Wouldn’t you just love to have some cute chickens adorning your backyard? I know I do, they are fun, can be great with children, and then there are the yummy eggs! Raising backyard chickens for eggs has been a wonderful experience.
Good food, and regular and quality water is essential for your chickens’ survival but that is not all they need. Chickens need a good place to stay lively and cheerful almost as much as they need food and water. Some people, especially those who keep chickens as primary pets will let them roam free during the day and at night, the chickens go in their coop.
For those who may not have a large yard or are capable of letting their chickens free range during the day, a roomy chicken coop or a run is necessary. This is especially important as chickens can be a carrier of diseases like salmonella which can be easily transmitted to humans especially children so having enough room is essential to chicken health and keeping any disease at bay.
Being handy at carpentry, I constructed a cozy little coop for the first set of chickens I purchased and in as much as I saw how much they loved it, I knew that they deserved better and so I upgraded it as often as I could until I could think of nothing else to add.
What I didn’t realize however was that I could have gotten a better more stylish chicken coop at a much cheaper price if I had simply purchased one. For some people, they just don’t have the time to make a coop from scratch and so purchasing one is their best option.
Whatever the reason for not being able to build one, buying a chicken coop isn’t such a bad idea. In fact, it is a great one, especially for folks who don’t have any power tools much less the variety of hand tools needed to construct a chicken coop from raw materials!
Take a look at the following guide, complete with reviews, which I have put together for backyard chicken coops for sale. I hope it helps you in your search!
How To Choose: A Buyers Guide to Backyard Chicken Coops
While there are a lot of great options to choose from, it is not that difficult to find the best backyard chicken coop for your needs if consider a few important details when searching.
Several factors are to be considered before giving your hard-earned money to any buyer. These factors may vary based on location, weather conditions, and flock size so the properly outfitted chicken coop can be chosen.
Things to Consider Before Purchasing a Chicken Coop
Size of Your Backyard Chicken Flock
There might be no single most important factor that determines the kind of chicken coop to purchase for one’s chicken but this one does come close. Size of a flock is always crucial in determining the home of any flock and it really can’t be overemphasized in the case of an urban chicken coop. The rule of thumb states 2 – 4 square feet of spacing for every bird you own and even more for larger breeds and this is for fair weather. In areas of cold climate, a larger space is needed per chicken as they would be spending a lot more time cooked up inside the coop.
To determine the kind of coop to purchase would involve you asking questions such as:
- How many chickens do I intend to purchase?
- What breed or breeds am I buying? Different breeds of chickens comes in different sizes.
- Do I seek to expand my flock in the future? If yes, how soon?
- What is the climate condition of my area like?
Ventilation of the Chicken Coop
It has been established at different times in different studies that proper ventilation is key in the survival of any living creature, especially in their habitat. Chickens are living creature and the issue of ventilation must not be treated with disregard.
Chickens easily fall prey to respiratory diseases most of which are as a result of poor airflow in the coop. A well-ventilated coop is the simple and best prevention to these respiratory diseases and will keep the carbon dioxide level in check, allowing enough oxygen to flow in thereby enabling your chickens to breathe blissfully.
In a proper chicken coop, there should be plenty of windows and openings and more of the vents should be situated above the roosting areas in the coop.
Protection From Predators
Unfortunately not only human know how tasty chickens and eggs can be, but there are also always predators seeking the slightest opportunity or opening to get access inside your coop. These predators are both air and ground-bound. Before purchasing a coop, you should look out for the kind of systems that are in place to prevent occasions of predator attacks.
- Does the lid on the nesting box has a well-secured latch?
- How durable are the construction materials against elements of weather such as rain and sunlight?
- What are the odds of the door hinges standing against resilient predators?
- You should also look out for small openings and vents and what systems have been placed to keep creeping predators and rodents from going through them.
Elevation And Flooring
An elevated coop will prove more secure than coops that are built directly on the ground. Some coops that are made from wood can be continuously attacked by predators through burrowing chewing through the material. An elevated coop makes it very difficult for such predators to damage the main box.
Most other floors are susceptible to attacks from predators. The quality of the floor determines how long it will stand against the predators before it should be it fails. Another option is protecting the susceptible floor with predator fencing.
Also, the type of floor dictates how easy it will be to clean. Plywood floors are easy to clean and cheaply priced which will be inexpensive to replace.
Taking these and other factors into consideration, there are a lot of chicken coops out there that fit the profile but based on my own experience with raising chickens and knowing their needs, I have found several that I consider being the best urban chicken coops.
The Best Backyard Chicken Coops – Top 5 Reviews
Formex Snap Lock Large Chicken Coop Review
To be honest this is simply one of the best urban chicken coops you will get if you can free range your flock during the day like I do. It was designed to accommodate 4 to 6 large chickens or 6 to 8 bantams. It has a ventilation system which can be easily adjusted and a bottom that slides out thereby providing easy access to eggs. In the picture, you can see how much larger it is than the smaller version allowing it to accommodate an urban flock more comfortably.
Since this coop conveniently snaps together there are no extra tools required to assemble it. The materials are also chemical and UV resistant so it will last a long time and can be cleaned with soap and water and look like new. The locking mechanism is also great for keeping the flock safe at night when they are in the coop and the durable construction will keep any unwanted predators out.
The built-in roost bars are also a plus and the chickens will enjoy being able to roost safely at night. The walls are also insulated which makes this a great option for cold climates as your flock will stay nice a cozy. The coop does lack windows but it has good ventilation. Due to the lack of windows and built-in run, this coop is definitely better suited to those who will either provide a run, a fully enclosed pin or can let the free range during the day.
The easy construction, durable materials, and low maintenance requirements makes this a perfect backyard chicken coop for the beginner flock owner!
Pawhut Wooden Backyard Chicken Coop Review
This stylish and equally functional chicken coop is most ideal for chicken keepers who simply want to upgrade their backyard garden to the nice little home their chickens deserve. This chicken coop is constructed out of the fir wood which is very weather resistant. It provides your bids with a lot of space and an outdoor fenced run where they can run around in the sun and still remain safe. This beautiful chicken home provides enough space for 2-3 birds.
This coop is very easy to assemble and can be done fairly fast even while taking the time to read the instructions very carefully. Even though it is made with Fir I would still recommend a good wood sealer to increase the longevity of the coop. It is well built so a good wood sealer will give you many more years out of it.
The configuration of this coop is also great if you would like to expand the run and make it even bigger. Overall there is a lot of value packed into this coop and you will certainly get its worth out of it. The other thing I like about this coop is the ability to practice the deep litter method with this coop which will make flock maintenance a little bit easier.
Ardinbir Deluxe Wood Chicken Coop Review
If you are limited on space then this is the urban chicken coop for you. Very compact but extremely well built and constructed of quality materials. If you have a small area in your existing garden to stash a coop, this one is perfect for that.
Since this is obviously a very small coop, you will not be able to keep more than two hens in this coop. I also strongly advise against this coop if you cannot commit to letting them free range in the yard most of the day every day of the week. The birds will need to be out the confined space to stretch their wings and stay healthy.
An easily assembled coop, you will have the coop up and ready for hens in no time. All of the hardware is powder coated or zinc coated as well so it will last. For anyone in need of the best small chicken coop, I recommend this one. Just don’t forget to let them free roam!
Merax Wood Chicken Coop Review
A step up in size compared to the Ardinbir, this Merax chicken coop is also made of fir and is nicely constructed. You can easily house 2 hens in this house and if you are diligent in letting them out to roam, 3 hens would be doable as well. Construction is really straight forward but since it is a little bigger, it will take longer as well.
The ramp is a little slick on this coop but if you get some grip tape you can easily improve the traction for your hens. The way the run is designed, it also makes it easy to add additional run space should you need to improve the size to house three chickens.
The egg crate or nest box is accessible by a convenient hinged lid making egg gather extremely quick and simple. Aside from the slight larger size, this backyard coop is just like the other two wooden coops as far as quality and construction. If you have or want two hens, this one is a perfectly equipped coop.
Pawhut Deluxe Wooden Backyard Chicken Coop & Run Review
The coop with the longest run on the list, what it lack in space and features in the house, it makes up for in run length. This chicken coop is well suited for three hens and possibly four if you let them free roam a bit. The house part of this box doesn’t feature a hen box for laying and the floor is made of sheet metal so it is advisable to add a bedding material for the hens to walk on.
The construction of this house is definitely not as solid or robust as the others as it does feature manufacture woods pieces or plywood so it will not be as durable as some of the others. Certainly a trade-off of quality for larger run size.
I would not recommend this coop for harsher climates either do to the lighter construction however it is a good coop for mild climates. If your main focus is run size than go for this chicken coop.
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