The First Rule of Chicken Coop Design

I read this rule in old poultry books but have never seen it in newer ones:

“A chicken chicken coop needs to be big enough to walk around in, or small enough that you can reach into any part of it from outside.”

Coops that are somewhere in the middle — too small to walk in, too big to reach across — are nothing but trouble. Chickens need good care, and (let’s face it) we give better care when it’s convenient to do so.

In addition, coops that are hard to service usually provide limited visibility. Is that waterer in the back really working? Hard to tell. Is that an egg in the shadows? Everything works better if you can get up close and personal.

I Publish Books! Norton Creek Press

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Author: Robert Plamondon

Robert Plamondon has written three books, received over 30 U.S. patents, founded several businesses, is an expert on free-range chickens, and is a semi-struggling novelist. His publishing company, Norton Creek Press, is a treasure trove of the best poultry books of the last 100 years. In addition, he holds down a day job doing technical writing at Workspot.

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