Chicken Coop Tour No. 19: A Collection of Larger Garden Coops

We’re again showing off several examples of The Garden Coop walk-in chicken coop design modified larger, wider, deeper, taller. We’re seeing fewer of these since releasing our plans for The Garden Loft large walk-in coop design, which is twice the size of The Garden Coop. Still, plenty of builders prefer something in between, and as you’ll see below, The Garden Coop design is a great place to start for that. Enjoy these examples of large backyard chicken coops!

Coop 1: Jason and Karla’s Wider Garden Coop with Larger Henhouse, Kingston, Washington

Jason and Karla expanded both the henhouse and run from the original design. Turned out great!

We extended the coop by three feet and added vinyl flooring and high gloss paint for easier cleaning. We wanted to expand the henhouse in order to add to our flock. We have lots of flying predators so we have been only free ranging part time. The more covered space the better. Thanks again, we couldn’t have done it without the help of your plans!

Coop 2: Tom’s Colorado Chicken Coop with Raised Roof

The modifications Tom made to the design are really cool. I love the aqua accents against the natural wood. And the raised roof is stunning, though see Tom’s comment below about what he might have done differently.

Thanks for the design. My wife says it looks professionally built, but I had never built anything before this. I had the desire, but no confidence to complete anything. Used your plan as a guide, learned as I went, and since I over-built everything on it, had to figure my way through some stuff. I may have raised the roof too high above the coop to keep it dry from windy rain and blowing snow. . . I’m thinking of adding a little Sunbrella fabric on the front in that space between the coop and the roof to protect it better.

Coop 3: Lisa’s Chicken Palace, Seattle, Washington

Back in 2014, Lisa used The Garden Coop plans to make her hens a palace that’s the focus of their small Seattle yard. 

We are not handy, but the plans were easy to follow, easy to modify, and our coop is just as sturdy now as it was when we first built it. We’ve even made a removable wall for inside the henhouse, so we can start our chicks in one side and forego the brooder box in the garage. Thanks for your versatile design!

Coop 4: Jessi and Paul’s South Louisiana Garden Coop + Roosts

You might remember Jessi and Paul’s coop from an earlier coop tour post (see Coop 6). Well, they did some more work on it and added a second henhouse. The criss-crossing ladders are a nice touch!

The coop is holding up quite well, even after flooding last year. It’s even gone through a few upgrades to make for more roosting space. I love its versatility.

Coop 5: Carly and Family’s Extended Garden Coop, Northern California

Carly and family all pitched in to build this wonderful backyard chicken coop. The flowers really brighten the place up. 🙂

This was an amazing family project. Every time someone hears that we built this ourselves they are awed (as I am, every time I look at it). We used an old bicycle water bottle holder to rig some hand sanitizer by the door. And we used fender washers and screws to secure the hardware cloth on the uprights as my hands could not take all the hammering (we hammered staples on the horizontals). I think they look like buttons.

We love our coop, and so do our chickies. Thank you so much! 

Coop 6: Amy’s Extended Garden Coop

Amy used our plans as a starting point for her larger coop, shown here both nearly finished and after a few years of service. The small window is a great addition. The fenced-in day yard and outrider nest box cabinet came out great. And the way they sectioned off the area beneath the henhouse for brooding chicks is really smart. Since I think of chickens as little dinosaurs, the dino figurine made me laugh. 🙂

We created a removable insert to use the space underneath as a brooder for our grow out chicks. It’s a great way to begin to socialize them to the flock. Most recently, we added another door to the back of the coop that allows access from the larger run.  

We currently have ten hens living very, very happily in the coop and expect to increase the flock size this spring. Thanks again for an outstanding coop plan and personal support of our coop building journey. My husband and I have fond memories of building it together, and we get so many positive comments on it! 

Coop 7: Jeremy and Jennifer’s Extended Garden Coop Built on a Slope, Los Alamos, New Mexico

I like the mods and how they extended it, anchored it, and dealt with the slope. Plus, look at the amazing view their chickens have!

Thanks so much for well-thought-out plans. It took us three solid weekends and a bit of time for details, but the finished product is awesome! I modified many things to fit our yard and flock, but your plans formed the basis. The coop is 12’ x 6’, anchored in concrete, with an external nesting box, sheet vinyl inside, and top-hinged internal wall for ease of cleaning. 

Coop 8: Kelly’s Larger Garden Coop, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Kelly expanded The Garden Coop design by one “section” and added a window and external nest boxes to the henhouse. The shade cloth on the top corner of the run is a simple way to handle the afternoon sun.

We really love this design and have received complements from all who see it. We’re in the process of adding on. . . somehow we ended up with 11 chickens, when the plan was for 8. I hear that’s a ‘thing.’ 😉

Coop 9: Rachel’s Large Chicken Coop de Ville from Plans and Hardware Kit, Mountain Brook, Alabama

Rachel used our optional hardware kit in addition to the plans to put together this gem of a coop. Notice the added external nest boxes, window, and decorative string lights.

It was definitely a lot of work, and if I never have to hammer another chicken staple I will be happy, but the plans and hardware kit were great. The coop turned out beyond expectations.

Coop 10: Mason’s Taller Garden Coop Built with Hardware Kit, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Mason built his Garden Coop taller (7-foot frame), used galvanized roofing, and used entirely salvaged wood. Sometimes old is better than new — kinda hard to find wood that nice these days without paying a lot extra. The metal roof looks great too.

Just wanted to send a big thanks for the plans and hardware pack. I’m normally the guy who wants to design everything, and re-design mid-build, but a pandemic is not a good time to constantly visit Home Depot over the course of a week. It was great to have a set of clear instructions and know that I already had all the supplies except wood, hardware cloth, and roofing.

The best part was we salvaged every bit of wood for the whole coop from a wood pile at my wife’s grandparents’ house. It was fun finding a use for tongue-and-groove siding that had been sitting there for 40 years. After dusting it off and sealing it, it looks brand new.

Coop 11: Barbara’s Front-Yard Garden Coop, Los Angeles, California

Barbara has a large front yard and no backyard, so she knew her chicken coop build needed to be tastefully done. She started with The Garden Coop plans and made some adaptations to fit her needs. The result is spectacular. Much to her delight, her neighbors love it, and she’s gotten to know many more of them in the process of building it and keeping her chickens. They even added a “chunnel” (chicken run tunnel) to give the chickens more room to roam securely through their garden.

I changed the floor size, door orientation, and height to fit my existing landscape. The coop is 8’ high to accommodate a tall lateral perch. And I thought the higher coop would look better next to my two-story home.

I placed the egg box outside the coop (thank you for the additional plans), and I designed a food bin that also resides out of the coop. I stained the wood and used some nice siding. The design of the roof may be my favorite feature. I plan on adding a chicken tunnel so the chickens can have more run space. 

My neighborhood watched the build, and I’ve met many of them as they now stop over to visit the chickens. Who knew! 

A big thanks to all who shared their pictures and ideas for this virtual chicken coop tour. Like what they’ve done with their coops? Have a personal favorite? Let us know with a comment below. 

You can browse all of our Make It Your Own coop profiles here for more examples of large backyard chicken coops. If you’re interested in building The Garden Coop walk-in chicken coop design, the plans are available here.