Or maybe you have a chicken coop and flock but want to expand and aren't sure where to buy a new coop. Depending where you live, it can be hard to find chicken coops for sale! Don't worry...as someone that has acquired 7 coop structures in the last 8 years, I definitely have the answer for this one!
I'll start with the most obvious one. You build it. Most of us are familiar with the old fashioned chicken coops or even barns. The great thing about building a chicken coop yourself is that you can make it as big or small as you like. You can build a coop with one large room for one flock or separated inside to accommodate two flocks. You can add a brooder area or feed storage space. You can design it however you want or pick one of the many available coop plans online to build. Modern Farmer has an easy to follow tutorial for building your own coop.
Obviously these are built from wood and on site, but if you don't have the skill or space to build your own coop you won't be able to go that route. So, other than DIY...
Where to buy chicken coops?
1) The hardware store. Many people have bought wood sheds from Lowes or home Depot to use as a chicken coop. Lowe's sent ours out with an assembly crew and we had a complete shed in just a few hours. All we had to do was clear the space ahead of time and put down a gravel base. It came with the option of 2 extra windows or a skylight and big double doors. A couple roosts and some next boxes and it's done! We decided to paint the coop to match the house, but that wasn't necessary.
2) The feed store. Small chicken coops can be purchased at feed stores like Tractor Supply and Rural King. These are usually only big enough for a few chickens and sometimes have an enclosed run and nest boxes included. Perfect for a stealth coop in an urban backyard.
3) Warehouse clubs. Both Sam's Club and Costco carry plastic sheds and playhouses that can be used as chicken coops with a tiny bit of adjustment. It's pretty easy to convert a plastic playhouse into a chicken coop with just some roosts, nest boxes and locks. Warehouse clubs also carry smaller wooden coop kits in summer.
4) Shed lots. These are basically a parking lot full of sheds. You pick the one you want and they load it up on a flatbed trailer and drop it off at your house. This is where my 12X20 chicken coop came from! All we did was add the covered run and some nest boxes and roosts. Many of these places let you pick colors, door styles, windows etc. They have sheds small enough for only garden tools or large enough for a truck. The playhouse style is especially cute for a chicken coop, any many lots carry chicken coop styles also.
My brooder room/office/feed storage room is also from a shed lot. It's a garage that was dropped off. The difference is the one pictured above was an "Amish Built" lot and the other was more pre-fab style with vinyl siding and all. That just amazes me that they load an entire building onto a trailer and bring it here! While it probably cost a little more than building a chicken coop ourselves, it sure saved us a lot of time and work. I vote for this method!
5) Craigslist. Used coops and coop builders can both be found on Craigslist. Sometimes chicken coop builders will have several for you to choose from, other times they'll build to your specifications. Be careful buying a used coop. You'll want to clean it out well before use and make sure it's not harboring any pests like mites.
I'm kind of obsessed with chicken coops, did you notice that? lol I even have a Pinterest board of everything coop related! Well, those are all the places I've acquired chicken coops. Where did you get your coop?
~L
Related reading: Funny Chicken Coop Names.Want information on raising chickens sent right to your email weekly? Click right here to join my list and get new posts sent directly to you the day they're published!
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