Chicken coop recommendations for beginners?

[flars]

Hi everyone! I'm totally new to keeping chickens and a bit overwhelmed with all the options out there. I live in Phoenix and am planning to start with 4 to 6 hens in my backyard. Our backyard is around 10,00 sq ft, with some hawks around and the occasional coyote or fox so I want a coop that's safe, well ventilated, and easy to maintain.

I've been looking at a few ready made options, and they all have pros and cons. Omlet looks easy to clean but is pricey.OverEZ seems solid, but I'm not sure about predator protection. Tractor Supply options are affordable, but I've heard mixed reviews about durability. Garvee coops are reasonably priced, though I haven't seen many firsthand reviews yet.

What style chicken coop would you guys recommend for beginners? I just want something that will keep my future chickens safe and healthy and won't be a royal PITA to maintain.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[Briarhopper Ranch]

The Omlet will get far too hot for your birds, like a little oven.

I’ll let others comment on the rest. Someone in your region should have solid insights on cops for low humidity, blazing hot summer days, cool nights and mostly mild winters.

Hi everyone! I'm totally new to keeping chickens and a bit overwhelmed with all the options out there. I live in Phoenix and am planning to start with 4 to 6 hens in my backyard. Our backyard is around 10,00 sq ft, with some hawks around and the occasional coyote or fox so I want a coop that's safe, well ventilated, and easy to maintain.

I've been looking at a few ready made options, and they all have pros and cons. Omlet looks easy to clean but is pricey.OverEZ seems solid, but I'm not sure about predator protection. Tractor Supply options are affordable, but I've heard mixed reviews about durability. Garvee coops are reasonably priced, though I haven't seen many firsthand reviews yet.

What style chicken coop would you guys recommend for beginners? I just want something that will keep my future chickens safe and healthy and won't be a royal PITA to maintain.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[BoundlessLove]

A belated Welcome to Backyard Chickens!

Whatever coop you go with, please make sure has LOTS of ventilation.
This is very important!

Lots of Overhead ventilation for sure.
I’d try checking Facebook Marketplace for a small shed that could be converted to a coop.
Wishing you well with your future plans.

 

[Debbie292d]

Here is your Arizona thread. I'd ask in there.

Here's our Coop forum full of coops our members built. Some actually have blueprints. Go for the higher-rated ones if you look through them. Their profiles may have what state they are in in them too, or they may mention it.

 

[NatJ]

Hi everyone! I'm totally new to keeping chickens and a bit overwhelmed with all the options out there. I live in Phoenix and am planning to start with 4 to 6 hens in my backyard. Our backyard is around 10,00 sq ft, with some hawks around and the occasional coyote or fox so I want a coop that's safe, well ventilated, and easy to maintain.

I've been looking at a few ready made options, and they all have pros and cons. Omlet looks easy to clean but is pricey.OverEZ seems solid, but I'm not sure about predator protection. Tractor Supply options are affordable, but I've heard mixed reviews about durability. Garvee coops are reasonably priced, though I haven't seen many firsthand reviews yet.

What style chicken coop would you guys recommend for beginners? I just want something that will keep my future chickens safe and healthy and won't be a royal PITA to maintain.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

You might consider an open-air coop. It basically looks like a predator-proof run with a roof, and then it also has the nests and the roosts for sleeping. Those go in one corner or end that is a little more sheltered (protection from direct wind or rain), but not really closed up the way a traditional coop would be.

For size, a common guideline is to make a coop with 4 square feet per chicken and a run with 10 square feet per chicken. In your climate, with your predator issues, I would consider just making an open-air coop that is the size of a run (10 square feet per chicken or larger), and not bother with separate coop and run sections.

For being easy to maintain on a daily or weekly basis, you either want it so small you can reach every part of it from the door (that is usually too small to be good for the chickens), or you want it big enough that you can easily walk in and move around to do anything you need to do. If you try to provide 10 square feet for each of 6 chickens, you will have 60 square feet, which can easily be 6x10 feet or 8x8 feet. Either size is big enough to be fairly easy to deal with, depending on where you put the door.

 

[Briarhopper Ranch]

@flars +1 what is written below by @NatJ, bearing in mind end of summer monsoon protection / keeping the chickens dry in daily, heavy seasonal downpours. (I’ve got property in Pima County and know how Arizona goes from “hot and dry as a skillet” to “people, cars and livestock flowing down flooded arroyos” in no time.)

You might consider an open-air coop. It basically looks like a predator-proof run with a roof, and then it also has the nests and the roosts for sleeping. Those go in one corner or end that is a little more sheltered (protection from direct wind or rain), but not really closed up the way a traditional coop would be.

For size, a common guideline is to make a coop with 4 square feet per chicken and a run with 10 square feet per chicken. In your climate, with your predator issues, I would consider just making an open-air coop that is the size of a run (10 square feet per chicken or larger), and not bother with separate coop and run sections.

For being easy to maintain on a daily or weekly basis, you either want it so small you can reach every part of it from the door (that is usually too small to be good for the chickens), or you want it big enough that you can easily walk in and move around to do anything you need to do. If you try to provide 10 square feet for each of 6 chickens, you will have 60 square feet, which can easily be 6x10 feet or 8x8 feet. Either size is big enough to be fairly easy to deal with, depending on where you put the door.

 

[nuthatched]

An open air hoop coop is what I'd reccomended.
Prefabs are junk.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/top-10-hoop-coop-ideas.76490/

 

[Three Stents]

Whatever coop you purchase or build, make sure it has a "people" door. Plus, what are you going to do when you start getting those months with over 100 degree temps? Shade? Fans? Misters? Insulation? Whatever roof covering you go with, ensure it does not add heat to the inside from the sun. Have windows on all 4 sides. Plan on having some sort of forced ventilation/fan installed on the side that gets no sun. Your chickens need to thrive, not survive. Keep us posted.

 

[Knobby]

First off, welcome to the BYC! So glad to have you join our happy online family.

I've had great success with finding pre-fab coops on Facebook Marketplace. I've purchased 2 coops, that run $600 a piece at TSC, for $100 and $200 respectively. Granted, I've had to re-enforce alot of their structure, but they've lasted me 3 years thus far.

I've also built a couple coops using pallet wood, and am planning on doing a massive build, one day, since I've had upwards of 175 pallets collected.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

Hi everyone! I'm totally new to keeping chickens and a bit overwhelmed with all the options out there. I live in Phoenix and am planning to start with 4 to 6 hens in my backyard. Our backyard is around 10,00 sq ft, with some hawks around and the occasional coyote or fox so I want a coop that's safe, well ventilated, and easy to maintain.

I've been looking at a few ready made options, and they all have pros and cons. Omlet looks easy to clean but is pricey.OverEZ seems solid, but I'm not sure about predator protection. Tractor Supply options are affordable, but I've heard mixed reviews about durability. Garvee coops are reasonably priced, though I haven't seen many firsthand reviews yet.

What style chicken coop would you guys recommend for beginners? I just want something that will keep my future chickens safe and healthy and won't be a royal PITA to maintain.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Flars
I don't want to put damper on your chicken aspirations but 10,000 sq feet yard is not that large. Do live in the city or an HOA, what restrictions does the city/HOA impose. I would consult with your neighbors to see if they have any objections to chickens close by.
If you find no objections then consider this model The Chick Inn.