What kind of chicken coop works best in a small space?

[HomeyHugs]

Hey everyone, I’ve been thinking about adding a small chicken coop setup to my backyard, but I’m still trying to figure out what actually makes sense when you don’t have a ton of space to work with.

My yard isn’t huge, so I want to keep it practical without making the whole place feel crowded. I’d love to have a few hens for fresh eggs, and I just like the idea of making better use of the backyard, but once I started looking into coops, I realized there are way more options than I expected. Some of them look great in photos, but I’m not sure how they really hold up once they’ve been outside for a while with weather, cleaning, and everyday use.

I keep seeing brands like Omlet, Producer’s Pride, and PawHut come up a lot, and they all seem to offer something a little different. Omlet looks really clean and compact, which seems great for a smaller yard, but the price is definitely up there. Producer’s Pride seems more traditional, and some of their setups look pretty solid, though a few of them also seem like they’d take up more room than I really want to give up. PawHut seems to have a lot of smaller coops that might fit better in a tight space, but I’m not sure how they compare long term. I ran across Garvee too while browsing, and some of their chicken coop setups look pretty decent for the price, especially for smaller backyard layouts.

I’m also curious about the day-to-day side of it. For those of you with smaller backyards, did your coop end up taking over more space than you expected? Did you wish you had gone taller instead of wider? Any regrets about wood vs. plastic, attached run vs. separate run, or just how easy the whole thing is to move around and clean?

Would really appreciate hearing what worked for you, especially if you’ve got a small yard and still managed to make chickens fit without it feeling cramped. Thanks!

 

[Colin1230]

No experience here, just following along.

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

I am interested too. Like the idea and have the room but not sure I am ready for fighting off the foxes, skunks, coyotes, eagles, etc.

 

[philpom]

I'm interested, our daughter wants chickens and I want eggs. Was thinking I'd build one using cattle panel hoops but curious to read the feedback.

Permanent Hoop Coop Guide

Hoop Coop Guide Master Materials List 2- 4"x6"x16' 12- 2"x6"x10' 5- 4"x4"x6' 15- 2"x4"x8' 5- 52" Combo/Cattle Panels 2- 48"x50' ½"x ½" Rolls of Hardware Cloth (3 rolls recommended) 3- 1lb. Boxes of 1 ½" Galvanized Fencing Staples 2 ½ lbs. of...

www.backyardchickens.com

 

[pineywoods]

A lot depends on the predators you have in the area. That info will help with the type of construction you need in a coop. Here we deal with pretty much everything from snakes to bears.

 

[SmokeRing0909]

We’ve had several different coops. Wood kits will rot away fairly quick. The small ones really need wheels and a handle to constantly move to fresh ground, a chickens health starts with their feet. If you can free range in the day that helps tremendously, but that depends on what predators you have around. A nesting box with outside access is nice. Having yard birds is a lot of fun, until your wife helps you turn it into another job. My wife is down to 11 birds with some in the incubator now. She really enjoys the odd breeds. I just like two fresh eggs every morning after the gym. Anyways don’t wear yourself out trying to find the right house. That’s an item you will more than likely upgrade. Get a small cheap wood one, so you’ll know more about what fits your needs on the next one. I rebuilt ours this past summer, cut it down to 1200 square feet. It’s never ending, so good luck to y’all. And don’t forget to have fun with it

 

[one eyed jack]

Here's a site with a good bit of info

Backyard Chickens

 

[SMOKEOCD]

I used dog kennel panels against the garage. They hopped into the garage at night thru the window. Had a heater in there for the winter months. Once the garden was established, they could be let loose to eat the weeds and bugs.

 

[cpaysonc]

A predator dig guard would be high on my list! Even if you just bury a strip of chain link, your protection against any digging predator (dog, etc.) Is well worth the effort.

 

[archeryrob]

Don't go fancy and chickens will live in anything and build roost perches with a 2x12 under and use a drywall tape knife to push all the shyte into. I compost it all so no big deal there, but you need to dispose of that. Some one composting will thank you for it.

Spring time foxes prowl daytime also to feed the Kits. Night time they need locked in a protected run with a no dig apron. Or you need to lock the coop every night. A fox or a coon will kill all your chickens, eat the heads and leave bodies. I had 2x4 wire around mine at the bottom and had to upgrade to hardware cloth. Coons couldn't get in, but he could reach in and killed my best rooster. The Coons paid a high price for that mistake.

An old garden shed off facebook marketplace would be perfect. Anything you can get, or make cheap, as long as its secure.

If you want 2 eggs a day get 3 - 4 chickens and prepare to no eggs after November to late January when they molt the second year and every other. They don't lay until around six months and starter with smaller eggs.

I have not posted videos yet but just hatches 25 and 3 died and 22 now in the brooder. Another round going to hatch around the 14th - 15th. All Barred rocks.

If you have a rooster research docile breeds. A Rhode Island Red rooster will think he can take you at 1 1/2 years.

 

[cpaysonc]

Good point about docile rooster breeds. I don't think most folks understand how dangerous a rooster can truly be. We had some recently that were no joke, ended up in a pot as a result.

 

[DougE]

A setup like this doesn't take up a lot of real estate but provides a safe predator free environment for the hens.

I keep mine in an enclosed run since the predators around here would make short work of my flock, otherwise.

I'm down to just 3 hens now but have kept as many as 13 hens in this run when I was selling farm fresh eggs.

I quit selling eggs and just have enough for our own needs now.