Chicken Coop Tour No. 17: Ten Large Backyard Chicken Coops Built from The Garden Loft Chicken Coop Plans

Large white backyard chicken coop with potting shelf on the front

In this seventeenth installment of our virtual chicken coop tour, we visit ten backyard coops built using The Garden Loft large walk-in chicken coop plans. Many of these were built during the isolating years of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s heartening to see how people were able to direct their energies to projects close to home that involved their families, food, and health.

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Introducing The Quail Hutch raised-cage backyard quail coop plans

Quail Hutch stacked backyard quail coop built from plans

Plans for our latest backyard coop design — a quail coop, actually — are now available! We call it The Quail Hutch, and it’s our first design meant specifically for poultry other than chickens. It offers the same security and modern style of our other designs, yet it’s uniquely suited to housing birds. . . of a different feather. Take a look:

The Quail Hutch two-tier raised backyard quail coop design

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Chicken Coop Tour #16: One Dozen Coops Built with The Garden Coop Chicken Coop Plans

Walk-in chicken coop with yellow door and nest box in front of fence and banana tree in Louisiana

In this sixteenth Krewe of Coops virtual coop tour, we visit a dozen beautiful backyard coops built using The Garden Coop walk-in chicken coop plans. Lots of cool colors, materials, and customizations!

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Virtual Chicken Coop Tour No. 15: Ten Backyard Coops Built with The Garden Loft Plans

Low angle shot of The Garden Loft chicken coop design

Chicken coop lighted up at night


In this fifteenth episode of the Krewe of Coops virtual coop tour, we visit ten fantastic coops built using The Garden Loft large walk-in chicken coop plans

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How much room should I leave around my chicken coop when I build it?

Narrow Garden Loft chicken coop modified from plans
Narrow Garden Loft chicken coop modified from plans

If you have the space in your yard to build a walk-in chicken coop, I’d leave at least two to three feet of working room on all sides of it. This will make construction easier, particularly when it comes to attaching hardware cloth and siding. And after the coop is built, having that space will make it easier for you to access the entire exterior of the coop should you need to. But what if you don’t have that much space to spare? Read on for some ideas. . .

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What kind of roofing materials can I use on my backyard chicken coop?

Blue and white chicken tractor with outboard nesting boxes
Polycarbonate corrugated roofing being installed on a backyard chicken coop under construction

All of our chicken coop plans call for corrugated polycarbonate roof panels. But whether you’re building one of our designs or something else, you have plenty of options. Many backyard coopers use corrugated metal, corrugated asphalt, or shingles over plywood instead. Read on to decide what’s the best type of roofing for your chicken coop. . . .

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Virtual Chicken Coop Tour No. 14: Fifteen (Anything But) Basic Chicken Coops

Basic chicken coop painted green with pink and light blue decorative flowers and attached enclosed chicken run

When we named our stand-alone chicken coop design “The Basic Coop,” we meant it purely as a compliment. The design is basic, of course, in that it’s easy to build and easy to afford.

But that simplicity makes it a great starting point to extend, customize, and create the perfect housing for your small backyard flock. In this sense, The Basic Coop design is anything but basic. These fifteen customer builds will show you what I mean. . . .

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How to add a window to your chicken coop

Colorado chicken coop with red window built from The Garden Coop plans

All of our chicken coop designs have an open-air ceiling in the henhouse, so there’s typically no need to add windows for ventilation. But if you’re in a really warm climate, want to look in on your flock from time to time, or just like the look of a window, there are a few easy ways to add one to your chicken coop.

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How to secure your chicken coop in a high-wind area

Texas chicken coop with black hardware cloth built using The Garden Coop chicken coop plans

The open design of our walk-in chicken coops means that wind can move easily through the structures, so there’s less chance for damage than with something like a solid-walled shed or mobile home. That said, if you live in a high-wind area, there are some simple ways to anchor your coop and lock down your roof.

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