The short version
We sell chicken coops that move — tractors, coops on wheels and portable runs. Every coop on the site lists its full dimensions, its capacity and what the move actually involves. Coops arrive flat-packed and need assembly. Below are the questions people actually ask before buying one, grouped by what you're trying to find out. Where we don't yet have a confirmed answer, the answer says so instead of guessing.
General
Who are you? Moveable Chicken Coop is a small US online store selling chicken coops for backyard flocks — wheeled coops, portable runs, walk-in coops and everything between — with the measurements published on every one. You can read the longer version on our About page.
How do you pick which coops to stock? Every coop clears the same six checks before it goes on the site — wheels and handle where they apply, floor type, capacity that survives arithmetic, hardware, what assembly really involves, and a shipping window we can stand behind. How we choose our coops sets out the full list.
Where do the coops ship from? Direct from the warehouse that stocks your model, so the transit time varies by coop. We confirm your window in writing once your order is placed. See Shipping and delivery.
Do you have a showroom I can visit? No — we sell online only. The closest thing to seeing one in person is the spec table and the dimensioned diagram on each product page. If there's a measurement you need that isn't listed, ask us and we'll confirm it before you order.
Why are there no customer reviews on the site? Because we don't have real ones yet, and we won't publish fake ones. Review and testimonial rules in the US carry civil penalties for fabricated or incentivised reviews, and a store with 40 glowing quotes and no order history is the oldest tell there is. When real buyers leave real reviews, they go up — including the unflattering ones. Until then, what substitutes is the published spec and a person who answers email.
Ordering and payment
What payment methods do you accept?
Is checkout secure? Yes. Checkout runs on Shopify's hosted, PCI-compliant checkout over an encrypted connection. We never see or store your full card number.
Can I change or cancel my order after I've placed it? Email contact@moveablechickencoop.com with your order number as soon as you can. Before the order has been released to the warehouse we can change the address or cancel it outright for a full refund. Once it's been picked and handed to a carrier we can't recall it, and it becomes a return.
Do you charge sales tax? Sales tax is calculated at checkout based on your delivery address and the states where we're registered. The exact amount shows before you pay.
Can I have it shipped to someone else's address? Yes — enter their address as the shipping address at checkout; it doesn't have to match your billing address. Worth knowing before you send it as a present: every coop we sell arrives flat-packed and needs assembling, so plan on a few hours and two people for whoever unwraps it.
Do you run discount codes? Not at launch. When we do run one, it goes to the email list first, with the terms and the expiry stated in the email. We'd rather price the coop honestly than run a permanent fake sale.
Shipping and delivery
How much is shipping? Shipping is calculated at checkout before you pay — there are no fees added afterwards.
When will my coop arrive? Two clocks run: handling time at the warehouse, then transit. Both vary by model, because these coops ship from different warehouses. We confirm your model's window by email after you order rather than printing a number we can't stand behind. Full detail: Shipping and delivery.
How does something this big get delivered? Flat-packed, in one or more heavy cartons, usually to your driveway or front step rather than into a garage. Somebody able-bodied should be around when it lands, and the cartons are a two-person lift.
What if the carton arrives damaged? Photograph it before you open it, photograph the damage inside, and email us within the claim window with your order number. Don't discard the packaging — carriers and manufacturers both require it for a claim. See Returns for the process, and note the returns policy is still being finalised.
Do you ship to Alaska, Hawaii, PO boxes or outside the US?
Can you guarantee it arrives before a specific date? No, and nobody honest will. What we can do is tell you the confirmed window for that model before you commit, and if we can't ship inside the window we quoted, we'll email you and you can cancel for a full refund. If your date is tight, say so in your email and we'll tell you plainly whether it's realistic.
Choosing a coop and sizing
How much space does one hen actually need? The working rule for standard-size breeds is about 4 sq ft of coop floor per hen, plus 8–10 sq ft of run per hen . Bantams need less, heavy breeds and birds confined all day need more. So a coop with 16 sq ft of floor and 40 sq ft of run is a four-hen coop, whatever the listing title says. Every product page shows the arithmetic rather than just the number. The long version is in our coop size guide.
Are the hen counts on your product pages the manufacturer's numbers or yours? Both, and we label which. Where the stated capacity survives the square-footage arithmetic, we print it. Where it doesn't, we print our own lower number and show how we got there — capacity is an animal-welfare question, not a marketing line. If a coop you like has no interior dimensions listed, ask us and we'll confirm them before you order.
What's the difference between a chicken tractor and a coop on wheels? The floor. A chicken tractor has an open or part-open floor, so the birds stand on grass and you move the whole thing to fresh ground. A coop on wheels has a solid floor — it rolls, but the hens never touch the pasture. Both are useful; they're not the same purchase. Every mobile coop we sell states its floor construction in the Mobility Spec block, and we don't call anything a tractor unless the floor says so. More: What is a chicken tractor?
Can one person move these? It depends on the coop, which is why we publish assembled weight, lift weight at the handle, wheel diameter and type, and ground clearance on every mobile coop — and why we state the surface a one-person move was rated on. A coop that one adult can roll across a mown lawn may need two people on uneven ground. Where the manufacturer doesn't state the number, the field says so rather than guessing.
Which coop should I buy for 4 hens? For 10? Start with hen count and how often you plan to move it: our coop finder walks the four common cases and ends in a shortlist. As a rough map — 2–4 hens fits the portable coops, 4–6 the mobile coops, 6–10 the large coops, and if you'd rather stand up inside it, the walk-in coops.
Do I need a separate run? Unless your birds free-range all day under supervision, yes — and most of our coops include one. The run is where the square footage goes: a coop is for sleeping and laying, the run is where hens spend the daylight hours. Coops sold with an attached run are in chicken coops with runs.
Assembly and materials
Do the coops arrive assembled? No. Every coop in the catalogue ships flat-packed and needs assembling. That is the single most important thing to know before you buy one, especially as a gift, so we put it here rather than in a footnote.
How long does assembly take, and how many people? Manufacturer estimates are on each product page where they're stated. Realistically, a coop of this size is a two-person job and a chunk of an afternoon.
What tools do I need?
Can I see the assembly instructions before I buy? That's the plan, and it's the strongest thing we can show you.
What are they made of? Depends on the model, and it's stated on each page: fir frames with weather-resistant paint and asphalt-shingle roofs on the wooden coops; galvanized or powder-coated steel with mesh panels on the metal ones. We keep the manufacturer's own material wording rather than upgrading it — "fir" stays fir, and we don't call galvanized wire "hardware cloth" because they aren't the same thing.
How predator-resistant are these coops? No coop is predator-proof, and any store that tells you otherwise is making a promise about a live animal it can't keep. What we do instead is publish the hardware: wire gauge, mesh aperture, latch type and count, door count, floor and apron construction, roof material — and if you want any of those confirmed on a specific coop, ask us. Most keepers add a buried or staked wire apron around the run regardless of what the coop ships with; that's the single biggest improvement you can make to any of them.
Returns and support
Can I return a coop? You have 30 days from delivery. If it arrived damaged or faulty we cover it entirely; if you simply changed your mind the coop goes back unassembled in its packaging and the return freight is yours. We charge no restocking fee. Full terms: Returns.
Who pays return shipping? On a change-of-mind return, you do — and on a coop it is a real cost, which is why we publish the dimensions and weights up front. If it arrived damaged or faulty, we pay. Full terms: Returns.
What if a part is missing or broken? Email contact@moveablechickencoop.com with your order number, a photo of the part, and the part number from the instruction sheet. Missing and damaged parts are handled as a parts claim with the manufacturer, not as a return — you shouldn't have to ship a whole coop back over one panel. See Warranty and parts.
Is there a warranty? The manufacturer's warranty passes to you, and we help you claim it — send us the order number and we'll handle the back-and-forth. Details: Warranty and parts.
How do I reach a human? Email contact@moveablechickencoop.com or call +1 866-574-9747, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm ET. Either way you reach someone who can pull the spec sheet while answering you. Full detail on what to include: Contact us.
Coop care and cleaning
How often should I clean the coop? Spot-clean droppings under the roosts every few days — a pull-out tray, which most of our coops have, makes that a five-minute job. Do a full clean-out, with fresh bedding, on a schedule that matches your flock size and bedding method; small coops with several hens need it more often than the listing suggests. Ventilation matters more than scrubbing: a coop that smells of ammonia is a ventilation problem, not a dirt problem.
How do I disinfect a coop? Empty it first — disinfectant does nothing on top of bedding and droppings. Scrape, sweep, wash the surfaces, let it dry, then apply a poultry-safe disinfectant and let it dry again before the birds go back in. Wooden coops absorb moisture, so allow drying time.
What should go on the coop floor? Bedding, not bare wood or bare wire: pine shavings, chopped straw or sand each have a following, and the right answer depends on your climate and how often you clean. The pull-out trays on these coops are designed to be used with a bedding layer on top. Whatever you use, keep it dry — damp bedding is the root of most coop problems.
How often should I move a mobile coop? Often enough that the grass under it never gets a chance to go bare, which usually means daily or every couple of days for a tractor with a full flock, and weekly for a lightly stocked coop on a big lawn. The signal is the ground, not the calendar: if the patch you're leaving is thinning, you left it too long.
Do these coops need insulating for winter? Ventilation without draughts beats insulation for most US backyard flocks — moisture is what causes frostbite, not cold air alone. Keep the roof vents clear, keep the bedding dry, and keep water from freezing. A mobile coop has one winter advantage worth using: you can move it out of the prevailing wind.
Can I keep ducks or rabbits in these? Several of these models are marketed for other small animals by the manufacturer, and we keep their wording where they state it. We only publish capacity figures for hens, because that's the only species we've done the arithmetic for.