Buying Chicken Coop

[Byrd gal]

If you are going to BUY something get a shed. You can pay someone to customize it. A bought coop is useless. They fall apart and are too small.

 

[Aunt Tat]

I don't know of any prefab coops that meet the generally accepted guidelines for chicken keeping in a non-commercial environment.

Each adult hen needs:

4 square feet in the coop,
10 square feet in the run,
1 linear foot of roost,
And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation -- the pop door that's closed at night and any windows that are closed in the winter don't count.

You need 1 nestbox for every 4-5 hens.

The roost needs to be above the nest boxes, the ventilation is best placed above the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

Some rules of thumb:

If it looks like a dollhouse it's only suited for toy chickens (one prefab actually used toy chickens in the advertising photos).

If the measurements are given in inches instead of feet it's too small.

If there are more nestboxes than the number of chickens the coop can house the designer knows nothing about chickens and there are probably other problems too.

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters when choosing a coop design.

How many chickens do you want to have?

Are you in an urban/suburban area where it will be necessary to adhere to certain aesthetic standards?

My Little Monitor Coop illustrates the minimum space requirements for 4 hens in a design that is well-suited to a warm climate with significant rainfall.

This thread shows a coop designed for the brutal heat of Texas.

We're in Oregon. My husband wants the chicks NOW....
And I told my neighbor I'd buy her Over EZ coop ($500)!! My previous neighbor left it for the new buyer. Who used it, but got a larger set up so she could sell more eggs.

I found an article about getting chicks in late summer, and it's been very helpful in explaining why I want my neighbor's coop and build a run as opposed to the clap traps offered at "big box" stores. LOL

I think he's come around.

If you are going to BUY something get a shed. You can pay someone to customize it. A bought coop is useless. They fall apart and are too small.

That's why I want our neighbor's coop.

I'm JUST trying to save my self from another "told ya so" moment. LOL

 

[ZANEYchickenguy]

For me building a coop is best in winter. Lumber prices are mostly half the $$ cheaper than summer sales.

 

[Meri Maura]

Yes, building it yourself is best. Here's mine for inspiration:

 

[TooCheep]

Yeah... That looks good enough for two or three..

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Carolina makes some pretty coops. If I lived in an HOA-controlled subdivision, had an abundance of money, and no time, I might drop most of $4,000 for a hen house suitable for 6 birds, then bitch and moan that the windows essentially ensure a draft on perching birds. ...and yet, they are some of the best, seemingly, in the business. Its the raised coop design, leaves little room for ventilation on the sides, where they place those windows we people-types find so attractive.

The side of the road "Amish"/Quaker-inspired coops tend to share some of the same concerns, though somewhat less expensive, as they lack the attached run. If you go that route, look for one you can walk into, not only so you can inspect the build quality, but because the walk in allows a lower nesting box, which lowers the perches, while allowing a window (relatively) higher up on the wall. Pay close attention to the long hinge on the nesting box, too - that's a common point of failure (moisture entry).

Don't know your budget, or your aesthetic requirements. Neither do we know where you are in the nation (or the world) so we can guess at your climate needs. Are you space limited (like a suburban back yard)? Do you plan to chicken tractor on a big pasture? How many birds are you planning on?

All of those questions are important to recommending more than simply a "brand".

and full disclosure, I'm part of the "build your own" crowd. Twice. But whether bought or built, the design concerns tend to be the same. Like the nesting box, a side, rather than top, open design is generally superior for weatherproofing, but needs to be located higher up than it is in the picture above for your comfort. Hen houses are a system, it needs to work together to work best, with seemingly small adjustments often affecting other design considerations.

 

[Aunt Tat]

For me building a coop is best in winter. Lumber prices are mostly half the $$ cheaper than summer sales.

My husband and I would just hate to end our marriage over the building of a chicken coop LOL

Carolina makes some pretty coops. If I lived in an HOA-controlled subdivision, had an abundance of money, and no time, I might drop most of $4,000 for a hen house suitable for 6 birds, then bitch and moan that the windows essentially ensure a draft on perching birds. ...and yet, they are some of the best, seemingly, in the business. Its the raised coop design, leaves little room for ventilation on the sides, where they place those windows we people-types find so attractive.

The side of the road "Amish"/Quaker-inspired coops tend to share some of the same concerns, though somewhat less expensive, as they lack the attached run. If you go that route, look for one you can walk into, not only so you can inspect the build quality, but because the walk in allows a lower nesting box, which lowers the perches, while allowing a window (relatively) higher up on the wall. Pay close attention to the long hinge on the nesting box, too - that's a common point of failure (moisture entry).

View attachment 2583737
Don't know your budget, or your aesthetic requirements. Neither do we know where you are in the nation (or the world) so we can guess at your climate needs. Are you space limited (like a suburban back yard)? Do you plan to chicken tractor on a big pasture? How many birds are you planning on?

All of those questions are important to recommending more than simply a "brand".

and full disclosure, I'm part of the "build your own" crowd. Twice. But whether bought or built, the design concerns tend to be the same. Like the nesting box, a side, rather than top, open design is generally superior for weatherproofing, but needs to be located higher up than it is in the picture above for your comfort. Hen houses are a system, it needs to work together to work best, with seemingly small adjustments often affecting other design considerations.

Our location is west of Portland, OR. in the Beaverton-Forest Grove area.

Yeah. This wasn't my FIRST choice. I probably won't even be able to get INTO the house because of my knees and propensity for falling. However, I'm pretty sure I can access everything to sweep out. (I'm hoping to be successful with DLM.)

My first inclination was to build one - other from a plan or to draw one up myself. But time, skill level, etc...my age...isn't optimum for the undertaking.

I essentially wanted to cut out more vents but I read that other people had contacted the mfg., and were confidently told this was an all-weather henhouse/coop and everyone's done fine with it as it.

There will be an addition roof OVER the hen house too. But we'll keep an eye out regarding the lid to the nesting box and install a gasket if necessary.

I like that the windows will be facing south, so there will be more light in the winter.

The coop will cost $500 - and we can put more money into the run for security, ease of access, and spiffing it up for the girls (in addition to an automatic door and solar operated cameras, nippled watering access, Grandpa's feeder to reduce rats well, we can HOPE!)

We'll also be building a couple of free ranging pens. Okay...they won't be FREE ranging, but they can be outside the run and explore where we want them to explore. We have .5 acre.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Would love recommendations of coops folks have bought and were happy with them. Thank you!

Coops are built, not bought