If you love your handsome little yard or patio and have been thinking about raising chickens, never fear. You're not reduced to choosing an eyesore for a chicken coop. With the growing popularity of chicken raising, coops that look like little more than mini shacks are falling by the wayside.
One downside to these stylish chicken coops is that they still cost a pretty penny. We're hoping that designers will be inspired to create low-cost eco-friendly flat pack versions in the near future.
Shown above from left to right:
1. Breed Retreat, $(Contact for pricing) from Frederik Roijé
2. Large Garden Roof Chicken Coop, $1,250.00 (incl. tax and free shipping) from Kippen House (Eco-friendly!)
3. The Chicken Tractor, $900.00 - $1,500.00 from Ford & Ching
4. Luxury Co-Op, $3,500 from Raad
5. The Hen's Dream and Bin Coop, $(Contact for pricing) from Modo Verde (Eco-friendly!)
MORE CHICKEN & COOPS ON APARTMENT THERAPY
• Working Girls: Use Chickens to Till Your Garden
• One Family's Story: Keeping Chickens in LA
• Pimp My Coop: Cool Cribs For Backyard Chickens
• Real Life Backyard Chicken Advice from Experienced Chicken Owners
(Images: As credited above.)






Nomade Express Slee...
This is a side view of our chicken coop. We made the entire thing ourselves, mostly out of material given to us by our jobs (food manufacturing facility, the outside of the coop is made of wood that held a new machine for the plant - we burned the wood with a blowtorch to get the effect). We love it and our 4 girls (Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia) seem to enjoy it as well.
https://pinterest.com/pin/134193263867035880/
I love stylish coops - I have one with vintage windows and a cupola, but it's so, so important that the hens have adequate ventilation, windows and roosts. Plan on 4 square feet MINIMUM per hen inside, and another 8 outside. If it's too tight you'll have health issues and pecking problems. Done right and you have a peaceable flock and more eggs.
Some of those coops look great but I bet they're a devil to clean out! After having a "cool" looking coop for a year, we rebuilt it into basically a big box. So much easier to keep clean!
Few things are less appealing than dealing with chickens; unless fried, broasted, etc. But, that first 'coop'; I wouldn't mind having it. Might even be more enjoyable for cats.
Wait, is this Apartment Therapy or Farm Life?
There goes perfectly good coffee all over my computer screen.
The ones that show enclosed areas for the chickens are too small for more than one chicken. Those poor hens crammed in that chicken tractor! (Which btw is something you can DIY and was not invented by the people marketing it here.)
We have 4 hens are 4700 ft, they are basically in a big closet. When it is very cold, we put a heat lamp on in there (and it has the benefit that they will lay in the winter moreI don't know why they would have more problems at 6700 ft. Jackie Clay's blog might help in this regard.
Lastly - the hens are way way less trouble than any other animals we have. They are so freaking easy it is ridiculous.But don't overspend on a coop.
Urbancricket -
I'm not sure where you are located. We are in upstate NY and have had no problems overwintering our chickens. Between their body heat and putting hay in the coop, they stay pretty warm. You do need to make sure that the chickens stay dry and have proper circulation in the coop. You don't want the coop to be air-tight.
Rini
Oh, you missed the easy-clean mod version of the Eglu: at http://www.omlet.us/products_services/
Check this out, and don't miss the videos "will they eat it". Fun, Fun, Fun http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/the-completion-of-the-coop-how-a-design-idea-evolves/
Urbancricket, I think 6500 feet should be fine. We're at a bit over 5000 ft in MT and people successfully keep chickens in interior AK. Essentially, if there are wild pheasant, grouse, turkeys, etc around you, then chickens should do fine--even without supplemental heat.
Select your breeds considering the cold winters (I prefer hens without the large single combs: Brahmas, Easter Eggers, Wyandottes, etc), and make sure they have enough ventilation as the humidity from respiration can easily lead to frost bite. Don't forget about how mild or hot your summers are while worrying about the winters. I've had some "cold-hardy" birds suffer terribly in hot/humid summers (when I lived in WI).