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Chicken coops, nest boxes and roosts

Chicken coops by flock size, walk-in coops, chicken tractors, plastic coops, nesting boxes and roosts. Where a listing gives the inside floor, the product page recounts its capacity against extension space norms.

Best chicken coopsCoop for 4 hensCoop for 6 hensWalk-in coopsCoop size calculator
A green-and-white hen house in an open field with hens and a waterer
Photo: Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Flickr
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Coop size calculatorEnter your hens, bantams, ducks or quail: see coop floor, run area, roost length and nest boxes under three…

How to choose a chicken coop

Start with the inside floor, not the hen count on the box. A chicken coop listed for 8–10 chickens often has a floor that fits far fewer standard hens by extension guidance. Penn State's minimum is about 1.5 square feet per standard hen inside plus 8 in the run; the University of Minnesota suggests 3–5 square feet inside; many keepers plan on 4 inside and 10 in the run.

Space per bird, square feet: inside the coop / in the run

BirdsPenn StateUMN4 + 10 rule
Standard laying hens1.5 / 83–5 / —4 / 10
Large breeds2 / 103–5 / —4 / 10
Bantams1 / 43–5 / ——
Ducks3 / 15——
Geese6 / 18——
Quail1 / 4——

Sources: Penn State Extension, Small-Scale Poultry Housing, Table 1 (Minimum Space Requirements for Poultry); University of Minnesota Extension, Raising chickens for eggs (“a minimum of 3 to 5 square feet of indoor space per bird”); Widely repeated hobby guideline (4 sq ft inside, 10 sq ft in the run per standard chicken), e.g. GRIT, Chicken Coop Space Requirements. — = not given by that source.

Coop size calculatorEnter your birds and a coop's inside length and width to check it against all three norms at once.

Then check what keeps birds safe and the coop easy to clean: hardware cloth instead of chicken wire on vents and the run, two-step latches raccoons cannot flip, a removable droppings tray, ventilation high under the roof, and nest boxes you can reach from outside.

Wood, plastic or a chicken tractor?

Budget fir coops from PawHut and Aivituvin are light and quick to build, but thin panels and small floors are the trade-off. OverEZ uses heavier wood panels for larger flocks. Twin-wall plastic coops such as the Omlet Eglu are easy to scrub and do not hide mites in wood joints. Chicken tractors on wheels let you move birds to fresh grass. See wood vs plastic coops and chicken tractors.

Shopping for an Eglu?Look-alike plastic coops are sold under other names. We link only official Omlet listings. Read how to spot a fake Omlet Eglu before you buy.

Nest boxes and roosts

Penn State suggests about one nest box for every four to five hens and roost space of 6 inches per standard bird (4 for bantams); UMN suggests 9 inches in cold weather. Roosts should sit higher than the nest boxes so hens sleep on the bar, not in the nest. Roll-out nest boxes keep eggs cleaner when you have more hens.

Read before you buy

Best of

Best chicken coops: wood, plastic and walk-in, by real size

Best chicken coops compared by listed size, nest boxes and materials, with hen claims checked against Penn State and…

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Best chicken coop for 4 chickens, checked against space norms

Best chicken coop for 4 chickens: eight coops compared by listed size and features, with the floor, roost and run…

Best of

Best chicken coop for 6 chickens, with space math shown

Best chicken coop for 6 chickens: seven coops compared by listed size, nests and roosts, with the 9–30 sq ft inside…

Best of

Best walk-in chicken coops and walk-in runs (2026)

Best walk-in chicken coops compared by listed height, footprint and nests, plus walk-in runs to pair with a house,…

Best of

Best chicken tractors and mobile coops on wheels (2026)

Best chicken tractors compared by listed footprint, wheels, nests and hen claims, plus wheel kits that make a coop…

Versus

Wood vs plastic chicken coop: cleaning, space and lifespan

Wood vs plastic chicken coop compared: materials, floor space vs Penn State and UMN norms, cleaning, ventilation,…

Coops: questions

How much space does a chicken need in a coop?
Penn State's minimum is about 1.5 sq ft per standard hen inside with 8 sq ft in the run; UMN suggests 3–5 sq ft inside. Bantams need less. The coop size guide explains the differences.
Do cheap coops really fit the number of chickens listed?
Often not by extension norms. Check the inside floor, not the overall size, which includes the run. Our product pages show a realistic-capacity box when the listing states the floor.
How many nest boxes do I need?
About one for every four to five hens (Penn State). Hens tend to share favorites anyway.
What is the best coop for 4 chickens?
One with about 6 to 20 square feet of inside floor, depending on which norm you follow (Penn State minimum to the top of the UMN range), plus a secure run. See best coops for 4 chickens.
Do I need a permit for a chicken coop?
Many towns limit hens, ban roosters or set distance rules for coops. Check your city code and HOA first; see backyard chicken laws.