Best Amish Chicken Coops for Hobby Flocks
Amish chicken coops are uniquely designed to ensure the
structures are
long-lasting. Depending on the size you
select, some are portable.
The
portability is sometimes
a nice feature to have.
The one I have, however, is alarge enough for 24+ hens and has eight nesting boxes -- and is not a portable coop. You can see a video tour of our Amish coop that I recently posted on the blog to give readers a better idea of its size, structure, style and design.
In order to ensure the structures are long-lasting, the Amish saltbox
coop design calls
for a raised structure. Raising the flooring off of the ground prevents
rot, and it also gives hens a shady place to rest from the intense heat
of summer days. Several two-by-fours are used as footers for this
purpose.
The raised design provides another benefit for the chickens. It creates
another sheltered spot for them to get out of the rain or snow on wet days. It provides a
little bit of
protection, as well. Large animals and birds of prey have a hard time getting under the
coop.
Another feature of the design is a separate nesting area built into the
front of the coop. A hinged lid covers the nesting area. The lid
provides protection while making
egg gathering a breeze.
The
doors of Amish chicken coops often double as ramps. The chickens
can use the ramps to come out for the day and to go in at night. While
you
might think that getting the chickens to go in at night would
be difficult, it is actually easy. They do all of the work. Once it
starts to get a little dark,
they head inside. All you have to do is close the door to make sure
that no nighttime predators get into
the henhouse.
Above the lidded laying area, the design features screened doors
protected by an overhanging similar to what you might have over your
front door. The screens let
air in, while the overhanging prevents most rain from getting inside of
the coop. The
screened doors can be opened for easy cleaning and to give your
chickens even more choices
for roaming around. There are many advantages to keeping chickens in
the backyard. Some you
may be aware of. One of the things that many of us chicken-keepers
enjoy is that the
birds eat bugs. We have fewer mosquitoes and other bothersome pests in
our yards because of our
chickens.
The
portable Amish chicken coops allow you to place the birds in areas
where they can catch the most bugs. You might like them close to the
house or further away, depending on your yard and garden areas.
You an buy
a ready- made coop or build
one from plans available on eBay for
about $16.95. If you decide to build it yourself, be sure to choose
pressure-treated wood and other
long-lasting materials. You can paint or stain the pressure treated
wood to match your house or
other aspects of your property. Even if you choose to buy one of the
ready-made Amish chicken
coops, you will still have the option to customize the siding color and
type, the roof type
and color, to be sure your coop is unique.
Go back to Chicken Coop Plans or home to Egg Laying Chickens, or check out other chicken-related resources:
Best Coop Plans:
How to Build a Chicken Coop - detailed plans and construction guide for making several differnt backyard coops.
These chicken coop plans and building guide are soem of the best I've found, and purchased them myself to build our first coops. There are five different chicken coops included, beginning with the most basic double-story ark and culminating with the largest design, the Chicken Barn with attached screened-in chicken yard. I want to use their plans again for their largest chicken coop, the chicken barn, when we are ready to upsize our chicken flock's habitat. The coop pictured here is a medium-sized all-in-one design.
Recommended Chicken Books:
- Homemade Living - Keeping Chickens: All You Need to Know to Care for a Happy, Healthy Flock by Ashley English
- Storey's Guide - Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow
- Barnyard in Your Backyard - A Beginner's Guide to Raising Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Rabbits, Goats, Sheep, and Cattle
Favorite Chicken Quotes
“ A chicken you eat only once — eggs a hundred times." ~ Tajikistani Proverb
“ You cannot cook one half of the chicken and leave the other to lay eggs." ~ Sanskrit Proverb
“ You don’t have to kill the chicken to get eggs." ~ French Proverb
-
Don't Miss
-
Chicken
Coop Ideas
A page with pictures of unique chicken coop ideas as well as tips on building them and recommended plans to follow for more mainstream looking henhouses. Your chicken coop and pen can be an attractive, fun work of art as well as a practical residence for your birds.
-
Amish Coop Plans
For less than $20, you can buy professional plans to build an Amish-designed chicken coop in your own backyard. Making it yourself will be a great savings over the cost to buy one pre-built. If you have scrap lumber or items you can upcycle for your coop, expect even better savings.
-
