6 Best DIY Chicken Coop Plans For Small Backyards That Outsmart Predators
Secure your flock with our top 6 DIY coop plans. These compact, predator-proof designs are perfect for small yards and ensure your chickens stay safe.
The silence of a pre-dawn morning is easily shattered by the sound of a predator testing your chicken coop. It’s a moment every flock owner dreads, realizing their coop might not be the fortress they thought it was. A well-designed coop isn’t just a house; it’s a security system that works 24/7. This guide cuts through the noise to showcase six DIY coop plans specifically chosen for their ability to be fortified against the most common and clever backyard predators.
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Predator-Proofing Basics for Backyard Coops
Nothing will test your construction skills like a hungry raccoon. They have strong, nimble hands and plenty of time to find a weak spot. Your coop’s security is only as strong as its most vulnerable point, whether that’s a flimsy latch or a small gap in the wire.
The first rule is simple: chicken wire keeps chickens in, but it does not keep predators out. Raccoons can rip it open, and smaller predators like weasels can squeeze right through. The non-negotiable material for all vents, windows, and unsecured areas is 1/2-inch hardware cloth, a rigid, welded wire mesh.
Create beautiful floral arrangements and protect your garden with this durable chicken wire. The 15.7" x 157" galvanized and PVC-coated mesh is easy to cut and shape for crafts, enclosures, and garden barriers.
Beyond the wire, every detail matters. Use complex, two-step latches that a raccoon can’t flip open. Ensure all doors and nesting box lids fit snugly with no gaps. The most overlooked threat comes from below; digging predators like foxes, skunks, and even dogs can gain access by tunneling under the walls. This is where a predator apron becomes your most powerful defense.
The Garden Coop: A Secure Walk-In A-Frame
The Garden Coop is one of the most popular and well-documented plans available, and for good reason. It’s a walk-in A-frame design that combines the henhouse and a secure, covered run into a single, cohesive structure. This integration is key to its security.
Its strength lies in its comprehensive design. The plans call for hardware cloth to cover the entire lower run portion, creating a safe space for your flock from dawn till dusk. The walk-in door allows you to install robust, human-operated gate latches and carabiner clips that are impossible for a raccoon to manipulate. Because the entire structure is enclosed, your flock is protected from aerial predators like hawks as well.
The main tradeoff is its footprint and cost. This is not a tiny coop, and the amount of lumber and hardware cloth required makes it a more significant investment. However, the ease of cleaning, collecting eggs, and managing your flock from inside the run makes it a practical and highly secure long-term solution for a small backyard flock.
The Wichita Cabin Coop: A Sturdy Fortress
Think of the Wichita Cabin Coop as a small, elevated fortress for your chickens. Its primary security feature is its raised design, which immediately puts the flock out of reach of many ground-level predators and makes it much harder for them to pry at the floor. The solid, cabin-style construction leaves few weak points.
The plans emphasize solid wood walls and a well-built structure that can withstand a determined push from a coyote or bear. Ventilation is high up on the walls, far from the reach of a raccoon’s paws. When building, the key is to cover these vents meticulously with securely fastened hardware cloth from the inside.
The coop itself is only half the battle. This design is almost always paired with an attached run. To maintain the fortress mentality, that run must be built to the same standard. This means using hardware cloth on all sides, securing a wire or solid roof, and installing a hardware cloth apron around the entire perimeter to eliminate the threat of digging.
The Catawba Convertible A-Frame Tractor
A chicken tractor offers the benefit of mobility, allowing you to move your flock to fresh pasture regularly. The Catawba Convertible is a clever A-frame design that is lightweight enough to move but sturdy enough to be secured. Its A-frame geometry provides inherent structural strength.
The predator-proofing challenge for any tractor is securing the base. The Catawba’s plans call for a fully enclosed hardware cloth structure, protecting from hawks and climbing predators. The doors are designed to be small and easily secured with barrel bolts or spring-loaded latches.
However, its mobility is also its primary vulnerability. A predator can easily dig under the edge in a single night. To make a tractor truly predator-proof for overnight use, you have two options:
- Add a permanent hardware cloth floor, which prevents digging but also limits foraging.
- Add a wide, 12-inch hardware cloth "apron" or "skirt" that lays flat on the ground around the perimeter, which can be staked down each time you move it. This is more work but preserves the benefits of foraging.
The Garden Ark: A Mobile Predator-Safe Run
The Garden Ark is another brilliant mobile coop, specifically engineered for security in a small package. It’s an all-in-one henhouse and run, ideal for 2-4 chickens. Its low, sturdy profile makes it difficult for a predator to tip over.
Its standout feature is the integrated hardware cloth floor. This is the ultimate defense against diggers. A fox or raccoon can dig all night and will never get past the wire mesh your chickens are standing on. The entire structure is wrapped in hardware cloth, and the nesting box is a solid, secure wooden box that can be latched tightly.
The tradeoff for this level of mobile security is the chickens’ access to the ground. They can’t take dust baths in the dirt or forage as freely. Many owners solve this by placing a large tray or box of sand or dirt inside the run for bathing. For someone in an area with high predator pressure who still wants the benefits of a tractor, the Garden Ark is an excellent, security-first choice.
The Just-a-Coop Urban Chalet for Tight Spaces
When your backyard space is measured in square feet, not acres, a vertical design like the Urban Chalet is a game-changer. It stacks the henhouse directly over the run, providing all the necessary functions in a minimal footprint. This design is perfect for tucking into a corner of a city garden.
The elevated henhouse is a natural predator deterrent. The compact run below is small enough that securing it completely is straightforward and relatively inexpensive. You can easily wrap the entire run—sides and top—in hardware cloth and add a full hardware cloth floor or apron. There are no long, vulnerable walls to worry about.
The key to securing this design is meticulous attention to detail. Use high-quality, two-step latches on both the run door and the nesting box. Ensure the ramp door, which gives chickens access to the run, can be securely closed and latched from the outside each night. Any gap over half an inch is an invitation to a weasel, so build it tight.
The Basic Coop: A Free, Fortifiable Design
You don’t need to buy expensive plans to build a secure coop. Many free "basic coop" designs are available online, but they should be seen as a starting framework, not a finished product. A free plan is only as secure as the modifications you make.
Start by elevating the henhouse at least 18-24 inches off the ground on sturdy legs. Use solid 3/4-inch plywood for the walls and floor, not flimsy particle board. When you cut openings for ventilation, plan to cover them from the inside with 1/2-inch hardware cloth, secured with screws and fender washers for maximum holding power.
The most critical fortification for a basic design is the run. Assume any attached run is insecure unless you build it yourself with predator-proofing as the top priority. This means digging a trench for a hardware cloth apron, using screws instead of just staples to attach the wire, and ensuring the run is fully covered. A free plan saves you money on paper, but you must reinvest that savings into heavy-duty hardware to make it truly safe.
Essential Hardware Cloth and Apron Techniques
Let’s be perfectly clear: chicken wire is a flimsy netting designed to contain chickens, not to stop a predator. A raccoon can tear it with its bare hands. For security, 1/2-inch hardware cloth is the only acceptable material for covering any opening on your coop.
Hardware cloth is a grid of welded steel wire. To install it properly, don’t rely on staples alone. For maximum strength, use a heavy-duty staple gun to tack it in place, then secure the perimeter with screws and fender washers. The washer prevents a predator from pulling the wire mesh out from under the screw head. Overlap any seams by at least two inches.
The predator apron is your defense against diggers. It’s a simple but incredibly effective technique.
- Cut a 24-inch wide strip of 1/2-inch hardware cloth.
- Attach one edge to the bottom of your coop or run wall, so it runs along the entire perimeter.
- Lay the remaining 18-20 inches of the cloth flat on the ground, extending outward from the coop.
- Secure it with landscape staples or cover it with a few inches of soil or mulch.When a predator tries to dig at the base of the coop, it hits this impenetrable wire barrier and gives up.
Choosing a coop plan is the first step, but true security comes from execution. By understanding how a predator thinks—probing for weak latches, thin wire, and soft ground—you can build a coop that isn’t just a home, but a genuine sanctuary. The peace of mind that comes from knowing your flock is locked down tight each night is worth every staple, screw, and strip of hardware cloth.
