6 Best Free Chicken Coop Plans With Attached Runs
A coop with an attached run gives chickens an enclosed place to sleep and an outdoor area connected to it. The important detail is how that space is divided. A 6×10 footprint means 60 square feet for the whole structure, not 60 square feet of run plus a separate hen house.
These six free plans from Easy Coops take different approaches: a raised house above part of the run, a house at one end, a house between two runs, and even a design with wheels. We compared the free drawings for house and run space, access, roof coverage, mobility, and build scope so you can find a layout that fits your yard and daily chores.
A note on the figures below: Footprints cover the entire structure. Listed capacities, difficulty levels, and material costs come from the plan publisher and are estimates. Check the house and run dimensions in your chosen PDF before deciding how many chickens it can comfortably accommodate or buying materials.
Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through one, Backyard Chicken Project may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. All six plan PDFs linked below are free to download. Want more detailed building resources? You can browse the optional premium plans from Easy Coops. The six PDFs reviewed below remain free.
Quick picks
- Smallest footprint: 4×6 Simple Chicken Coop
- Raised house and covered run: 6×10 Elevated Chicken Run Plan
- Separate access to house and run: 6×14 Dutch Barn Chicken Coop
- Long, narrow yard: 17×6 Urban Poultry Palace
- Movable design: 4×12 Greenhouse Chicken Coop
- Large layout with two runs: 30×15 All-in-one Chicken Abode
1. Simple Chicken Coop, 4×6 - Best compact all-in-one layout
If yard space is tight, this design puts the sleeping compartment and a small outdoor area into a 4×6-foot total footprint. The house is raised, while mesh closes off the space below it and the taller section beside it. The drawing shows a roof over much of this compact arrangement, plus access openings for reaching the birds and collecting eggs.
Its strength is convenience within a small footprint; its limit is exactly the same thing. Once you subtract the house, the usable ground-level run is much smaller than 24 square feet, and the indoor compartment is only part of the advertised footprint. Check those separate dimensions against your flock and daily routine before choosing it.
- 📐 Total footprint: 4×6 feet
- 🏠 Enclosed house: Raised sleeping compartment
- 🌿 Attached run: Mesh enclosure beside and beneath the house
- 🐓 Listed capacity: 6 chickens
- 🔨 Build difficulty: Beginner friendly
- 💰 Estimated materials: $1,975
- ⚠️ Keep in mind: Both the house and ground-level run are small.
Download the free 4×6 Simple Chicken Coop PDF
2. Elevated Chicken Run Plan, 6×10 - Best for a roofed run with a raised compartment
The name sounds like a run-only plan, but the drawings show more than mesh and a roost: one section has solid walls and a raised floor, with a nesting-box assembly, while the neighboring section is an outdoor mesh enclosure. A single sloping roof covers the structure. At 6×10 feet overall, it offers a different balance of shelter and outdoor area from the tiny 4×6 plan.
Study the dimension drawing carefully before building. The roof outline and exterior measurements are not a statement of how much floor space birds have inside the solid compartment or on the run floor. The front access is useful for tending the run, but the raised housing section still calls for reaching and cleaning through its planned openings. Easy Coops lists eight chickens and a beginner-friendly build; assess those figures against the actual compartment dimensions and your ability to maintain it.
- 📐 Total footprint: 6×10 feet
- 🏠 Enclosed house: Raised, solid-sided compartment
- 🌿 Attached run: Mesh enclosure beneath the shared sloping roof
- 🐓 Listed capacity: 8 chickens
- 🔨 Build difficulty: Beginner friendly
- 💰 Estimated materials: $2,525
- ⚠️ Keep in mind: Measure the enclosed house and outdoor run separately; the 60-square-foot footprint includes both.
Download the free 6×10 Elevated Chicken Run PDF
3. The Dutch Barn Chicken Coop, 6×14 - Best for separate house and run access
This 6×14-foot plan has an easy-to-understand layout: a substantial, solid-sided barn-style house at one end and a separate mesh run at the other. The house's pitched roof provides a clear sheltered section, and the drawings show a large door for tending the house, an entry to the run, nesting access and a passage for the chickens between the two areas.
That separation is useful if your main concern is cleaning without working through one small hatch. It also makes the 84-square-foot total footprint easier to interpret: part belongs to the house and part to the run. Check the partition location and run measurements in the PDF instead of counting all 84 square feet as outdoor space. The trade-off is build scope-framing a barn-like house, roof and adjoining aviary is more involved than assembling a simple run, consistent with Easy Coops' intermediate rating.
- 📐 Total footprint: 6×14 feet
- 🏠 Enclosed house: Barn-style compartment at one end
- 🌿 Attached run: Mesh aviary with its own access
- 🐓 Listed capacity: 12 chickens
- 🔨 Build difficulty: Intermediate
- 💰 Estimated materials: $3,575
- ⚠️ Keep in mind: The separate doors improve access, but the house, roof, and adjoining run make this a larger build.
Download the free 6×14 Dutch Barn Chicken Coop PDF
4. Urban Poultry Palace, 17×6 - Best for a long, narrow yard
A narrow side yard or long strip of usable ground calls for a different layout than a square enclosure. The Urban Poultry Palace stretches 17 feet by 6 feet, placing an elevated solid house at one end and a long mesh run along the remaining length. The raised compartment has its own access and exterior nesting projection, while an entry lets you reach the outdoor enclosure.
The long run is its main appeal, but the 102-square-foot figure describes the entire structure. The house and framing take some of that area. The drawings also show a roofed housing section and partial shelter along the run; they should not be read as a promise that every foot of the outdoor space has solid overhead cover. Confirm the enclosure and roof materials shown in the free PDF for your climate and predator situation. Easy Coops calls this an intermediate build for 12 chickens and suggests reclaimed materials as one possible way to manage cost; its listed $2,625 is still a vendor estimate.
- 📐 Total footprint: 17×6 feet
- 🏠 Enclosed house: Raised compartment at one end
- 🌿 Attached run: Long mesh enclosure
- 🐓 Listed capacity: 12 chickens
- 🔨 Build difficulty: Intermediate
- 💰 Estimated materials: $2,625
- ⚠️ Keep in mind: You need an uninterrupted 17-foot site. Check the drawings for which parts of the run have overhead cover.
Download the free 17×6 Urban Poultry Palace PDF
5. Greenhouse Chicken Coop Plan, 4×12 - Best movable house-and-run option
This plan takes a different approach to an attached run. Its curved, greenhouse-like enclosure connects to a solid end compartment for the birds, and wheels on one side are intended to help move the 4×12-foot structure to fresh ground. The arched frame and mixed covered and mesh sections make it visually-and structurally-different from the fixed, rectangular builds above.
Mobility changes the decision: inspect the wheel, lifting and frame details before assuming the finished structure will be easy to move across your particular yard. The 48-square-foot footprint includes both the house and run, and the curve and end compartment affect usable space.
- 📐 Total footprint: 4×12 feet
- 🏠 Enclosed house: Solid compartment at one end
- 🌿 Attached run: Arched enclosure with covered and mesh sections
- 🐓 Listed capacity: 8 chickens
- 🔨 Build difficulty: Beginner friendly
- 💰 Estimated materials: $1,350
- ⚠️ Keep in mind: It has wheels, but check the finished weight, your ground conditions, and how the run meets the ground when parked.
Download the free 4×12 Greenhouse Chicken Coop PDF
6. All-in-one Chicken Abode, 30×15 - Best large layout with two runs
The feature that sets this plan apart is its arrangement: a solid enclosed house in the middle and a mesh aviary on either side. Two chicken-sized openings connect the house to the runs, while standard-size access doors let a person enter the house and outdoor sections. That gives a reader considering a large flock two outdoor areas within one planned structure, rather than one long enclosure attached to a house.
It is also a major construction project. The 30×15-foot, 450-square-foot footprint includes the house and both runs, so 450 square feet is neither the indoor floor area nor the outdoor run area. The solid roof shelters the central house; inspect the PDF's aviary framing and specified top covering separately. Easy Coops rates this an advanced build, estimates $7,300 in materials and lists a capacity of 50 chickens. Plan for access, site preparation, enclosure materials and maintenance across all three sections before relying on the headline capacity.
- 📐 Total footprint: 30×15 feet
- 🏠 Enclosed house: Central compartment
- 🌿 Attached runs: Two mesh aviaries, one on each side
- 🐓 Listed capacity: 50 chickens
- 🔨 Build difficulty: Advanced
- 💰 Estimated materials: $7,300
- ⚠️ Keep in mind: This is a substantial build. Measure the house and each run separately, and inspect the specified overhead covering.
Download the free 30×15 All-in-one Chicken Abode PDF
Tools and Materials You May Need
The exact shopping list depends on the PDF you choose, but these builds commonly involve lumber, plywood, roofing, exterior screws, hinges, door hardware, and wire mesh or hardware cloth. Useful tools include a tape measure, speed square, drill/driver, circular saw, and a way to cut and fasten the hardware cloth. Check your selected plan's measurements and materials before buying anything.
How to choose the right attached-run plan
Start by marking the house floor, run floor, doors and roofed sections on the drawing. That prevents the total footprint from standing in for either usable indoor or outdoor space. Next, picture routine chores: Can you reach the far end of the run? Open the house for cleaning? Collect eggs without moving birds? For a wheeled plan, can you actually move the finished structure over your ground?
If you already have a secure house and only need more outdoor area, compare our free chicken run plans instead. If being able to enter the enclosed house is your deciding factor, use our walk-in chicken coop plans guide. You can also browse the wider free chicken coop plans collection or narrow the choice by flock size with our plans for 5-8 chickens and plans for 9-12 chickens.
The best plan is the one that still works for you after build day. Once you've narrowed down your choices, open the free PDF and picture how you'll clean the house, collect eggs, and reach every part of the run. Then check the measurements and materials before you start buying. A little time with the drawings now can make daily chicken keeping much easier later.
