Top Tips For Buying A Chicken House

Jim Vyse Poultry Housing Chicken Houses at Electric Fencing Direct Chicken Coop at Electric Fencing Direct

Jim Vyse’ Tips for Buying a Chicken House

We've heard it all when it comes to poultry house purchasing horror stories at Jim Vyse Arks. Poor design, flimsy materials, and hard to clean nooks and crannies are among some of the most common complaints.

Many of our customers come to us needing to replace a cheaper poultry house that just hasn’t stood up to the demands of their flock or the great British weather!

Generally speaking when you buy a chicken house, you get what you pay for and if you want a top quality house that will last you for years to come, then you’re going to need to pay a bit more.

Here are our top tips to make sure you don’t waste money on a poor quality chicken house:

Think about your budget

As we said above, you get what you pay for and you should expect to pay roughly £300-£400 for a high quality hen house. This might seem like a lot of money but when you think about having to replace a cheaper house every year because it falls apart you’ll realise the investment is worth it.

Looking around for discount codes or sales can be a good way of getting a top of the range chicken coop for a slightly lower price.

Simple or supercharged design?

It doesn’t matter whether you choose a minimalist design or something more elaborate as long as the house is practical. You’ll need to look at whether the house has the following features:

  • Easily moveable
  • Good ventilation
  • Easy to clean & maintain
  • High standard of welfare – consider space, perches, nest boxes etc.
  • Top quality materials

Runs and enclosures

If your chickens aren’t going to have free run of your garden then you’ll also need to purchase a run or enclosure to go with your chicken house. The type of run you choose depends entirely on the space you have but you’ll need to make sure your hens have room to scratch around, stretch their wings, and carry out natural behaviour.

Runs can be built on to the house, attached separately for easy moving, or you could opt for a walk in enclosure for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Consider going bespoke

Normally when you hear the word “bespoke” you think of unaffordable prices but it isn’t always like that. Here at Jim Vyse Arks our bespoke service starts from just £350 so if you’re struggling to find a standard design that suits your needs, why not consider using our bespoke service?

Whether you want a slightly modified version of a standard chicken house or something completely new we’ll be happy to hear from you – so don’t hesitate to get in touch.

About Jim Vyse Arks

Jim Vyse Arks was started over 10 years ago and we’re proud to say that over 10,000 houses have gone all over the world since then. Made from high quality tanalised timber, every poultry house that leaves the Hampshire workshop is attractive, robust, and practical.

You can view the range of poultry housing on our website - shop for poultry housing.