Best cheap chicken coops under $1,000

A cheap chicken coop is the right call more often than coop makers would like: you don't know yet whether you'll enjoy mucking out in January, and three hens don't need a $5,000 building. The trap is the coop that saves $300 and costs you a flock, or a second coop next year.

So here's what we check under $1,000. What's the price per hen at the brand's own count? Is a run included or will it double the bill? And what paperwork comes with it: a warranty, a return window, anything? On this page, price per hen counts for 40% of the order.

The Aivituvin AIR46 leads at $459.99 with its run, six nesting boxes and a pull-out tray, about $57 per hen at its maker's count. It states no warranty. If you can stretch, the Nestera Large Lodge ($789) comes with a 25-year guarantee, and the Omlet Eglu Go Up ($639) with 180 days of free returns. Both need a run.

Every product keeps its overall score from the public formula. For this page we re-order the eligible products with the "Budget" weights: price per hen the brand says it houses 40%, room per hen 10%, predator protection published 10%, warranty 10%, and the rest for the other 5 criteria. The full table is on the methodology page.

Head-to-heads between products of this list: Omlet Eglu Go Up vs Aivituvin AIR46 Coop, Omlet Eglu Go Up vs Nestera Large Lodge, Nestera Large Lodge vs Snap Lock Big Coop.

Other rankings: best chicken coops, all ranked, chicken coop kit, chicken coop for 6 chickens, chicken coop for 10 chickens, walk in chicken coop, predator proof chicken coop, automatic chicken coop door.