Mayan Inspired Chicken Coop

This is the 30th post in my series on cool coop builds. I haven’t necessarily been looking for the biggest or best, but ones that express the heart and soul of the owners that have interesting backstories and might inspire my readers.

I’ve noticed more chicken keepers who repurpose materials to build their coops. The results are so much more interesting and satisfying than buying a pre-fab coop or hiring someone to do the work for you. I’m hoping that their stories will inspire others to challenge themselves to do the same.

When I came across this architect designed and built coop in Mexico City I was stoked to have the opportunity to present this lovely and unique structure inspired by Mayan pyramids and built entirely with leftover building materials.

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Who are you and where do you live?

I’m a Polish architect who has been living in Mexico City the last 10 years. I grew up on a farm in Poland so I’m pretty familiar with taking care of animals. 

Is this your first building project?

I have worked on over 60 projects in my 18 years as an architect.  This chicken coop was made as a volunteer project during Covid when all my projects were cancelled and I had a lot of free time. 

How did you come up with the plans?

The owners asked me to build a new chicken coop that would house 8-10 hens and two roosters. I had a lot of waste left from another construction site that was placed on the site of the chicken coop. I decided to clean the salvaged wood pieces, sand them and then waterproof them. The 60 posts that were left on site made an ideal set of dimensions that could be repeated and made into a cool structure. I built the coop myself with some help from other volunteers at the garden, which took about six months to make.

Budget

There was no cost; most of the wood and bamboo was salvaged construction waste and the rest was donated. 

Dimensions of coop and run. 20×20 metres 

Features

• This chicken coop was inspired by Mayan pyramid culture inside a community garden in Mexico City.

• The design of the frame references the pyramid Chichen Itza in the Yucatan, geodesic domes, and sacred geometry. The structure inside, that houses the 18 chicken beds, is built from 80% recycled materials, salvaged wood, bamboo and TetraPak panels which are composed of recycled aluminum and plastic bottles pressed into 1m x 2m boards.

• For the façade, salvaged pieces of bamboo from previous projects, were cut into pieces and assembled into a horizontal pattern. Covering the whole exterior frame is a wire mesh that protects the chickens from outside predators and weather elements.

• The geometry of the coop allows for various areas inside to be repurposed for other animals, such as rabbits on the ground floor and doves in the upper areas.
• There are three openings located inside allowing for easy egg collection and maintenance.

• The coop changes shape depending on the needs of the birds, sometimes its divided in half and houses two separate flocks. 

• Guarding the entrance is a custom made Chac Mool stone statue referencing a Mayan deity that was placed in front of temples and pyramids in ancient Mexico.

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Many thanks to ArchiGuru for generously sharing his awesome coop design and photos, used with permission.