Raising a flock of chickens comes with a lot of benefits—fresh eggs, fluffy pets, and they even help keep your garden bug and weed-free! One other bonus of keeping chickens is providing a fun home where they can nest, run around, and take shelter. Chicken coops come in all shapes and sizes, with some easier to maintain than others.
If you’re looking to avoid straining your back or simply want to be more hands-on with your poultry, a walk-in chicken coop might just be perfect for you.
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Backyard Boss top 5 Walk-In Chicken Coops in 2021
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Aivituvin Store Chicken Coop |
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PawHut Galvanized Metal Chicken Coop Cage with Cover |
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Polar Aurora Walk-in Poultry Cage |
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OverEZ Large Chicken Coop |
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Daria Gambrel Barn Chicken House with Nesting Box and Ramp |
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Why You Can Trust Us
We come from a family of chicken tamers and we’ve always enjoyed raising and helping others with their flocks. Call us chicken whisperers if you will! Chicken coops are simple, but when it comes to picking the right one, suddenly everything becomes quite complicated. From building coops to researching and buying them online, we’ve made mistakes, that you won’t have to make. We consider ourselves experts when it comes to chicken coops and happy hens! An ideal chicken coop should be easy to assemble, secure, easy to clean, and don’t require expensive add-ons to function.
All information mentioned in this article has been carefully researched and fact-checked to ensure that only reliable advice is given. This article is the product of extensive research on the different aspects of raising chickens in your backyard, including the specific advantages and disadvantages of the different walk-in chicken coops available online.
Our goal with this is to help you make fully informed and guided decisions on the best walk-in chicken coop for your home. To do this, we made sure to include the pros and cons of each item mentioned, and we backed up all our claims with reliable sources that you can look into yourself as well.
Best With Enclosed Run
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This coop has everything a small flock will need to stay both safe and healthy, with activity rooms and cozy rest areas.
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Why We Like It: This chicken coop is complete with everything your flock needs for a happy home! It can house six to ten chickens and is designed with two nesting boxes, a large sleeping area, roosting space, and an enclosed run. The enclosed run uses galvanized wire mesh and has multiple access points to help you reach your chickens easier, wherever they may be. Its multi-level design also helps save yard space without sacrificing your chicken’s wellbeing.
Who Should Buy It: This is a great option for those lacking yard space for their chickens to run around freely.
Best Heavy-Duty Chicken Coop
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This cage comes in a size and style that makes it easy to adapt to most chicken coop designs while leaving lots of room for your flock to run free.
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Why We Like It:Â This chicken coop cage is made with a 12-foot long heavy-duty frame, rust-resistant wire fencing, water, UV-resistant roof cover, and a lockable galvanized door to keep predators out. This cage is great for chicken coop plans thanks to it being a great size for integrating into custom building plans and for housing small nesting set-ups inside.
Who Should Buy It: Anyone building their own chicken coop and is looking for an enclosed run to match would find amazing potential in this cage.
Best Large Coop
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This large chicken coop spans 10’L x 20’W, providing ample space for your chickens to run around and forage comfortably.
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Why We Like It: One way to raise healthy and happy chickens is by giving as much space possible for them to safely explore your grounds, which this cage easily allows. It comes with an easy assembly steel frame and PVC-coated wire mesh, designed with a single gate to get in and out. This durable cage keeps predators away and lessens the chances of your chickens harming themselves if they try to escape. It also comes with a UV- and water-resistant cover that prevents any puddles and provides shade for your chickens.
Who Should Buy It: While the size is too large for the average chicken flock, this is amazing for raising large flocks.
Best for Nesting Hens
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This simple chicken coop can house up to 15 chickens and provides a safe area for your hens to nest and lay eggs comfortably.
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Why We Like It: A comfortable nesting space is crucial for healthy hens. This chicken coop comes with five nesting boxes and comes pre-built by Amish-trained wood craftsmen, only needing a simple one-tool assembly for setup. It’s designed with a large door, a poultry entrance, and two screened windows for ventilation and light. It can hold up to 15 chickens and is made with eco-friendly materials and an angled roof that prevents water damage.
Who Should Buy It: This would help those raising mostly hens and collecting large egg batches regularly.
Best for Free-Range Chickens
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This barn-style chicken coop is made with LP SmartGuard wood trim and siding, making it water, weather, termite, and fungus-resistant to ensure the health of your chickens.
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Note: This coop is also listed on Amazon, but frequently out of stock.
Why We Like It: This chicken coop makes it easy for chickens to enter and exit as they please, which is a must for free-range poultry. It’s designed with four nesting boxes in the lower level, a roosting bar in the upper level, a window for ventilation, and a ramp for entering and leaving the coop. For more style, additional purchases of shingles, paint, and drip edges are available. Thankfully, this barn comes at a ceiling height tall enough for the average person to stand comfortably.
Who Should Buy It: This is great for stylish chicken owners looking for a charming yard addition and also for those raising free-range chickens.
Can Chickens Stay in the Coop All Day?
Chickens are curious birds meant to roam free on vast farmland. Replicating this in your backyard doesn’t mean you’ll have to raise your flock as free-range chickens—just that they should be given the space to run around, roam the area, and forage for food. The consensus is that it’s best to give your chickens the time to be active during the day.
It’s best to let your chickens out as early as possible, so long as the sun is out. Their daily routine will always depend on how you raise them and on what schedule allows you to care for them the way they need. But the safe bet is to give them the day to be free in the sun and tuck them into your coop when it gets dark.
At night, the chicken coop plays a vital role in keeping the flock safe from predators, especially since nighttime is when chickens are most vulnerable to hungry foxes, raccoons, and even dogs. Chickens do not have any night vision and, during this time, keeping them safe in a securely locked up coop is what’s best for them.
That said, sometimes keeping them in during the day will become necessary, particularly during bad weather (with snow, cold fronts, or strong rain) or when you see predators around and don’t want to risk it. Sometimes, your chickens would even stay inside all on their own choice if outdoor conditions are too chilly for their preferences.
On the other hand, leaving them cooped up inside all day when there is no need will come with consequences for your chickens. If they stay inside too long and don’t get the sunlight and activity they need, the flock can start attacking each other, sometimes even causing death. Another possibility is for hens to start pecking and develop a taste for their eggs.
Do you Need Planning Permission for a Chicken Coop?
Despite how simple the typical chicken coops are built, the do’s and don’ts of raising poultry in your backyard might be more complicated than expected.
Chicken coop regulations vary in each area, with some more lenient than others. Different states, cities, and districts set their standards for backyard chicken coops, ranging from how many chickens are allowed, limiting the number of roosters, and even preventing any free-range chickens to be raised in the area.
Before setting your chicken coop plans into motion, it’s best to check in with your local government for the zoning and by-laws you need to follow.
In general, chicken-keeping permits are needed, but planning permission is usually only necessary if your coop is larger than regulations allow. If this is a concern, it’s best to settle these permits first.
That said, some homes could still run into trouble with their backyard chicken coops, even if you’ve followed protocol, if you violate a rental agreement that limits your poultry or if your neighbors call in with possible noise, odor, or pest complaints.
How We Picked
Surprisingly enough, even with all the chicken coops available online, walk-in chicken coops are a lot harder to find.
One of the risks that come with having a smaller pool of options to choose from is the chance that you’ll end up with something other than what you were looking for. To prevent this, we did the hard part for you! We looked through all the trusted platforms to gather a list of quality walk-in chicken coops before carefully studying each one.
From there, we shortened the list by looking at the quality of the materials, the security of each coop, the height of the designs (specifically if it’s tall enough for a person), and the different features in each coop. We also made sure to listen to what other users had to say in their reviews. These reviews were our least biased source and were vital in showing the true potential in each item.
In the end, we can confidently say that we were able to find five of the best walk-in chicken coops to give your flock a comfortable and safe home.
Our Top Pick of the Best Walk-In Chicken Coop
When all is said and done, if you asked us to choose the best out of the five walk-in chicken coops, it’s the Aivituvin Store Chicken Coop.
This is the complete chicken coop package in a chic and space-friendly design. It easily gives your flock a place to nest, to sleep, to keep warm during a storm, to stay safe from predators, and to roost whenever they want. This sturdy coop takes care of everything for you so that all is taken care of with your chickens’ home and comfort.
Even so, your needs might be better answered by a different product on this list. At the end of the day, it’s up to you and your plan for the chickens that will help you decide which coop to choose.
