DIY livestock shelters range from lightweight portable coops for poultry to heavy-duty A-frame huts for goats and sheep. The common design principles include sufficient ventilation, predator-proofing, ease of cleaning, and mobility for pasture rotation.
Hoop coops combine a wooden base frame with arched PVC or cattle-panel ribs covered in poultry netting and tarp. A typical hoop coop measures 2.4 by 3.7 meters (8 by 12 feet) and houses 20 to 30 chickens. The PVC ribs are spaced 60 to 90 centimeters (24 to 36 inches) apart, slipped over rebar stakes driven into the base frame. The tarp roof provides rain protection, while the lower sides remain open for ventilation. The entire structure can be moved by two people for fresh pasture access.
A-frame shelters are built from plywood sheets joined at a ridge, forming a triangular cross-section. The angled sides shed rain and provide shade. A frames for goats or sheep measure 2.4 meters wide (8 feet) and 1.5 to 2 meters tall (5 to 6.5 feet) at the ridge, with the back wall closed and the front open to a fenced run. Skids or wheels mounted to the base allow the shelter to be dragged to fresh ground.
Chicken tractors are bottomless pens that are moved daily or weekly across the garden or pasture. A typical tractor is built from 2-by-4 lumber and hardware cloth, measuring 1.8 by 3 meters (6 by 10 feet) and roofed with corrugated metal or polycarbonate panels. The design includes a nest box, a roost bar, and a door for access. The flock follows grazing animals in a rotation, eating fly larvae from manure and spreading their own droppings as fertilizer.