Every coop we sell clears the same set of checks before it goes on the site. This page is that list, so you can see what we looked at before we put a coop in front of you.
The six checks
1. The wheels and the handle. Diameter, count, solid or pneumatic, and what you actually grip. A 4-inch hard plastic wheel will not cross a pasture. Where a maker states a diameter or a count, we publish it rather than calling a coop "easy to move" and leaving you to find out.
2. The floor. Open to grass, part-open, or solid. This is what separates a chicken tractor from a coop on wheels, and it changes your whole cleaning routine — an open floor lets the ground do the work, a tray means you do it. Almost no manufacturer in this category states the floor at all, so where a page is silent on it, ask us and we will get the answer in writing before you order.
3. Capacity that survives arithmetic. We size against the common rule of thumb: roughly 4 sq ft of coop and 8–10 sq ft of run per standard hen. Where our number differs from the rating on the box, we show the math and give you ours.
4. The hardware. Wire gauge, mesh size, latch type and count, roof material. No coop is predator-proof, so instead of adjectives we publish whatever the maker specifies. Wire gauge and mesh aperture are the two that would mean something and the two this category almost never states; ask and we will go after them.
5. What assembly really involves. How many people, roughly how long, and whether power tools help. If it's a three-hour two-person Saturday, that belongs on the page before you pay rather than in the carton.
6. A shipping window we can stand behind. If we can't give you a straight answer on when a coop arrives, we shouldn't be selling it.
What goes on a product page
Every figure the manufacturer states — dimensions, capacity, materials, nesting boxes, doors, tray type, roof — and, on the coops that roll, a Mobility Spec block holding the wheels, plus the handle and ground clearance where those are given. That block is the one nobody else in this category publishes, and it is usually the thing that decides whether a coop works in your yard. Where a maker states none of it, there is no block on that listing at all. We publish the rows a manufacturer gives us and no others.
Where a figure isn't confirmed, we don't estimate it, read it off a photograph, or borrow it from a similar model. Ask us and we'll confirm it before you order — that's usually a same-day answer, and it beats a number somebody guessed.
Things worth knowing before you buy
- Timber varies. Colour, grain and finish shift between production runs. Two coops of the same model will be siblings, not twins.
- Hardware can change. Latches, hinges and wheels are chosen by the manufacturer and are occasionally updated between runs.
- Flat-pack is the norm in this category. Transit damage is rare and covered — see returns.
- Weather and predators depend on your ground. We publish the materials, and the mesh wherever a maker specifies it; how a coop performs depends on your site, your latches and what lives nearby.
- Assembly matters. These arrive as parts. A square, well-built coop lasts; a rushed one doesn't.
If something doesn't match
Tell us. A specification that turns out to be wrong is something we want to know about, because the numbers are the reason people buy here. Contact us with the model and what you measured and we'll correct the page.
More on why we work this way: about us. Or start with the coops themselves — mobile chicken coops.