Chicken Coop

Kicking off with our Editor’s Choice by Best Choice Products is an outdoor wooden chicken coop – made with natural fir wood and galvanized wire mesh.

It comes with two nesting boxes and a removable divider. You can keep the nesting box open or closed with a lid cover.

If you’re looking for a coop that you could modify to suit your needs…

Best Choice Products got your back!

Here’s the thing…

It’s low enough for your kids to reach the nesting boxes. We also discovered that you could buy 2 of these coops and put them together if you want three to five nesting boxes.

However…

You need to understand that this rooster/ hen house is not ideal for normal size chickens. It can hold 3-5 bantam chickens and 5-8 baby chicks.

More than that will crowd the chickens uncomfortably together.

Aside from that…

You should know that the run space at the bottom is slightly small for 3-5 standard-size chickens. So, for buyers with breeds like Plymouth Rock, BuckEye, etc. You better understand this house is not for you.

Overall, Best Choice Products is true to its name. It’s a nice coop if you just started raising backyard chickens. 

Our Best Value by Tangkula is a wooden chicken coop great for new chicken keepers. It’s a nice and cozy little coop for the price.

If you want more than three nesting boxes, you can attach this to your previous coop. 

While the wood seems solid… 

…it’s fairly lightweight and could probably be knocked over or dug under if an animal tried hard enough.

You can either fix it to the ground so it can’t be lifted or add a board to the bottom to prevent predators from digging under.

The wood is a little thin, but you get what you pay for, and for this price, it’s well worth it.

Another Best Choice Products that receive our Top Pick award is another wood chicken coop!

This coop is small – great for 2 chickens, but if you’re handy, you can still add an auto feeder, heat lamp, and an auto watering system.

It’s also perfect for someone needing a small temporary coop for a few chicks, a sick chicken, a trio of silkies or seramas, or maybe one or two mature ladies who can’t climb up a tall ramp anymore.

It’s a nice style with two roomy nesting boxes (the floor in the boxes is loose but easily secured with a few screws) and two dainty perches.

Aside from that…

The structure was easy to assemble, and they had extra fasteners, which was nice. And you can do reinforcements like securing hardware cloth to the entire panel before screwing the panel on.

If you want, you can strengthen the flooring and nesting boxes. You can also apply sealer since this mobile coop is made of softwood.

Overall, it’s a good chicken coop, for starters. If you’re looking for additional housing to isolate chickens for health and wellness reasons – this coop is a better pick!

Similar to our Top Pick, Aivituvin is mobile and allows you to lift and move around your backyard but is much heavier than our Top Pick.

It’s great for lowkey chicken keeping.

Here’s the catch…

You can buy a second coop to extend it by taking off the detachable front panel, which gives your ladies and gents roomy activity space.

It’s easy to assemble, and you can modify this based on what you think is best for your flock.

But…

Be extra careful. The wood can split when fastening screws. It’s good that the manufacturer provides extra screws but be careful because they don’t provide extra wood.

We doubt a little about this being predator-proof. So, we placed additional cinder blocks and patio pavers around the coop. So far, 4 hens are having a fun time.

On the other hand…

It might also need another application of a better weather treatment on the wood, but otherwise, we’re happy with it.

MIXXIDEA is a cute little coop but tricky to assemble. It has all openings covered with 1/2’’ galvanized hardware cloth, and each access is equipped with a secure latch to keep your chickens safe.

And, guess what?

You can buy 2 of MIXXIDEA’s coops to get a bigger one – enough for 4-5 chickens to live in. Plus, the chicken swing is a great idea because it provides more than a place to sit – it actually swings!

Aside from that…

MIXXIDEA chooses a sloped design hinged roof with asphalt material to provide ideal insulation and protection from all elements, ensuring your coop stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

The coop was applied with blue water-based paint and a black roof made of waterproof asphalt.

But, here’s the thing about water-based paint…

While it performs brilliantly in the exterior application and is resistant to UV rays, the water-based paint is still prone to damage from impact and scuffing.

On the other hand…

Waterproof asphalt is great. But, after years of exposure to the weather, your asphalt shingles may need some help retaining waterproof protection. 

With an acrylic asphalt sealant, you can add a protective layer to the shingles and keep your roof safe from water damage.

However, it would incur additional expenses for you. If that’s fine with you, then this coop is for you. You must follow instructions carefully in assembling the coop to prevent wood damage.

The house is great for 6-8 medium-sized chickens. The chicken run is not big enough to house birds 100% of the time, but the coop has enough room for sleeping and laying eggs.

Could it be bigger? Yes. 

If you try to fit more than eight full-size hens in there, you’ll be pushing it. 

You’d be better off buying 2 of these and linking them together with the attached run.

In terms of durability…

It doesn’t seem stable, but it won’t fall apart as it is held together with bolts and nuts. The wire in the chicken run is heavy-duty and will protect your flock.

Most chicken keepers prefer a large coop for their buddies to move freely, even in an enclosed environment. Guanglai made this chicken cage for that reason.

For the price you’ll pay, you get the expected result. It’s not a bad design.

The coop tube is galvanized, so it’s rust resistant and easy to keep a clean environment for your feathered friends. 

The smooth surface is easy to clean with a wet cloth or running water. It offers protection to your pets and plenty of room for foraging, as well.

Aside from that…

The lockable steel door with a latch and steel wire ties are added for extra safety. It will be easy for chicken keepers to feed their chickens and clean the inside. 

It’s designed with a lot of essential pedestals that make it a wonderful home for any poultry.

However…

There are no nest boxes, roost bar, or a swing for your chicken to lay eggs and play. You have to buy or design the inside of the cage to how you see fit for your chickens.

Upon testing…

The materials used are cheaper, like the poultry wire, a softer gauge to deter predators.

You can also tell the welds are a rush job on the couplers. But you can make the necessary changes by adding a stronger gauge chicken wire for better protection.

A beautifully designed and functional coop.

While the aesthetics are great, you can still opt to make several reinforcements to various areas for the safety of your feathered friends.

You can use extra pieces of wood to make a playpen around it.

In terms of protection…

The “nesting” area has a sliding door. Once the chickens “come home to roost” for the night, slide the door shut and protect the chickens even if a predator digs under.

The materials are cheap, but the design is great. 

It doesn’t prevent leaks during the rainy season, especially if you place the coop outdoors. So, you must seal the gaps as quickly as possible with a foam spray.

And another thing…

A 9-year-old kid can move it by lifting one side and moving it a little, then going to the other side and moving it. So, remind them all the time to be careful.

Overall, a good starter coop but needs improvement and reinforcements.

If you’re new to raising chickens, this is a good coop to kickstart.

This house cage comes with two nesting boxes and four lockable doors (2 for the run & 2 for the coop).

They claim to hold up to 6 hens, but we would not recommend that. 

It’s the right size if you have no more than four chickens… 

…but we tried placing a rooster alongside four hens, and it works perfectly. More than that would be animal cruelty; we don’t want that.

Also, it depends on the size and breed of the chickens.

You can place five smaller breeds, and they will be fine. We tried replacing the two with larger chickens, and it’s a bit crowded for them.

There’s room for four egg laying areas, but all our chickens just take turns laying eggs. 

Can roosting bars on the top and bottom be removed?

Yes, you can do that. If you’re worried about the structure, it’ll be secured. It would be fine overall.

While you can’t walk inside the coop, you can still clean it by just opening the front doors.

This coop is made of cheap wood. So, if you want to add some more weather protection, you can do that – you can add a lot of wood sealer. This would just incur additional expenses for you.

If you’re looking for a coop with great ventilation, this is for you!

Ventilation and airflow are important to look at in a chicken house.

Why?

Chickens have thick feathers. Thus, they can regulate their body temperature. But, high moisture inside the coop lessens their ability to stay warm.

That said…

Weather greatly affects chickens’ health if not properly managed and well taken care of. Thus, ensure that you’ll consider ventilation when choosing a coop for your feather friends.

While Aosom coop is true to its name – “awesome,” it’s quite small for more than two bantam-size chickens. But, they could fit on the roost space if they were free range during the day.

Another thing is…

It’s not predator-proof, but you can reinforce it by putting another enclosure around it for additional safety and security. And you can put in extra paint and upgrade locks if you want. But, we suggest you do that.

Overall, this coop is sturdy and well-built. It’s suitable for 2-4 to sleep and lay eggs, given that some are free range. It would be slightly small for them to live inside it 24/7.