Chicken Coop

Chicken Coops

Miller’s Mini Barns offers many Amish-made goods for the home and outdoors. Our chicken coops are another in a line of products created to make homes more functional especially as we are spending more time at home. With the increased interest in urban farming over the last decade, more homeowners are raising chickens within city limits. Choosing the right coop to keep your birds is an integral part of the process. Chicken Coops differ in size and quality. The differences can make or break your experience with raising birds. Keeping a backyard chicken coop is generally an easy entry into raising farm animals. However, making sure they are safe, fed and clean are the main priorities. Purchasing the right coop can ensure that the process is as smooth as possible. Miller’s chicken coops are built by Amish craftsmen from the perfect materials to keep your hens healthy. Our coops offer nesting boxes that offer a great place for hens to lay eggs and easy retrieval for the keepers. Each coop has a two-window design that provides adequate lighting and a large side door offering easy entry for cleaning.

What size coop do I need?

The size of your outdoor coop depends on the number of birds you intend to have. The space needed doesn’t stop with the coop. Chickens need space, not only inside the hen house but space to run and scratch. Making sure you have enough space for both is important. Inside a coop each chicken needs at least three square feet of space. In the run, they will need at least five square feet. After you decide the size of your Amish-made coop, you will want to add space for any potential growth of your brood and storage for your supplies, which could include extra bedding, rakes and feed. Miller's chicken coops come in three sizes, 6X8, 8X10 and 8X12. These should be large enough for most backyard chicken farmers.

Which bedding products should I use for my coop?

Chicken beddings comes in several types. The main players in the chicken coop bedding game are:

• straw
• pine or cedar shavings
• pine needles
• sand
• grass clippings
• shredded leaves
• shredded paper

Chicken bedding is hotly debated.

Should you use straw, pine shavings, paper, pine needles, cedar, or sand? There are pros and cons to each. Your beddings should provide your chickens with a place to nest, as well as a place to leave their droppings and scratch. In colder months, it will provide warmth and comfort to your birds. Most chicken farmers choose the bedding based on the type of cleaning method that best suits their time and skill level. The most popular bedding choice is straw/hay. It is widely available and relatively easy to maintain. The one drawback is that straw needs to be changed or padded more often than shavings or sand. Pine and Cedar are popular choices because they add an aromatic element to the coop. However, both types of wood shavings contain naturally occurring chemicals that may irritate the breathing of your birds, particularly cedar. It is best to use these beddings in combination with others or do your research to determine whether or not these will work for you.

Are there accessories that I will need?

To guarantee that your birds are the best cared for you will need to make sure you have some basic accessories. Many are standard with the sale of the coop but a few you will find in out options/add-ons that you might want to consider. Basic needs for a new Amish-built coop:

• Roosting bars - think long bars or a bar for each bird. Chickens are birds and do like to perch and sleep
• Nesting Boxes - If you want eggs from your birds, they will need a cozy and private place to lay them. Nesting boxes lined with comfortable bedding will make sure your chickens are happy and that you get a nice fresh supply of eggs.
• Waterer - Water is integral to the diet of chickens. Fountain and Bell waterers are popular choices that can be hooked to a water line.
• Heaters/Thermometers - Knowing how warm your chickens are and being able to maintain their temps will keep them healthy and happy for a long time. Having a heating element such as a radiant heat lamp can help keep them warm in the cold and the thermometer can prevent you from overheating your chickens.
• Feeder - basically, birds need to eat. Feeder boxes make that a less messy process. Some accessories aren’t necessary but making the art of chicken keeping more pleasant. These are items like block treats, water heaters, edible plants, wheels for a portable coop and electric fencing for their runs.

What other options/add-ons do you offer?

Our options include:

• Ramps
• Aluminum Windows
• Vinyl Windows
• Shutters
• Shelves
• Flower Boxes
• Entry Doors (with and without windows)
• Ridge Ventilation

There are also several choices for paint colors and roofing materials.