Backyard chickens
Chicken coops
Little things. Happy tails.
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All chicken coops
Little essentials. Lots of love.
A little guidance
Help choosing chicken coops
Buying guides and care advice written for this range: what to measure, what matters and what to skip.
From our guides
- Best Chicken Coops: What Actually Matters →
- Chicken Coop Bedding and Cleaning: A Practical Routine →
- Chicken Coop Ideas: Layouts That Work for a Backyard Flock →
- Chicken Coop Size: How Much Space Do Chickens Need? →
- How to Build a Chicken Coop: Size, Layout and Predator Protection →
- Predator-Proof Chicken Coop: Review the Whole Enclosure →
Shop chicken coops for backyard flocks, from compact wooden houses with nest boxes and pull-out trays to metal coops with attached runs, plus automatic coop doors and activity toys for hens. This page is for keepers starting a first flock of three or four birds and for anyone adding space for more. The guide below covers how big a coop needs to be, what to look for in ventilation and predator proofing, and how to keep cleaning quick.
How much coop space your hens need
Space is the first thing to check, because a cramped coop causes pecking, damp bedding and dirty eggs. Penn State Extension gives a minimum of about 1.5 square feet of indoor floor per laying hen and about 8 square feet each in an outside run, rising to 2 and 10 square feet for large breeds. Bantams need less, around 1 square foot indoors.
Treat those figures as a floor, not a target. Hens spend more time inside during long winters and wet spells, so a coop that only just meets the minimum in summer can feel crowded by February. If a listing says it suits four to six chickens, plan for four standard hens, and check whether that count assumes an attached run or the house alone.
Wooden coops vs metal coops and runs
The range here splits into two styles. Wooden coops are self-contained houses, often raised on legs, with a roost bar, a nest box you can open from outside and a slide-out droppings tray. They look at home in a garden and are easy to move into a sheltered corner. Fir and other softwoods need a coat of animal-safe exterior stain every year or two to keep weather out.
Metal coops in this collection are larger walk-in pens with galvanized frames and a waterproof, UV-resistant cover over the top. They give hens daytime room to scratch and dust bathe, and you can stand up inside to clean. Many keepers pair the two: a wooden house for roosting and laying, inside or beside a walk-in run.
Roosts, nest boxes and the inside layout
Chickens sleep perched, so look at the roost before anything else. Penn State suggests about 6 inches of roost per standard hen, with bars around 18 to 24 inches off the floor and never more than 4 feet high, because heavy birds can hurt their legs jumping down. Roosts should sit away from the nest boxes so hens do not sleep, and soil, where they lay.
For nest boxes, the same guidance gives two boxes for the first four hens and one more for every four after that, each at least 12 by 12 inches. A box that lifts open from the outside lets you collect eggs without stepping in, which matters on cold mornings and keeps the coop calmer.
Ventilation without drafts
A coop has to breathe. Hens give off a lot of moisture and their droppings release ammonia, and a sealed box traps both. Extension guidance asks for steady air movement through vents or windows set high, on the side away from the prevailing wind, and never directly over the roost, where a draft chills sleeping birds.
The test is simple: open the coop door first thing in the morning. A sharp ammonia smell or damp bedding means the house needs more airflow or fewer birds. Mesh-covered vents high on the walls give air without giving a raccoon a way in, so check that any opening on the coop you choose is screened.
Keeping predators out
Raccoons, foxes, hawks, owls, rats and loose dogs all take backyard hens, and most losses happen at night. Close the pop door every evening, or fit an automatic coop door with a light sensor or timer, like the one in this range, so it shuts at dusk even when you are late home.
For runs, Penn State recommends burying fence wire at least 12 inches deep and bending it outward about 6 inches at the base, so diggers hit wire rather than soil. A solid cover or netting over the top keeps hawks out. Swap twist-latches for two-step locks, since raccoons open simple hooks with ease.
Cleaning and everyday care
The design detail that saves the most time is a pull-out droppings tray under the roost. Slide it out, scrape it into the compost, and the deep bedding in the rest of the coop lasts far longer. Wide doors and a roof or side panel that opens fully make a twice-yearly deep clean much easier.
Site the coop on level, well-drained ground, ideally with morning sun and afternoon shade. Keep feed and water in the run or just inside the door, set at about the height of the hens' backs so they waste less. A coop that is easy to reach is a coop that gets cleaned on schedule.
How many chickens can a small coop hold?
Work from floor area. At roughly 1.5 square feet indoors and 8 square feet of run per standard laying hen, a coop with 6 square feet of floor and a 32 square foot run suits about four hens comfortably.
Is a wooden or metal chicken coop better?
Wooden coops make better sleeping and laying houses because they hold heat and give hens a dark, sheltered roost. Metal walk-in coops give more daytime room. Many keepers use a wooden house inside or beside a metal run.
Do chicken coops need to be raised off the ground?
A raised coop keeps the floor dry, stops rodents nesting underneath and gives hens a shaded spot below in summer. Coops that sit on the ground should go on well-drained soil or pavers, with wire under the floor.
How do I keep raccoons out of a chicken coop?
Shut hens in at dusk every night, cover vents with welded hardware cloth rather than chicken wire, bury wire around the run, and use two-step latches. Raccoons can open simple hooks and reach through wide mesh.
How often should you clean a chicken coop?
Scrape the droppings tray every few days, top up bedding weekly, and replace all bedding and scrub the coop two or three times a year. Clean more often if you smell ammonia when you open the door.