Frequently asked questions
Fill out the form for the chicken coop you are interested in, and we will send you a detailed quote with the options you want for your coop. We will verify layout design, left and right, any special requests, estimated completion date, and delivery options. We do have to charge sales tax in New York and Pennsylvania.
Since most orders are custom, to get started we take a deposit by cash, check or paypal to our email address. This is usually about 1/3 of the final price. We will let you know when your project is complete and take the balance of payment upon pickup or delivery. We do appreciate final payment in cash or by paypal.
We generally recognize the rule of thumb of 4 sq ft of coop space and 10 sq ft of run space per bird. So, for the standard Farmhouse Coop we recommend 6 chickens. However, we also recommend all chickens be given some pasture or free-range time. If you are able to do this, we recognize that this coop could hold up to 12 chickens. You will have to monitor how clean you can keep the coop and the stress levels of your birds to determine how many you can keep happy and healthy.
First, make sure you are good to go to keep chickens in your neighborhood and that you have taken care of any permits that might be needed. Some towns have rules regarding location of buildings to property lines or other structures on your property. Sometimes they are concerned that if your shed caught fire, for example, it may catch the house or or garage on fire. If possible, you will want to position your coop to shelter from the wind and driving snow and rain. Our chickens never like to walk out onto snow. Depending on your area, you may want to secure your coop with a screw type ground anchor and chain. Again, check for any buried utilities by calling 811 before you dig. Speaking of digging, you may want to bury wire mesh or hardware cloth around the perimeter of the coop and run to keep determined predators out. If you do not have a predator proof run area, we recommend feeding any chicken pellets inside the coop, but keeping the water outside if possible. This way the food is locked up inside with them at night and not drawing predators to the run area, and water is not spilling and adding moisture to the coop.
Pretty much any heat lamp I have ever seen was very poorly made, which is crazy considering how many fires they cause. We don't recommend them. Most of our chickens are pretty hardy breeds. When I have used them for chicks, I always added extra security measures like chains and metal brackets, to make sure the lamp cannot come apart and fall over or have something fall into it and catch fire. We do mount your roost bar so your chickens' feet rest on the wide side of the board. This way we think they should better be able to cover their feet with their feathers as the nest down on the bar for the night.