Ann E. Stratton writes in This Old House that elevating the chickens’ nesting area a couple of feet off the ground helps keep your flock’s feet dry when it rains and floods.

Now, we all know that the exterior means a lot (wouldn’t you want to look at something beautiful every time you glance at your yard?).

But it’s the inside that your chickens will be enjoying, too! Hens are quite picky and need around 16 hours of natural or artificial light each day to sustain their egg-laying.

So it’s very important that the inside of your coop has enough light to keep your chickens content through Autumn and Winter. However, get some light bulbs that cast a warm glow like the Sun because bluish light won’t trigger your hens to lay eggs.

Also, when building your magnificent coop, don’t forget to install vents to keep the air circulating but without causing a draft.

Finally, keep in mind that certain other woodland animals might get jealous of your fashion chickens’ stylish coop and may try to chicknap your hens.

Nocturnal animals like foxes, raccoons, and opossums are known to this, so get some metal latches for your coop that these naughty critters can’t open with a flick of the paw.

Form or function? Why pick just one? The perfect creative chicken coop has both!