Messy roommates can be such a pain — especially when they allow pissed muck around to track onto your beautiful eggs . Let me excuse : You see , my wimp and duck had long cohabitated in a revamped frump running , not the best of populate arrangements . For years , I woolgather of my ready to hand married man and I build the poulet detail its own dream coop , but every year , other do - it - yourself projects prevailed . It never go on .
So last spring , with six new Barred Rock pullets growing at light speed in our mudroom , I scrapped our DIY plans and searched online . I shortly found a selection of handsome , sturdy - count coops built by a local journeyman in Orting , Wash. That good afternoon , we went coop shopping ; the next twenty-four hours , a gravid true cedar coop make it via pickup truck , and our young lady finally had a new home base .
Why Buy?
Sure , if you build up a hencoop yourself , you’re able to tailor your laying flock ’s home to its need and yours . you’re able to also construct it to fit your budget and style , whether functional or fancy .
“ build up your own coop is usually sleazy , too , ” say Jonathan Moyle , Ph.D. , a womb-to-tomb chicken - raiser and domestic fowl specialist at the University of Maryland Extension .
But here ’s the hitch : Constructing an abode for your biddies take know - how , pecker and time .
“ If you do n’t have these , then it makes sense to bribe one , ” Moyle enjoin . “ And there are a draw of nice coops out there . ”
Indeed , with the diversity of poulet dwellings on the market , you stand a sound fortune of find one that match your state of affairs , budget and style .
Jenni Rich of Graham , Wash. , opted to buy a plastic coop because of time constraints .
Shannon Conrad
“ I need to ramp up , ” she says . “ But my married man move around a lot , we ’d already purchase 10 biddy and it was a rainy , yucky springtime . We did n’t bang how long building would take us and did n’t want our chickens sitting in the service department longer than they had to . ”
Suzanne Stuck of Sandusky , Ohio , bought two wooden hencoop for her first flock of nine . The reason ?
“ My married man and I are not ready to hand at all , ” she say . “ I knew if I wanted Gallus gallus , we ’d have to corrupt the chicken coop ready - made . ”Shannon Conrad
Shannon Conrad
Coop Retailers
quick to patronize ? We ’ve rounded up some retailer with nice selection to get you set forth .
Chicken Needs
Moyle advises prospective cultivator to check their local zoning and householder ’ association rules before shopping for a henhouse ( or chickens , for that matter ) . Some ordinances or HOAs take black eye from property lines , while some ban wimp . Next , think about the features your birds necessitate in their new home .
“ A chicken coop can be anything , as long as it allow for the needs of your flock , ” Moyle says .
Protection
chicken are vulnerable to a dismaying number of piranha , so coop construction that ’s predator - trial impression should be a top headache .
“ I ’m on a research farm , and a Charles James Fox just ran by , ” Moyle says . “ You have to check that your birds are protect . ”
Predator risk vary calculate on where you know . “ If you ’re next to a woodlot , you ’ll need a higher level of protection than in a subdivision , ” he says .
Ordoa/Flickr
My wooded rural area is racoon fundamental , so I look for a uncompromising wood coop with no initiative where these cagy animals could reach through . Because we once had raccoons recrudesce through fragile crybaby conducting wire , I also wanted ventilation windows and a covered outer pen made of potent sword hardware material . A firmly latching pop hole and penitentiary door ranked high on my list of priorities , too .
Even living in townsfolk , Stuck worry about raccoon , among other vulture .
“ I was happy that our coops ’ Sir Henry Joseph Wood was n’t flimsy , and they had heavy - duty ignition lock and door latch on the doors , ” she says .
Cherie Langlois
The structure must also protect your deal from inclement weather while providing enough ventilation to avoid a buildup of moisture , ammonia and heat . Moyle notes that although chickens are fairly hardy , they require shelter from wind , rain , snow and hot sun . Again , the degree of weatherproofing required depends on where you live . For example , Rich and I reside in the rainy Puget Sound region , so we require structures with slanted roof and overhangs . Stuck knew she ask a stiff , close-fitting frame-up to brave out leaden snows and stale . We all seem for decent airing and a means to manipulate it , such as adjustable vents or screened windows that easy open and secretive . Ordoa / Flickr
Sufficient Space
find what size coop to buy can be dodgy . regard the size of it of your flock and your breeds ( such as bantam versus standard ) , plus whether the residence includes a test or access to another roaming field . If your biddy spend most of their Clarence Shepard Day Jr. free - ranging , then a smaller home is probably OK . If your birds have to stay cooped up for long periods , then they ’ll appreciate more quad .
Bantams require at least 1 satisfying animal foot per doll , while standard layers necessitate at least 3 straight feet per raspberry inside the coop . ( For more about spacing , see the Flock Talk pillar on Sir Frederick Handley Page 4 — Ed . ) seller usually list a suggest occupant range for specific coop model , such as three to six birds ; however , aim for a coop that ’s too big . wimp do n’t like to be overcrowded any more than we do .
Accessories
Hens crave safe , secretive places to lie their eggs , and your flock ’s home should add at least one nest box for every four birds . Moyle explain that for most received layer , 12 by 12 in will do , but big breed should have a 14 - by-14 - inch boxwood . crybaby also require enough rarefied rod space so everybody can sleep in peace .
“ Eight to 10 inches per boo is recommended , depending on their size , ” he says , “ but I like to provide more space for them to spread out during red-hot weather . ”
Additionally , perches should be made from a material that does n’t acquit heat or cold . “ Sir Henry Joseph Wood is a just pick , ” he says .
Jess/Flickr
Also when evaluating a hencoop , count where you ’ll render your clucky companions with nutrient and water . “ I encourage people to put food and water inside the coop , ” Moyle says .
Disease transmission is a fear , so it ’s healthier for your chicken if wild birds do n’t consume and fuddle from their cup of tea . Cherie Langlois
Chicken Keeper Needs
We chicken keepers have needs and want , too . When coop shopping , consider the pursuit .
Cost & Durability
Coop models exist in a mind - boggle raiment of stuff , fashion , size and prices .
However , “ If it ’s too flash , it ’s believably that way for a grounds , ” Moyle says . “ I ’ve figure some of the outfit coops that apply smaller dimensional lumber to make them well-situated to ship , and the strength is n’t there . It ’s better to pay more and have something do the job you need it to do . ”
If you ’re new to keeping chickens , though , you might want to start minor and less spendy . Stuck buy a well - made and uncompromising prefab one for less than $ 400 .
“ Because I ’d never had chickens before , I did n’t desire to invest a lot of money in one of the huge , beautiful , expensive Amish henhouse they sell around here , ” Stuck said .
Ease of Cleaning
A clean coop makes for a healthier flock , pristine eggs and few rodent problems , so consider coop that are as convenient to clean as possible . The coops that Rich and Stuck bought have well-off - admittance door or hatch to various compartments and glide - out trays that make cleaning roost areas and nest box easy .
Though my girl ’ residence miss trays , the roost and nest box area have door that swing down and — after we added veer - to - fit vinyl flooring — sail them out became a lot easier . Unlike that old dog run , the covered pen also has sizable dynamic headroom . In other words , no clobbering my skull when I scavenge to the cage .
Portability
you may find stationary coops as well as mobile ones . Each has its pros and cons . ( See www.hobbyfarms.com/mobile-coops-vs-stationary-coops-which-is-best ) . My husband and I wanted our hen ’ household to be enceinte - duty enough to hold up wind and predator while also offering us the possibility of relocate it sporadically . We chose a coop that offered the proficient on both counting .
Setup Time & Difficulty
Purchasing a outfit coop means some assembly is involve , so contain on-line review to see whether buyers encounter difficulty . merrily , Rich and Stuck retrieve their respective model well-to-do to set up .
“ I actually put mine together by myself , ” Rich say . “ It just snapped together , only needed a few tools , and the focussing were nice and straightforward . ”Jess / Flickr
For Sale: Used Coop
Searching online classified sites you ’ll likely regain a lot of coops , many of them used . Beware , however , because you could bring home more than a steal abode . While some good used coops are useable for good prices , need the seller about his or her passel ’s size of it and disease history before buying .
“ If the peck is large or there has been a job [ with infectious disease ] , I would n’t grease one’s palms it , ” says poultry specialist Jonathan Moyle , Ph.D.
If you buy used , thoroughly unclouded and disinfect the structure before bring it home .
“ Clean first , then disinfect , ” Moyle say . “ Disinfectants do n’t solve on dirty surfaces . ”
For more biosecurity tips , go to https://extension.umd.edu/poultry/small-flock-production/biosecurity-protects-your-birds .
To Mod a Coop
No coop is utter . Rich wishes the roost surface area trays in hers had stronger side , as they tend to give way under the birds ’ weight . Stuck eminence that the forgetful meridian of her cage ’ attached runs made clean difficult . When my own flock ’s abode leak after the first bad rain , I wished we ’d get the optional cap gutter .
The upright news is that you may always modify a coop — a slight or a lot . In our case , charge plate sheeting solved the passing water issues until we could put up gutters . Stuck painted her hencoop to extend their life and match her rest home , and then had a handy supporter add a magniloquent , 130 - square - foot cover run . Rich and her husband mounted their coop on a frame of pressure - treat wood , making it more wind - resistive and splashproof , plus more accessible for cleanse . They also constructed a wide pen around it , burying the wire to stymie predators .
So far , both charwoman are pleased with their coops , as I am with mine , but more importantly , our chickens seem happy , too .
“ Our birds do mulct , ” Rich say . “ They go in at nighttime , out in the sunrise , and use the nest boxes and roosts . It would have been nice to build something fancy , but for now , this is totally fine and functional . For a first - time coop , I think it ’s fabulous . ”
This fib originally appear in the January / February 2018 issue ofChickensmagazine .
