There's been a huge uptick in the number of people keeping chickens in their urban and suburban backyards. As more and more municipalities have relaxed rules regulating the keeping of chickens, more people have discovered the joys of keeping a few birds in the backyard. Chickens provide eggs, help keep the yard free from bugs and are generally fun to have around. To successfully raise and keep chickens, you need a chicken coop. These can range from basic structures to ornate coops complete with heat and filtered water. We've searched high and low and compiled a collection of eight awesome urban chicken coops. Enjoy!

1 of 8 Mitchell Snyder's coop Mitchell Snyder Architecture. Mitchell Snyder's chicken coop combines the look of a modern prefab house with the green beauty of a rooftop garden. Located in Portland, Oregon, the coop is big enough for five chickens and is well lit and ventilated. The coop has a large run covered with wire mesh fencing and perfectly complements the 1924 Craftsman bungalow behind which it sits.

2 of 8 Reclaimed cedar coop Modern Coop. Modern Coop's chicken coop is at once wonderfully rustic and charmingly contemporary. Paneled with reclaimed cedar boards, the coop has a fiberglass roof and can be easily moved around a yard. The coop can easily be augmented with a mobile run that allows the chickens to scratch without worrying about getting eaten by a dog or raccoon. The chicken coop has a large side door that makes it easy to clean and to collect eggs.

3 of 8 Kippenhouse Photo: Kippenhouse Like Mitchell Snyder's chicken coop, the Kippenhouse comes with a rooftop garden that allows you to house chickens without giving up gardening space. Traci — the founder and owner of Kippenhouse who likes to say on a first-name basis with clients — started her company after losing her job as an architect in Portland, Oregon. Her husband's job relocated the family to Seattle and, driven by the need to design and create, she created the Kippenhouse. Her coops are modern and modular, easily changed to fit the setting.

4 of 8 Little Barn Little Barn. Unlike many of the other coops on this list, the Little Barn was inspired by the traditional red barns that come to mind when we think about a farm. Handcrafted in the U.K., the Little Barn is made of fiberglass and is easy to maintain. The roof is hinged and flips up, allowing for easy access for cleaning. To help keep the chickens warm in the winter, the Little Barn is lined with foam insulation, and can be expanded to accommodate up to four chickens. The side-mounted nest boxes are easily accessible, making the job of collecting fresh eggs easy and convenient.

5 of 8 Mozambique Photo: Ton Rulkens /flickr We're a little light on the details on this coop but we had to include it because it was so rustically beautiful. Located in Humbe in the Manica province of Mozambique, the coop is all natural and made using African bamboo. What it lacks in modern features it more than makes up for in environmental friendliness. I particularly love the large rock placed on top to keep the roof from flying away in the wind.

6 of 8 Lyanda Haupt's coop Photo: furtwangl /flickr After Lyanda Haupt lost a few chickens in a makeshift coop to raccoons and feral ferrets, she vowed to do better with her new coop. Calling on the services of her stone mason father Jerry, she set out to create a beautiful coop that would keep her chickens safe. Her 6-by-4 coop is raised off the ground and was built using a mix of new and scavenged materials including cedar shakes that were milled in 1964. A large door on the front allows for easy cleaning and egg collecting while a smaller side door leads to a ramp that lets the chickens come and go as they please. They added a well-protected space beneath the coop that lets the chickens get fresh air but that keeps them safe from harm whenever they need to be left alone for an extended period of time.

7 of 8 Maurice Photo: rammed-earth.org Michael Thompson didn't want to build just any old chicken coop, he wanted to do something special. When a friend called him with the news that he had found an old 1970 Morris Traveller that was destined for the junk heap, he knew he'd found his new coop. He cut off the front of the bashed up Traveller, fixed up the inside to accommodate his chickens, and gave the whole thing a few coats of paint. Besides the time he spent on the project, the entire coop ended up costing him about $480.