Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch - 1490

When I bought my first few chicks from TSC, I bought this coop. Within a couple of months, the wood was starting to weather so badly I needed to stain it to protect it. It feels like it has been a constant battle with this coop just to keep everything tight and not falling apart. In Ohio, this is not a good coop for the winter. Save your money and move on to something better from the very beginning. 

I have 7 Chick-N-Hutches. Two of them wore out and I took off the front panel, metal tray, and floor to use them as range shelters. They look like little bus stop shelters when you do this, and the chickens huddle out of the rain under them.

The Chick-N-Hutch works well as a brooder if you take the metal tray and place it inside on top of the mesh. The newer models require that you loosen the metal wing nuts somewhat so it will fit inside. Then you can put shavings in there for baby chicks.

I take metal wire and carefully hang my lamps at least two ways with wire and through the lamp shade as well so they won't come down. I only use 100 watt bulbs in there...so I hang two or three lamps up (3 for winter). 

If using the high wattage bulbs it will be too hot in my opinion...too close to the bedding for fire safety.

The front of the hutch needs wind protection, so I take plexiglass or pieces of plywood and rest them inside the hutch or attach them to the outside via large washers and wing nuts (drill hole through them).

The sides tend to be too breezy as well, so I sometimes also take additional plywood and attach to the sides with large washers and wing nuts as well. The problem with this is that when the chicks are old enough to come out the door, the plywood and plexiglass is in the way. So that is why this is not my favorite coop (I rated it 5 stars because of the versatility/usefulness of this coop). But you can just put the whole front down as shown to alleviate this problem.

I have some clear plastic over the door and front also that I wired on. So that helps as a windbreak too.

If you live in a very windy area, the wind also whips in under the chickens a little through the hole between the metal tray and the wire floor. In severe weather I take a canvas tarp and lay it across the hutch, leaving an airgap for ventilation. I tie it down with bungee cords and it works well.

With all the changes I make to the coop, you might ask me why I bother buying these at all. The answer is that they are FAST to setup, I can move them around by myself (I even have one inside a dog kennel that I use as a growout pen/broody hen retreat/hospital.)

Also they are easy to keep clean, good for brooding chicks, and if the weather is too severe I can move chickens in to the garage in an emergency. They are really great to have around. I will always have at least two at a time.

These hutches will fit 5 Buff Orpingtons (4 if they are the very large ones) for sleeping only. For a nest box I have used a dish tub with bricks inside them under the shavings to prevent tipping. IF you have a nest box in there, there is a problem with poo getting into the nest box.

So the best solution I have found is to buy the nest boxes with the roof on top, to keep poo from getting in the box. Then one chicken perches up there all night and hopefully not inside the box. This was a struggle for me. I had to train my chickens by moving them every night when one went inside the box to sleep.

If you have bantams, you could probably fit 7 in there for sleeping only. You can also put up another roost bar for bantams in there with the covered nest box underneath. I have done that and fit 10 growing out bantams (still chicks, really).

If you live in a very cold climate, this hutch will really be too small except for temporary housing, as chickens spend a lot of time inside the coop when it is snowy.

One other thing I will mention is that these coops do weather poorly...so they don't have that new appearance long. They are very good for the short term or if you keep them in a barn out of the weather.