an A-frame chicken tractor. PDF, instant download.

• Free chicken coop plans

  The Four: a complete 4-hen coop with its walk-in run, material list and cut list.

Breed profiles

Pick the right hens for your space, climate, and egg goals — clear, at-a-glance facts plus the trade-offs nobody mentions.

🔎 Find your breed →

• Ameraucana

  150–200 eggs/yr · Blue · Active, alert, friendly

• Australorp

  250–300 eggs/yr · Brown · Calm, friendly, notably quiet

• Barnevelder

  150–200 eggs/yr · Deep brown, sometimes speckled · Calm, quiet, easygoing

• Bielefelder

  200–230 eggs/yr · Brown, often with a pinkish tint · Very calm, gentle, docile

• Brahma

  150–200 eggs/yr · Brown · Gentle giant — calm and docile

• Buckeye

  180–220 eggs/yr · Brown · Active, confident, curious

• Buff Orpington

  180–250 eggs/yr · Brown · Exceptionally docile and affectionate

• Cochin

  150–180 eggs/yr · Brown · Extremely docile and gentle

• Cream Legbar

  180–220 eggs/yr · Blue to sky-blue · Alert, active, friendly but not a lap hen

• Delaware

  200–280 eggs/yr · Light brown · Calm, curious, confident

• Dominique

  230–270 eggs/yr · Brown · Calm, self-reliant, quiet

• Easter Egger

  200–280 eggs/yr · Blue / green · Friendly, curious, hardy

• Faverolles

  150–200 eggs/yr · Cream to light brown · Exceptionally gentle and sweet

• Frizzle

  Varies by base breed (typically 120–180) eggs/yr · Varies by base breed · Usually calm and friendly

• Golden Comet

  280–320 eggs/yr · Brown · Gentle, calm, people-friendly

• Hamburg

  200–250 eggs/yr · White · Active, alert, flighty

• ISA Brown

  300–320 eggs/yr · Brown · Docile, friendly, busy

• Jersey Giant

  150–200 eggs/yr · Brown · Calm, docile, gentle

• Leghorn

  250–320 eggs/yr · White · Active, alert, flighty — not a lap hen

• Light Sussex

  240–280 eggs/yr · Cream to light brown (tinted) · Calm, curious, very people-friendly

• Marans

  150–200 eggs/yr · Dark chocolate brown · Calm, quiet, easygoing

• Naked Neck

  150–200 eggs/yr · Light brown · Calm, hardy, easygoing

• New Hampshire Red

  200–240 eggs/yr · Brown · Confident, assertive, active

• Olive Egger

  180–240 eggs/yr · Olive green · Friendly, hardy, varied

• Plymouth Rock

  200–280 eggs/yr · Brown · Docile, friendly, calm

• Polish

  150–200 eggs/yr · White · Gentle but easily startled (limited vision)

• Rhode Island Red

  200–300 eggs/yr · Brown · Hardy, active, hens calm; some roosters assertive

• Sapphire Gem

  280–300 eggs/yr · Brown · Calm, quiet, easygoing

• Serama

  100–180 (tiny) eggs/yr · Cream to light brown · Bold, tame, confident

• Silkie

  100–120 eggs/yr · Cream to tinted · Calm, gentle, people-friendly

• Speckled Sussex

  200–250 eggs/yr · Cream to light brown · Friendly, curious, talkative

• Speckledy

  250–270 eggs/yr · Dark brown, often speckled · Calm, docile, friendly

• Swedish Flower Hen

  150–200 eggs/yr · Cream to light brown · Calm, curious, independent

• Welsummer

  160–200 eggs/yr · Dark terracotta brown, often speckled · Calm, friendly, intelligent

• Wyandotte

  180–260 eggs/yr · Brown · Calm but confident; can be dominant

Explore FlockSavvy

• Coop plans & DIY

  Build, size, ventilate, and predator-proof a coop that lasts.

• Feeding

  Feed by age, grit & calcium, and what chickens can (and can't) eat.

• Raising & care

  From your first chicks to daily care and the annual molt.

• Gear & equipment

  Honest buying guides: feeders, waterers, incubators, coop doors.

• Free tools

  Coop size, egg production & nesting box calculators.