It has been several thousand years since people have pet chickens in their houses. This is either for the meat, breeding, or fresh eggs you get every day. The most convenient way if have happy chickens in your house or your farm is to have the best place to live.
If you have just thought about living with chicken in your backyard, a premade coop and cage setup will be perfect. You can even expand your chicken collection as they start growing and expanding their families.
There are numerous designs and techniques related to chicken coops and cages. Here we have several of the cheapest and the most famous coops that professionals and farmers have used.
Table could not be displayed.How to Have the Best Chicken Coop and Cage: Buying Guide
Farmers and breeders have used the chicken coop for over several thousand years. Back in the day, they used to be made in-house with the parts that were available to people.
You can still buy wood and metal mesh parts to make yourself one. But we are not up to that. To save time and some money, we are focusing on buying coops that are ready to set up.
Here we have a brief guide to let you know about what things you can consider to get the best out of your purchase.
How Many Chickens Do You Want to Have?
Every chicken coop has an estimation of how many chickens it has accommodated. if you are a first-timer, you should start with two to three chickens in your coop. Buy a cheap and small coop that has small breeding boxes.
As you have learned more about your chickens, you can then go on to the next step to upgrade your coop to an 8-10chicken coop.
What is it Made Of?
The material choice is prominent here. There are generally two types of materials that are used to make coops. Aluminum and wooden coops. Wood is one of the best materials that you can choose in this case. Keep in mind that wood can be heavy, and it might not be as portable if you need relocation. But wood is a safe and environmentally safe material to foster chickens.
Aluminum and metal are other good options here. These are lighter than wooden materials. So you get the advantage of portability and relocation of the coop. Make sure that the metal elements do not have rough edges that might hurt your chickens while playing around the coop.
Is It Good Enough to Breed?
As you are nurturing chickens in your household areas, you should keep in mind that chickens are going to breed, and they will obviously need a breeding box to lay eggs. Make sure that there are enough rooms and separations for laying eggs and incubate them for days.
If you are not planning to incubate eggs, you should at least give your chicken a private space to lay their eggs and have their time.
How Are the Materials?
The materials that the chicken coop is made of should be of good quality. If it is made of wood, the wood should not have any coating or chemical treatments that are not good for your chicken.
If the coop is made of metal, it should not have rough edges. All the metal should be corrosion resistant that last long.
Air and Light Ventilation of the Coop Setup
The ventilation of the coop should be on point. Chickens are going to grow well and have immunity if they get enough space to play around. The ventilation should let air inside of the playing space all the time. Most of the playing spaces of chicken coops are surrounded by metal meshes. The top should have a cover if you leave the coop under the sun.
How Many Doors are There in The Coop?
A coop should have doors to access all the rooms and compartments of the coop. Your hand should reach all the compartments to clean up all the spaces properly.
The breeding box should have a separate opening through which you can survey the incubating process and collect eggs when necessary. The playpen space should also have opened to let the chicken go out whenever you let them play outside.
How Does it Perform in Bad Weather Conditions?
While you’re buying a chicken coop that is not going to be inside your living space, you should consider how the weather sealing is. The roof material should be good enough not to soak the rainwater inside.
If it is a living house for chickens, it should be raised above the ground to avoid any fungus caught up from the ground as well.
Reviews of the Best Pet Chicken Coop and Cage
We tried out a few different chicken coops to find the best one for our needs. We looked for a coop that was easy to set up, had plenty of room for our chickens, and was durable. After trying out a few different models, we found the perfect list.
Here are the reviews of our selected chicken cage and coops.
1. Greatest Pet Shop Deluxe Two-Tier Wooden Chicken cage
The first product we will be looking at is a wooden coop. Wooden coops are great for the environment, living animals, construction, and also good for further modification. This two-tier coop is the best pet chicken coop for your household chicken that you want to breed and expand.
Deluxe Two-Tier is a great coop for beginners. You can have two to three chickens in this coop. This two-storied coop has good living space and also has an open area where your chickens are able to have the light and air9 they need the whole day.
There is ion total of three doors in this coop and they are different in size and accessibility. These doors have latch locks that are great for keeping your chickens safe from any unwanted animal. You can access through all the doors to all the compartments of this coop. Cleaning this coop is also super easy and convenient. You will find a tray that collects all the litter from the nesting space.
The roof is exactly made of the material that you use on your house roof. This is perfect for rain and fungus prevention.
Pros
Wood is a nice and more efficient material for chickens
Three doors are enough to get access to all the compartments
All the compartments have adequate ventilation
Metal mesh and latched locks are great for security
Cons
You can not relocate the coop easily as it has been set up
2. Petsfit Weatherproof Outdoor Nesting Box
Petsfit is a one-step upgrade from the previous one yet this is totally different from the previous one. It is a compact coop that can still hold more than four chickens in it. This is going to be the best pet chicken cage if you are planning to go for breeding. It is totally made of solid materials and does not have any mesh here.
You should purchase this chicken coop only if you are planning to raise your chicken in an open space. You can not raise your chicken inside of this coop. There are two compartments where your chicken can live. The larger space is for living and on the side, there is a large breeding box.
On the breeding box, there are two separations where two of your chicken can incubate their eggs. You can also collect eggs regularly as there is a huge door above the box.
The whole box is raised a bit high from the ground. This is going to prevent the house from fungus or even slight rainwater. The roof is also waterproof and it is made solid and robust to last long.
Pros
The overall construction is solid and almost indestructible by other animals
A perfect coop for breeding and collecting eggs
The height and roof does not let it soak water from the ground and roof at all
Cons
The main compartment does not light up properly which is not good for cleaning
3. COZIWOW Large 2-Tier Wooden Hen Nest
The most interesting part of having the COZIWOW coop is that it is super easy to assemble. You can assemble the wooden coop in hours and you will not need any assistance. The ventilation, construction, and value are amazing on this chicken coop.
It is a two-storied chicken coop where the top floor is the breeding box. This design is great for breeding as the breeding box is separate from the roaming area. The bottom section is there for your chickens to roam around and gets some fresh air. The ventilation is awesome in this cage as it has mesh all around the coop. The top is water-sealed and does not show any sign of parasites in the rainy season or damp weather. Your chickens will also love to hand around the roof as there are wooden supports on the roof.
Cleaning and maintenance are super easy. You have three-way accesso to all the compartments of this coop. To clean up all the litter, there is also a tray below the breeding box. This coop is not only great for chickens, you can also have this for rabbits and other pet animals.
Pros
Compact and small wooden coop for a small chicken family
A lot of ventilation is good for caged nurturing chicken and other domestics
Nice accessibility for easy and fast cleaning
Cons
This is too small for more than three chickens
4. Esright 56″ Large Pet Hutch Chicken Cage
Here comes the big brother of all the chicken coops we have here. Esright 56″ is a perfect living place for your chicken as it has the most spacious rooms and inside of this house, you can accommodate more than 8 chickens. It has not been made of wood and that makes it one of the lightest chicken coops in the market.
Setting this house up is pretty straightforward. You can disassemble all the parts and move them to somewhere else if you want. It is one of the best portable cages for chickens as well. This coop is mainly for people who want to let their chickens roam around in the sunlight and let them live inside at night.
Your chickens can still go inside and lay eggs in two different sections and in six separate breeding boxes. There will be two separate breeding box parts where you get easy access to collect eggs.
This house stays fully dry in any season. It is by far the best at managing water and snow. The whole thing is raised several inches from the ground that keeps it neat and clean.
Pros
A solid coop for a lot of chickens
It can accommodate eight chickens inside the coop
Two separate breeding box setup is good for breeding and egg collection
Performs great in rainy and cold weather conditions
Cons
This coop does not have good air and light ventilation
5. ECOLINEAR Outdoor 80” Chicken Pet Hutch Garden
If you want your chicken to have the most playful time on the grasses and grounds, ECOLINEAR is the chicken coop that you should buy. It has the most spacious playground of all the models here. You can have more than four chickens locked up here and live worry-free. This is the best chicken playpen that a chicken can have.
The whole thing is secured by strong metal mesh. The whole playing space is secured by it. You cal also remove all the fences by hand and feed your chicken as much as you want. The two-storied design looks great and the whole bottom space is the playground.
At the bottom of the sleeping space, chickens can take a rest if the sun is too hot. The sleeping area is also interesting. You can see and monitor the chicken’s behavior from the outer window. The main door can be locked without going inside and using the floating handle outside.
Cleaning is super easy as there are a lot of windows and doors provided in this coop. You can also take all the parts off and relocate the house in different seasons. These are portable cages for chickens as well.
Pros
Made of high quality and finished wooden materials
Designed smart to ease up the hassle of maintenance
The metal mesh keeps the whole thing secured from predators
Cons
The hooks are complicated to use. You have to be careful when using
6. Aivituvin 81″ Portable Chicken Coop
Aivituvin is the best portable chicken coop that you can find in the market. It is a unified chicken coop that has two wheels to relocate around the farming area. The most interesting part of these coops s that they are fully made of aluminum. Aluminum is a lightweight yet strong material. There is almost no element in this coop that wears off and most of these elements are corrosion resistant.
The finishes on every part of this coop are amazing. There are no rough edges that might hurt your precious chickens. There are enough doors to access all the partitions of this coop. The front door also has a sliding window to monitor chickens inside the living compartment. Right behind the living area, there are two spaces for laying eggs. To access this space, there is a locking door so that you can easily get inside and collect those eggs. The playing area also has UV panel sunshades so that chickens do not have to suffer in hot sunny weather.
Another nice thing about these coops is that you can even add another coop with this and expand chicken members and make a giant family.
Pros
The whole thing is corrosion resistant
Relocating this coop is super easy with two of those wheels
You can add another coop with this and expand the housing
Easy access doors and locks
Cons
Moving with those wheels is not that easy as it feels flimsy when carrying
Buy on AmazonBest chickens for pets and eggs
There are hundreds of species of chickens all around the world. All are adapted to the environment of their own and they also have differences in their breeding capabilities.
Not all of the chickens are going to give you the most eggs. Some of them are going to give fewer eggs that are good in quality. Here we have four of the chickens to recommend for good eggs and better adaptability.
Rhode Island Red
These chickens have been on farms for more than two hundred years. The main reason people love these chickens is that they are great as a family pet.
They adapt to a chicken pack easily. You can feed them anything and they can also find insects around your house to feed themselves fully. They lay brown eggs that almost every American has tasted.
White Bantam Brahma
White Brahma chickens are originated from the south asea. To be specific, they are originated from India. These are the largest chickens that lay eggs. These chickens are a bit sensitive to cold and hot weather. But if they are well taken care of, you can get good numbers of eggs from them.
Australorp
Australorp is the national chicken breed of Australia. These chickens are the most active in laying eggs. If you are not planning to breed and let them incubate chickens, you can get eggs all over the years.
These chickens have an extremely high tolerance to any weather condition. These might be the perfect breed to have in your backyard.
Speckled Sussex
Speckled Sussex is another good breed with a good adaptive attitude. These used to be wild chickens that were able to hide from predators in the wild. As these have been Domesticated for more than two hundred years, they have become the self-defending chicken breed to farms and breeders.
What Are the Best Chicken Playpens?
Chicken Playpens are the best thing that is the most necessary thing for domesticating chickens. As their natural habitat, chickens love to play around, find foods in the dust and dirt.
They also consume dust for digestion. From our list of chicken coops, we would like to recommend some coops that have Chicken Playpens built into them.
Aivituvin 81″
Aivituvin 81 has the most dynamic chicken playground of all. The magic of this coop is that you can expand the playing space to your need. This is made of lightweight aluminum. You can move it anywhere you want. One of the sides can be opened up and you can add another chicken coop to accommodate more chickens in the coop and expand the family if you want.
ECOLINEAR Outdoor 80”
ECOLINEAR Outdoor has the most specious playpen in this review. The playing space is wide and open for four chickens to play around. Chickens can also rest under the nest if they feel uncomfortable in the sun.
COZIWOW Large 2-Tier
This is the best chicken cage for beginners with the playpen attached to it. It has been designed to keep the playing area cool in hot weather conditions. The playing area also has a waterproof roof to save your chickens from rain. Small chickens will love to have this coop. There are two openings to the playing area as well.
What is the best type of chicken coop?
There is no unit or standard to say what is the best coop for chickens. The only thing matters that is how your chickens are used to. The best thing to do is to get the hang of your chicken, Inspect their habits and choose what types are the best.
If you have not bought chickens yet, it will be good to know about what you are going to buy. If you are buying chickens that are active, playful, you should not let them stay inside and let them a hand around as free rangers. You should then buy coops that are only the living coop and do not have the playing area.
If chickens are not that active and there is fear of losing your chicken to predators, you should buy a coop that has a caged playing space. Your chicken will play around the playpen all day long and they will be safe and sound inside.
Why is it Bad for Chickens to Be in Cages?
It is not always bad for chickens to be in cages. Chickens that are developed by gene mutations might not survive the ranging habitats and they might need controlled climate.
You are obviously not buying those chickens. For backyards, you should buy free-ranging chickens. These are more likely to get adapted to nature and loves to hunt their foods. For this reason, caging will not be a good choice for their health and growth.
For free rangers, you can arrange large playpens for your chickens, they will be safe from predators and getting lost.
What is the best chicken coop for beginners?
It is better to start from zero and then expand the coop as you get used to chicken breeding.
If you are buying a chicken coop with the playpen, Greatest Pet Shop Deluxe Two Tier will be a great choice. You can accommodate more than three chickens in it. It has a fairly small yet manageable playing area for three chickens. In addition to that, it has a breeding box that is a great thing for egg collection and breeding as well.
If you are buying the coop for nesting only, Petsfit Nesting Box will be a great choice. It is solid, fungus-proof. This also has a breeding box that has easy access to all the compartments.
Conclusion
After going through chicken cage reviews it can be said that every coop is designed differently, and made to serve different purposes. You should always look for what you need. Analyze your chicken, what they love and like.
If they are free rangers, you should never let them be caged inside a small playpen. Let your free rangers fly around and play around. Chickens that come new to your farm should also be treated well and be caged for several days.
We recommend having both playpen type and nesting type coops in your backyard. Have different chicken breeds and know what chicken matches your personality and habits.