What do you think?
Rate this book
Reinventing the Chicken COOP: 14 Original Designs with Step-By-Step Building Instructions
Backyard chickens meet contemporary design! Matthew Wolpe and Kevin McElroy give you 14 complete building plans for chicken coops that range from the purely functional to the outrageously fabulous. One has a water-capturing roof; one is a great homage to mid-Modern architecture; and another has a built-in composting system. Some designs are suitable for beginning builders, and some are challenging enough for experts. Step-by-step building plans are accompanied by full-color photographs and detailed construction illustrations.
192 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
June 3, 2013
You know, there's some things that don't REALLY need reinventing. The chicken coop is probably one of those things.
Don't get me wrong, this book is well illustrated, carefully diagrammed out, and has lovely full colour pictures... but honestly... these are coops that are meant for three hen urban chicken keepers, who want hens as pets and a decorative backyard too.
At times clever, it is more often a little annoying, putting the comfort of the chickens well below the crazy 'isn't this cute' factor. I mean, some of the coops don't actually include plans for where the water or food should go, and these are SMALL coops. Many of the designs assume the chickens will be free-range in your backyard, or do not include any predator protection, even tho among urban chickens the lowly RAT is the worst predator of them all...
I don't really recommend this as a set of plans to choose from, but you might find some fun inspiration and some clever ideas all the same. If you're not used to building things, you might also find some good ideas about how to put something together... just... make sure there's room for food, water, and protection from rats, huh?
June 6, 2013
This is project runway meets the urban green revolution. As a long time chicken owner, I find the designs impractical. Garden on top of a tiny coop for free-range hens? Yields chickens eating your vegetables. The designs are creative but I would love to see book two written after these guys have owned birds for a few years.
January 18, 2022
The authors say it best on the first page: they are not architects, carpenters, or chicken experts. In fact, they have little experience with chickens at all. Instead they call themselves "makers," born out of the Silicon Valley mindset of attempting to reinvent something while contributing nothing new. And, in this case, the end result is even worse.
First and foremost, this is geared toward the urban backyard. Many of the coop designs they present would scarcely fit two hens, and in all but the warmest regions of the US would require bringing your kitchens in house to live during the winter months. Sure, they acknowledge this, but it doesn't bode well for the idea of publishing a book that "reinvents" something when its use is rather limited in geographic and practical scope.
But really, these coops are hardly good for chickens anywhere. Besides the lack of space, there is no mention of food or where to put it. The only mention of water is in the coop design that collects rainwater from the roof into a watering bowl on the inside. That coop, by the way, has walls made almost entirely of hardware cloth with very little roof overhang—that way, in a good soaking downpour, any part of the coop not fully wetted by rain blowing through the walls would be flooded by an overflowing watering bowl.
If you're looking for any information on chicken welfare in general, or in designing a coop with the chickens in mind, the one piece of information they provide—a chart on ideal square footage per bird—is lifted straight from Gail Damerow's book.
Even considering that the coops aren't really designed with birds in mind, what's worse is that they're poorly designed in the first place. There's a coop that is shaped like a set of stairs with the stated idea that it could be a "gathering place." But the only support for the stair treads are sheets of plywood that also make up the walls. There's no stringer, no vertical frame members. If that coop became a "gathering place" for the chicken owners, they would quickly have some very flat chickens.
But say you, the reader, decide that you actually do like one of the coops and want to build it. At that point you'd find that the designs are accompanied only with perspective drawings that often lack key measurements (some lack measurements altogether). There are no overall layouts or elevations. The construction is a mix of over-engineered joinery, such as you might find in cabinetmaking, and a lack of attention to the parts of the coop that are actually bearing weight. There is ample description on how to mortise a door jamb for a hinge (in a chicken coop, remember) but little mention on sealing the cut ends of treated lumber to protect from the elements. The authors have a penchant for plain iron roofing, but decide they "like rust" even though the corners would often be right at about face level for a kid.
Lastly, the designs aren't even presented in a way that's replicable for the entry-level DIY-er. The very first coop, their simplest, calls for a 5' x 10' (!) sheet of steel to be cut up for the roof. Their "suggested tools" list includes a planer but not a table saw. They note that when cutting angles, one shouldn't complicate things, but then they present the angles in designs in convoluted ways (try giving a beginner a miter saw and asking them to cut at 115º). There's no mention of a speed square in the entire book. And of course, of course, there's a coop that's built from a shipping container.
Don't buy this book. The coop designs and commentary are not helpful, not imaginative, not well designed, not thought out, and not informed. Honestly I can't believe that Storey even published it, as they are usually a good resource for this kind of stuff.
First and foremost, this is geared toward the urban backyard. Many of the coop designs they present would scarcely fit two hens, and in all but the warmest regions of the US would require bringing your kitchens in house to live during the winter months. Sure, they acknowledge this, but it doesn't bode well for the idea of publishing a book that "reinvents" something when its use is rather limited in geographic and practical scope.
But really, these coops are hardly good for chickens anywhere. Besides the lack of space, there is no mention of food or where to put it. The only mention of water is in the coop design that collects rainwater from the roof into a watering bowl on the inside. That coop, by the way, has walls made almost entirely of hardware cloth with very little roof overhang—that way, in a good soaking downpour, any part of the coop not fully wetted by rain blowing through the walls would be flooded by an overflowing watering bowl.
If you're looking for any information on chicken welfare in general, or in designing a coop with the chickens in mind, the one piece of information they provide—a chart on ideal square footage per bird—is lifted straight from Gail Damerow's book.
Even considering that the coops aren't really designed with birds in mind, what's worse is that they're poorly designed in the first place. There's a coop that is shaped like a set of stairs with the stated idea that it could be a "gathering place." But the only support for the stair treads are sheets of plywood that also make up the walls. There's no stringer, no vertical frame members. If that coop became a "gathering place" for the chicken owners, they would quickly have some very flat chickens.
But say you, the reader, decide that you actually do like one of the coops and want to build it. At that point you'd find that the designs are accompanied only with perspective drawings that often lack key measurements (some lack measurements altogether). There are no overall layouts or elevations. The construction is a mix of over-engineered joinery, such as you might find in cabinetmaking, and a lack of attention to the parts of the coop that are actually bearing weight. There is ample description on how to mortise a door jamb for a hinge (in a chicken coop, remember) but little mention on sealing the cut ends of treated lumber to protect from the elements. The authors have a penchant for plain iron roofing, but decide they "like rust" even though the corners would often be right at about face level for a kid.
Lastly, the designs aren't even presented in a way that's replicable for the entry-level DIY-er. The very first coop, their simplest, calls for a 5' x 10' (!) sheet of steel to be cut up for the roof. Their "suggested tools" list includes a planer but not a table saw. They note that when cutting angles, one shouldn't complicate things, but then they present the angles in designs in convoluted ways (try giving a beginner a miter saw and asking them to cut at 115º). There's no mention of a speed square in the entire book. And of course, of course, there's a coop that's built from a shipping container.
Don't buy this book. The coop designs and commentary are not helpful, not imaginative, not well designed, not thought out, and not informed. Honestly I can't believe that Storey even published it, as they are usually a good resource for this kind of stuff.
July 15, 2021
I was expecting more from this book, probably too much. I wanted really flashy chicken coops that are easy to build. Ha.
At first glance, the coops I saw were 'eh', but on a slower read-through, I appreciated them a lot more. The designers spent a lot of time making these structures sturdy and functional (for things besides just housing chickens... one design has space for a garden on the roof, another roof collects water, another floor leads to a compost area). The instructions are detailed and seem to be user-friendly; each design is labeled according to skill level. I also like that they note where their designs differ from the photos (they must've updated the plans after taking photos). Basic construction skills and building materials are explained in the first half of the book.
At first glance, the coops I saw were 'eh', but on a slower read-through, I appreciated them a lot more. The designers spent a lot of time making these structures sturdy and functional (for things besides just housing chickens... one design has space for a garden on the roof, another roof collects water, another floor leads to a compost area). The instructions are detailed and seem to be user-friendly; each design is labeled according to skill level. I also like that they note where their designs differ from the photos (they must've updated the plans after taking photos). Basic construction skills and building materials are explained in the first half of the book.
March 16, 2025
It seems the authors have never owned chickens, or bothered to research their needs. Perhaps the coops have "aesthetic" and "movement," but they are simply impractical with the greatest offense being nesting boxes that are primarily at or above roosting level. Which, I suppose , is fine if you're fine with birds sleeping and pooping in them but most of us prefer clean eggs. Another design featured large windows that made me think it would turn into a hot box in the summer.
In the into they lament that nobody commissioned a coop from them and after seeing the design I am not surprised. Most chicken owners value function over form.
Although there were some novel ideas I wouldn't recommend to a first time coop builder.
In the into they lament that nobody commissioned a coop from them and after seeing the design I am not surprised. Most chicken owners value function over form.
Although there were some novel ideas I wouldn't recommend to a first time coop builder.
June 9, 2025
Lots of very beautiful photos of adorable chicken coops that the authors build for rich suburban ladies, who would undoubtedly post them on Pinterest with tags like #henlife and #whatthecluck and #fresheggs. Plans are included for each one, although I’ll admit that I skimmed most of the text. Maybe I will use this book as a reference. I was a little disappointed that there was no plan for a mobile coop, but this is really intended for the one-eighth-acre backyard in Northern California where there is no real winter and you want to have only three Silkie hens.
July 31, 2025
Even if you only intend to have a few backyard chickens this book is mostly full of wildly impractical aesthetic designs. Most are painfully small and don't have longer-term cleaning or maintenance dialed in. Notably the pictures all show what they look like brand new, often without any food or water installed and certainly not covered in chicken shit after use for any duration. These folks sure did a lot of work to write a book about coops without learning very much about chickens first!
(Glad this was from the Vashon library - I would be mad if I paid to have this book shipped to Spain)
(Glad this was from the Vashon library - I would be mad if I paid to have this book shipped to Spain)
May 22, 2018
Great ideas herein. Sadly, I'm not handy enough to implement any of them, although I appreciate the architecture. First time coopers should have a look for inspiration.
September 2, 2018
Focused on mild California climates, but still very interesting to chicken people everywhere.
April 23, 2013
One my favorite books about chicken coop design so far. They are taking the traditional coop and making them nice looking and suitable for any yard or farm. The most interesting coop was the Coopsicle which is built like a tree house for chickens.
I also liked how they used recycled materials like pallets. They included square footage for each size of birds and detailed material lists and coop design. One design is show using an existing fence in your yard as 2 sides of the coop. That would not work in my city due to the laws that require the coop to be 15 feet from property lines, but it could work for those without such requirements.
I also liked how they used recycled materials like pallets. They included square footage for each size of birds and detailed material lists and coop design. One design is show using an existing fence in your yard as 2 sides of the coop. That would not work in my city due to the laws that require the coop to be 15 feet from property lines, but it could work for those without such requirements.
October 10, 2012
Amazing ideas for chicken housing along with great information. If you build a house for your chickens from one of the plans in this book, let me just say your chickens will be the envy of all others. I know I'm feeling pretty badly about the state in which my gals have lived.....almost the ghetto compared to what this book has shown me! lol Well, times they are a changin'! Can't wait to get this book in hand and put some of these plans in action. It will be a fun family project!
Thank you NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the sneak peek!!
Thank you NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the sneak peek!!
January 20, 2013
some of these designs are fairly straight forward. However, most required a person with some background in construction to build. That makes this book one usable by a beginner on through a master. The only thing I see as a problem is that some of the descriptions make is seem as if some of these are easier than they truly are. Still it is an interesting read and the photos are great.
November 24, 2013
I appreciated the detail the authors spent on the importance of good construction and protection for your chickens against critters and weather. However, in the end I bought this book for chicken coop designs, and they just weren't very exciting designs. The authors could have spent more time finding a wider variety and providing a more inclusive selection of coops.
November 1, 2016
Nicely designed and layout is simple to follow instructions. The book appears to be directed at extremely small scale chicken keepers as most of the coops and enclosures look to hold only 2 to 4 at most. Impractical for those with larger dreams but some of the layouts could be expanded. Either way, you can get some creative ideas from the book. I found it at the local library.
March 15, 2014
Really cool ideas and plans that seemed pretty easy to follow. Unfortunately, many of the plans would be a terrible choice for anything but the most temperate regions. (E.g a butterfly roof) I liked the emphasis on using recycled materials.
September 9, 2014
Limited design ideas for colder regions. Great topics on different ideas and methods to keep chickens in the urban enviroment.
August 12, 2013
It's fun to pretend that we have chickens. Or the space to have chickens. Or the woodworking skills to build something like these fancy houses for said chickens.
January 25, 2014
Some good ideas, I plan to use the one for pallets
April 16, 2014
fun book but too fancy!
October 18, 2014
This book gave some creative and interesting ideas for building my coop, but it didn't really go into depth about the "must haves" for a coop. That would have been helpful for designing my own.
February 19, 2015
Some very clever and fun ideas. Great step by step guide. However, most coops are small (four chickens or less) and many not suitable for colder climates. Still some great take-away ideas though.
June 1, 2015
I found the early introductory sections to be the most helpful. The specific designs were interesting but the necessary components for any chicken coop are most important.
November 26, 2015
An awesome look at chicken coops for the chickens of today.
August 17, 2016
Good beginner book on coops and coop building.
August 14, 2016
An out of the box guide to building small, innovative designs for backyard chicken coops.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews