Camryn Rabideau

I’ve written extensively about the best chicken coops you can buy, and my conclusion is often the same: Many of them simply aren’t worth it. Pre-made coops tend to be quite pricey, and brands often overstate the capacity, leaving you with overcrowded, cranky birds.

So when The Chicken Coop Company reached out to me and offered to let me try out one of their pre-fab chicken coops, I was intrigued. Their coops actually looked really nice, and the prices weren’t terrible considering the sizes and features included. So naturally, I said yes!

The Chicken Coop Company did send me this coop and run for free, but I want to make it clear that I’m not being paid for this post. All the opinions are 100% my own, and I’m detailing both the good and bad in hopes that it helps make your purchasing decision easier.

The Rhode Island Homestead Coop

The Technical Details

• Dimensions: 68.75″ W x 46.25″ D x 66.5″ H
• Weight: 175 pounds
• Listed Capacity: 8-10 chickens
• Material: Fir wood with hardware cloth
• Nesting Boxes: 6
• Roosting Bars: 4
• Ventilation: Yes
• Run: Yes, 3 add-on options
• Warranty: 3 years

What I Like About It

I’ve been using the Rhode Island Homestead Coop as a “maternity ward” for my flock. It’s home to our chicken Mama, as well as her five adorable chicks, and they’ve been living in it for more than a month now. Here’s what I like about the coop thus far.

The materials are top-tier

Over the years, I’ve developed of a vendetta against plastic, so I was happy to learn this chicken coop is made predominantly from wood. The walls, roof, frame, doors, and shutters are all crafted from fir wood, and the whole thing has a red-toned finish.

I also appreciate all the openings on the coop are covered with hardware cloth. This ensures that the windows and lower area of the coop are truly predator-proof — an aspect that’s often overlooked with other pre-fab chicken coops.

Over the course of several weeks, the Rhode Island Homestead Coop has held up wonderfully in my yard. It’s weathered rain, storms, heat waves, and even the occasional goat climbing on it. All the doors and latches still work perfectly, and I feel confident that my chickens are safe and sound in it overnight.

It’s pretty easy to assemble

One of the most common complaints about pre-fab chicken coops is they’re often complicated, time-consuming, and frustrating to assemble. However, the Rhode Island Homestead Coop wasn’t bad at all.

It arrived in four flat boxes, and I was able to lift each one by myself. (Though they’re definitely easier to move around with two people.) We also got a run, which brought our box total to eight. We unpacked all the pieces before we started assembly, and everything was labeled clearly. I also appreciated that many components are already pre-assembled — for instance, the hinges and doors were already installed. This made things go a lot quicker.

The directions were straightforward, though we occasionally had trouble discerning the proper orientation of pieces. At one point we did have to backtrack several steps because we put a panel on backwards, but all-in-all, it took Nate and I less than two hours to build the coop itself.

The design is thoughtful and functional

You can definitely tell that the coops from this brand were designed by someone who actually owns chickens. There are lots of helpful features that make it easy to use!

For instance, there are two rows of nesting boxes — one on each side of the coop — and they have lift-up lids for easy egg collection. The boxes are generously sized, and nesting pads fit perfectly inside them. Plus, there are hooks on each lid so you can prop it open while you work.

I also love that the coop has a pull-out bottom, making it pretty effortless to clean out. There are two handles that allow you to pull the floor right out, and the panel is lined with a plastic material that hoses clean. It’s by far the easiest to clean out of all my coops!

The hardware on the coop is also top-tier, which makes a huge difference in the long run. All the doors have two locks — an Ajustlock barrel latch, as well as a hasp latch with heavy-duty carabiners. You can install one or both, depending on how much security you want.

There are lots of upgrades available

If you look at The Chicken Coop Company website, you’ll see that they offer a lot of different upgrades for their coops. In addition to several matching runs, the company also offers everything from automatic coop doors to winter storm panels and chicken-themed weather vanes to decoration.

This makes it easy to customize the coop to fit your needs (though each upgrade come with its own added fee). An automatic coop door is always a worthwhile purchase, and if you live in a colder climate like me, a roof for your run and winter storm panels are good investments for your flock, as well.

Flaws, But Not Deal-Breakers

This chicken coop is well-made and thoughtfully designed, but there are several flaws that I would be remiss not to point out.

It might be tight for 10 chickens

Virtually every chicken coop on the market today overstates its capacity, and while this one is more accurate, I do think it would be a tight fit for the maximum listed capacity. The brand says that the Rhode Island Homestead Coop is large enough for eight full-size birds (or 10 smaller birds like Silkies or bantams), but it really depends on your circumstances.

In my opinion, it’s probably a good size for around six chickens, especially if they’ll be confined to a run. You could probably get away with eight if they’re going to be able to free-range, but I personally think they would be a bit crowded if they’re not able to roam during the day.

You’re supposed to paint or stain it

There’s a note at the end of the assembly instructions that says you should stain or paint the coop to improve its weather-proofing. Here’s what the website says:

“Since they are made of wood and will be outside 24/7, we STRONGLY recommend that you stain, lacquer or paint your chicken coop. The stain applied is a base coat that is not designed to protect your coop long term from the elements.”

The logic is sound — Nate always makes me paint things before installing them in the yard, as it seals the wood to keep moisture out and prevent rotting — but if you’re paying over $1,000 for a ready-to-go coop, I don’t think you should have to paint it. I certainly don’t want to!

There are some quirks

While I do like the overall design of this coop, I will say there are a few design aspects that could be improved. A few that come to mind include:

• The door track often gets clogged with coop bedding, preventing the door from sliding shut.
• You can’t fully open the nesting box lid if the window shutter is open.
• Most of the ventilation is at the same level as the roosting bars, which may make the coop drafty in the winter.
• The “high” and “low” roosting bars overlap each other, so your birds may end up pooping on each other. I’m also skeptical that birds would use the lower bars at all, since they’re only a few inches off the coop floor.

Are these issues the end of the world? Not at all. But depending on how you plan to use your coop, they could become a point of frustration.

Let’s Talk About The Run

Along with the Rhode Island Homesteader Coop, we tested the XL Brahma Run, the largest option from the brand. The walk-in design is 6 feet wide, 8 feet long, and 6 feet tall, and you can bundle it with the Rhode Island Coop for a total price of $2,099. If you purchase it separately, it retails for $1,299.

In short, I don’t think the run is worth an extra $1,000. The construction is a bit flimsy, there’s no roof to keep out snow and rain, and you could build a sturdier run for less, even if you’re a beginner.

It’s not that sturdy

Because each side of the run is made up of so many panels, the walls simply aren’t that sturdy. The brand does send extra strips of wood that you can use to reinforce the seams, but it’s just no where near as durable as if you used actual 2×4 supports.

Further, the run doesn’t have a roof to shield your chickens from rain and snow. Even if it did, there’s no way it would hold up under a heavy snow load. Just 12 inches of snow can weigh up to 20 pounds per square foot, and I wouldn’t trust this run to support that immense pressure.

Finally, I have beef with the door of this run. It’s made of two pieces, but they’re only held together by a couple screws. The door bends and wobbles, and overall, it’s just not that secure. It will definitely need reinforcement to keep your flock safe.

You could build something similar for a lot less

I know that not everyone is well-versed in construction, but I’m pretty confident most people could build a sturdier chicken run for less than $1,000.

I’m not going to do all the math, but you could build a highly durable run with 4×4 posts (around $12 each) and hardware cloth ($100 for a 100-foot roll). Corrugated roof panels are also just $20, so you could even put a roof on it, and it would still probably cost less than $500.

Plus, if you need directions, there are plenty of basic chicken run plans on Etsy for just a few dollars.

The Rhode Island Homestead Coop: Should You Buy It?

If you’re shopping for a pre-fab chicken coop, the models from The Chicken Coop Company are definitely worth considering. In my opinion, the Rhode Island Homestead Coop would be a great option for a small flock of six or so birds. It’s made fully from wood, well-designed and easy to assemble, and has lots of optional add-ons to customize your build. Plus, the coop itself is just $1,099 — a good value for what you’re getting.

That said, I’d say you’re better off skipping the matching run. I didn’t find it to be particularly sturdy, and the roofless design won’t protect your birds from the elements. Personally, I’d put the money towards building a bigger and sturdier run.