I ask this because I noticed some of you have chickens. Our family had Rhode Island Reds and assorted bantams when I was a kid, and my mother wants to start new this spring. The old chicken coop is falling apart a bit, and I'd like to build her a new one as a gift, and was wondering what kind of design I should try for. The last coop wasn't insulated at all, and I'd like to insulate the new version for those cold New England winters. I think I'd plan for about 8 hens maximum, about 5 hens minimum. (No roosters this time per my father's desires). We also have an outdoor run, that is in good enough shape, I think, to be attached to the new house. I'd like the laying boxes to be accessable from the outside of the coop, as they were in the last one, and also to be able to somewhat stand up in there for cleaning. We have foxes, raccoons, possums, coyotes, and hawks, so it needs to be secure as well. Any design suggestions? I have somewhat limited carpentry experience, but access to all the tools I'd need (planing saw, level etc), and I've built a few smaller Bantam coops myself, and lots of treehouses as a kid. The priority and tricky part for me is the insulation part of the design. Also, we like the Rhode Island Reds, but if you had any exciting chicken breed suggestions that might be fun, suggest away. Overall, the cheaper to build, and easier to maintain, the better.
It's getting toward spring and this would be a very nice gift for my mother. She really enjoys the chicks and hens. Plus naming them is super fun. I think so far, Calendula (Callie), Skinny Minnie, Bernidice, and Beatle-eater have been my favorites.
Thanks!

This site has several coop plans for various size flocks:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html

Hope that helps!
Cluck!

The place Will mentioned is great! I was looking at the area you live and there is a place in Salem, NH that has prefab coops for short money, nice designs!

For a heavy breed bird,Black Australorps are a favorite, love the green/purple sheen to the plumage and great egg production!

The site Will mentioned is definiately the place to go for chicken advice and coop design! Other breeds to consider are Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons. My two broody hens hatched four eggs this past week and 4 the week before... There is NOTHING quite as cute as a little chick perched on her momma's back! BAWK!!!

And I forgot, let me recommend the Delaware, an excellent dual purpose bird!

http://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/delaware/9901
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_(chicken)

Cochins are great for bad weather -these puffballs have feathers on the feet, hardly any comb to freeze. They are a slow gentle bird. Some ghastly winters we put a heat lamp over their roost-but no insulation,+ it's Siberia where I live. Big brown eggs.

One of my chickens is a mix of Barred Rock and some kind of giant white chicken. She's extremely friendly and lays some of the biggest eggs you've ever seen in your life. As big as goose eggs. They won't fit in any egg carton! She's a great bird. While my Rhode Island Red is pretty friendly too, she really takes the cake. The Aracaunas are totally wild and just run around in a panic all day. They lay blue eggs and look pretty, but I can't even let them out of the run or they will spook at the first gust of wind and end up in a tree somewhere.

Yay for more chicken groupies! Everyone here thinks I'm nuts because I'm the only person with a coop in my yard in the middle of an upp-ity vacation community! Ha! They never complain when I hand out free eggs though!

Thanks for the link to coop designs and breed suggestions. Maybe we'll try for a couple barred rock, couple cochins, couple Rhode Island Reds- some will depend on what the feed store decides to order this year. I like the blue eggs from Aruacaunas but they do sound a bit wilder than the normal 'pet' type chicken.
I can't wait to get started. I'll go get the materials this weekend and start working on it in the evenings. I'll post a picture when I'm done. I know eggs are still six months off or so, but there's nothing cuter than a baby chick- though they do go through a gauky adolescent stage for a while there, not so cute then.
Glad to connect with other chicken friendly people. We certainly used to be the odd ones out, having to get a chicken permit from the town, now it's suddenly become cool! Always should've been, in my opinion.
Cluck!

Looking back, somehow I missed the post about pre-fab coops in Salem, NH. I'll have to check into that. If it's cost effective, it would save me the hassle and probable issues from do it yourself building.
We may have to get a few more chicks to try out all the different breeds you described. Someday, when I'm braver and have the space, I'm going to raise chickens for eggs and food. In this case, though, I'm sure whatever hens we end up with will be allowed to live out to a ripe old age.
Any suggestions on where to buy a small number of chicks of different breeds? Most hatcheries I've looked at sell a 20 chick minimum.

The south facing windows (lots of them) in our coop let in tons of sun and passive solar heat in the winter. We have decidious bushes in front of them which leaf out in summer so the chickens don't get too hot, also the windows, covered outside with chicken wire, can be totally removed when it's really hot and sticky.
For predators, nothing works as well as a hot wire 4" off the ground. Ours is on fiberglass step-in posts we have had no predator problems since we installed this little fence.