When you have land, either because you live in a house with a large garden, or because you have a small farm, it is common to consider putting up a chicken coop and, thus, raising chickens, hens and roosters to enjoy their company and the products that they provide. give. Are you looking for a chicken coop?
The correct choice of one is important, because it is not enough just to choose one that is consistent with the space you have, but you must also take care of aspects such as location, maintenance and how to make it work properly. Therefore, here we leave you the best in the market and we give you the keys to make it work 100%.
Top 1. The best chicken coop
Pros
- It has three different areas for chickens.
- It has the roof covered with asphalt to protect the chickens, and the chicken coop from the rain.
- It has a removable excrement drawer for daily maintenance.
Cons
- It is quite large, not suitable for any space.
- You have to ride it.
- You have to be careful that the chickens do not escape when you open the doors.
Selection of chicken coops
EUGAD chicken house
A chicken coop made of solid pine with a treatment to be able to be outside and that it does not deteriorate. It is small, ideal for 1-2 hens, and has three doors with metal mesh so that the hens do not escape but can see the outside. It has two heights.
VidaXL wooden outdoor chicken coop
This hen house has the design of a little house, with dimensions not too large and three differentiated zones: the house, the nest box and the corral. Five chickens can live in it without any problem.
Gardiun Chicken Coop
It is a fairly large outdoor chicken coop, built to withstand inclement weather. It has a outside window to watch the chickens without disturbing them, in addition to ventilation system. Ideal to have 5 chickens.
Chicken coop with nest by Pawhut
With a larger size, this chicken coop it has different levels. It is placed outdoors and is protected with wire to protect the chickens from predatory animals. In addition, it is covered in asphalt fabric to withstand inclement weather.
Large outdoor chicken cage
For those who have a greater number of chickens and require a hen house of at least 3 meters widethis is one of the most recommended. It has a galvanized steel structure with a polyethylene roof. It is recommended to introduce some smaller areas or chicken coops inside, or to adapt spaces for the different uses of the hens, especially in the rest area.
Chicken coop buying guide
Not sure how to buy a chicken coop? Should it be bigger or smaller? What if you have young? How is it better? Here are some tips to make your choice easier to make.
Capacity
It is not the same to have a hen than to have five. The henhouse must be according to the space that each of them needs. Therefore, the capacity of this must always be very present at the time of purchase. To give you an idea, a chicken coop for five chickens must have a few minimum measurements of 1 square meter (In hot climates, in cold climates it is preferable to group 8 hens in the same space so that they are warm).
Type
Inside chicken coops, in the market you can find many different types. That allows them to adapt to the space or the needs of the animals, but they can also give you a headache by not knowing which one to take.
In general, you have:
- Large chicken coops. Ideal for when you are going to put several chickens, because they need enough space to live together without fights.
- Small chicken coops. When you have only one chicken and little space to place it.
- Prefabricated or homemade. That is, already made or those that you can build yourself. The latter have the advantage that you can customize them to your liking and needs, but they require construction time and can be more expensive.
- Indoor or outdoor. Depending on where you are going to place a chicken coop, you will have to choose one that is resistant to inclement weather or not.
Quality and price
Finally, you should not forget the quality of the materials with which it is made, because that will help you to know if it will last a long time or not. Depending on this, you will amortize the price you pay for it.
As for the price, the truth is that it varies a lot, depending on the size, whether it is exterior or interior, that has more details or is more basic it will make your price swing. The good news is that there will be a chicken coop for whatever budget you have.
Where to put the chicken coop?
If you have already decided on the chicken coop that most attracts your attention, then it is possible that now you have only one important step left with respect to this: where you are going to place the chicken coop. Keep in mind that the location must be in a place that is protected from inclement weather. That is, where do not have drafts, do not get too cold or hot, do not rain too much … All this will harm the animals you have in it, but the chicken coop will also deteriorate before, and in the end you will have to spend more money.
In general, choose in the shade to put it, or in semi-shade, if the weather in your city is too cold, even in summer.
What is the maintenance of a chicken coop?
Having a chicken coop implies carrying out good maintenance, especially to protect your animals from diseases or problems that could put their health at risk. Therefore, in general, you should thoroughly clean your chicken coop at least twice a year with bleach or caustic soda (and wait for the smell to disappear before mounting it again). And thoroughly we mean cleaning it from top to bottom, leaving it as new.
However, it is not the only maintenance you should give it. Every 15 days it is advisable that you change the bed of the chickens and remove any debris that is on the ground, as well as on the perches. Put new and clean straw to avoid lice and other undesirable bugs.
We also recommend that you clean both the feeders and the troughs on a daily basis.
How to make a chicken coop?
If you are good at DIY, you have time and you also cannot find the chicken coop you need at the price you are looking for, you can always build it yourself. For this you need material, which can be varied, from wood, plywood, pallets … as a basis for construction elements (wire mesh, hinges …).
The first thing you need is to make a chicken coop structure designalways with enough space for the chickens you want to have. Next, you must have all the materials at hand, that is, wood, screws, tools, metal mesh, straw, latch …
Now you just have to follow your own design, building the walls and the roof with the wood and joining them with the screws and the latch (this to open the chicken coop and clean it or catch the eggs). Inside you must divide the surface into zones: one to eat, one to sleep, one to serve as a nest … If it is very small, then you don’t have to.
Where to buy
Has none of the chicken coops we talked about convinced you? Are you looking for other types of chicken coops? Don’t worry, the truth is that there are several stores where you can buy one. Here we recommend the ones that we think have more options and where you can more easily find one based on your needs.
The Amazon
In Amazon there are not only the models that we have discussed, in reality there are many more of different prices, size, design … So you can take a look at its search engine to see if one fits what you are looking for.
Leroy Merlin
Another option you can consider is Leroy Merlin. In this case they have a more limited catalog, But there are some chicken coops that are very well priced and can adapt to what you are looking for, even joining several.
Second hand
Finally, if your budget is very tight and you need one that is too much for you, why not look at second-hand products? Many times the fact that they are used lowers the price, and for that reason they are not in bad condition or break before.
You just have to be careful when buying and review the product very well before doing so. Among the discounts, in some cases they can come out for 50% or more of their price as new, which becomes more accessible.
Do you dare to have your own chicken coop and enjoy organic products?
