FAQs

We currently sell a range of hand-crafted, custom-made chicken and duck coops, enclosed runs, storage and feed sheds, potting sheds, and letterboxes. Accessories such as automatic doors, feeders, cleaning sweeps and stand-alone or rollaway nest boxes are also available for purchase. And…we love a challenge. We’re always open to your suggestions and ideas that you may have tucked away, so lets’ chat!

Yes, they certainly are. There is no offshore labour involved, and each product is individually and painstakingly hand-crafted to the highest standards using local, reclaimed hardwoods – right here in Oz by Phil! We take every precaution and appropriate measures when it comes to validating the materials used, so we can guarantee you a “close as possible-to-zero” environmental impact.

Materials are sourced from the best, locally available, sustainable hardwood timbers and environmentally friendly products. The internals of your coop are typically pine and Australian hardwoods. Reclaimed hardwood timbers are used for the legs and external walls, and yellow-tongue for the floor. Our oils are all-natural, vegetable-derived and our paints are free from anything that may harm chickens, you, or the environment. The mesh used on all our coops and runs is Australian made and of top quality.

Yes, we can build you a practical and durable enclosed run attached to the house so that your chooks are protected during the day as they forage around outside the coop. We build both walk-in coops that a person can access comfortably, and lower runs used only by the chooks,  A chicken-only run usually starts under the coop, and can be limited to the actual coop footprint, or extend out in front of the coop. There are 4 standard sizes and all are fitted with 2 doors, rear and front. All runs begin with the area under the coop, plus an external 70cm (Standard) 120cm (Large) 180cm (XL) or 240cm (XXL) and the possibility to order larger sized runs as well. Although the standard height of these runs is consistent at approximately 74cm, we can build to your specifications where practical. Some of our coops already come fitted with a run and other options such as an automatic door.

This depends on how many chickens you intend to house in the coop and, importantly, their size. A flock of 7-9 small/medium size chooks that will free range during the day will be comfortable in our larger coops. It’s a good idea to leave room to expand your flock, and go bigger rather than smaller, as most of us end up falling in love with that hen (or hens!) at the market or farm anyway!

As a rough guide, 5 bantams or 3 regular/standard hens will fit in our Petite range. 8 bantams or 5-6 standard hens in our Regal range, 12 bantams or 8-9 standard in the Regal Plus range, and 16 bantams or 12-13 standard in our XXL Range. You’ll need to plan this size aspect out and understand that hens come in all shapes and sizes so the guidelines here are just a general indication. The measurements provided refer typically to the internal length of the coop and the width including the nest boxes, which are approximately 33cm square (standard measurements) regardless of which coop size you purchase. Please discuss this with us prior to purchase if you have any doubts about the dimensions of your coop and its suitability for your current or future flock!

No. Although the interior of the coops provide a very comfortable home for your chickens both day and night, they definately should not be confined inside all day. You will need to either place the coop in an enclosed area, purchase one of our attached runs or walk-in coops, or have the chickens free-range in your yard – as this is best for them. They will enter the coop either to rest, lay eggs or sleep at night. We recommend that feed and fresh drinking water be located outside the coop unless a mother hen has very young chicks inside.

Yes. Please contact us directly if you have any queries to discuss special delivery options for country, regional and interstate zones. Prices vary according to distance. We can offer door to door delivery to Canberra, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane Metro, and Tasmanian destinations too. All at very competitive prices, as well as many destinations along the mainland east coast. 

Please call us to arrange a viewing time. In some cases, such as when you decide for a bespoke option/s upon consultation, your coop may take between one and two weeks to build, so it is not physically on our site for you to see. Although you will receive detailed information on its specifications, you will not be able to see it before it is completed. Due to high demand, most of the items on our SHOP page have already been sold, however, if there is a model you particularly like, we can replicate it for you.

Most of our coops are disassembled at least partially for delivery to its new home. The solid timbers from which they are built means that our fully assembled coops are heavy. To ensure it arrives safely, the roof, nesting boxes and sometimes floor panels are usually separated. A typical installation of one of our coops requires approximately 1 to 1.5 hours, although this may vary according to the size and style of the coop and build-site conditions, as well as if a run is included or not. A small, flat-rate fee is charged if you would like us to assemble your coop upon delivery to your home, and from $70 if you include an XL run in your purchase.

Since your coop is constructed of timber, start by giving the roofs a coat of exterior paint at least once a year, ideally twice. This will ensure that the timbers do their job to keep out water and you’ll also avoid UV damage. For walls and unpainted sections, a coat of oil is necessary as well, again once or twice a year. You can make up your own oil quite easily by mixing 3 parts canola oil and 1 part white vinegar, or just purchase a tin of decking /timber oil from your hardware or paint store.

If excessive movement of the roof timbers or panels occurs due to extreme environmental conditions, then use 25mm galvanized screws on the roof to fasten any palings that have moved, pre-drilling to avoid splitting of timbers and using an exterior timber glue as well if possible.

Yes, they certainly are! Keeping your flock in a healthy indoor environment is important for so many reasons for both your birds and you. It should be a breeze to keep your coop clean so that this vital task doesn’t become a burden or a “chore” and occupy a great amount of your time. The coops are designed in such a way so that that you can take a small broom, or our in-house designed and hand-made “One Fowl Sweep” (which is designed to reach under perches and all floor areas of your coop) and sweep straw/hemp or wood shavings and droppings straight into a barrow or tub. The nest boxes can be cleared very quickly too. With minimal practise, you should be able to have the whole coop cleared out and bedding replaced within a few minutes.

Put it this way, we have a coop in our yard, built from the same materials as the coops and kennels we sell. It’s now just turned 15 years old, and truly looks the same as it did the day it was made. We keep the oils and paints up on its exterior when needed (about once or twice every year) and it weathers fantastically. With the right maintenance, our coop has proved to be more beautiful with age. The natural, oiled timbers acquire a deeper hue as time passes.

The Victorian climate is variable as we all know. Outdoor roofs, especially, are exposed to harsh, sometimes burning sunlight and heat, and then wet and cold weather. So, we are asking lots of our timbers to cope with these hectic changes. They need our regular attention and a bit of TLC from time to time.

We know, 100%, that your coop will last the same 10 years plus if you show it the same love and don’t neglect it. In reality, it will last most likely two or three times that, if not more. So, providing you paint and oil every 6 months, My Cosy Coop will guarantee the structure of your coop for a full 10 years, and we’ll be mortified if it doesn’t make it that far!

Well… Sadly, and yes, unsurprisingly, most of the coops available for purchase online (at those seemingly tantalizingly cheap prices!) are made offshore. Consequently, none of our Australian industry and workplace standards which aim to ensure the use of quality, sustainable materials and regulate minimum wage/fair labor can apply entirely.

Of course, as a consumer this is completely your choice whether you care for this or not. But one thing that you will surely care about is that these coops, as you will see in due time, don’t last very long in our climatic conditions. The timbers ( if they can be called that – they are often a mash-up of glues and sawdust ) are fragile, and you’ll be shopping again in no time looking for something a bit better whilst keeping our planet’s rather ugly disposable market afloat. They also look like every other factory-made coop or kennel. Noticed that? The glues, timber treatments and paints are also most probably toxic, and this is not the environment you want especially in the nest boxes where eggs wait to be collected. All in all, not awesome if you care about you and your family, your animals and your world at all.

For our family business, building with reclaimed hardwood timbers is infinitely more time consuming because you first need to find the right pieces to do the right job. No-one has pre-cut or sanded this wood for you, straightened or taken nails out etc etc. There are typically hours of timber preparation in every single project before even a screw or nail can be driven in, and a ton of elbow grease and cursing! But in saying that, it is infinitely way more satisfying and worth it in the long run.

This approach, for starters, has virtually zero impact on the environment. And your completed product will retain all that lovely character that timber with a story has, when it has been brought back to life. It will continue to age wonderfully, as does good wood or wine, and if cared for with a regular lick of paint and oil will comfortably see out decades.

So, when you buy from us, you have voted not simply with your purse but with your mind and heart. You’ve voted for hand-made and home-made, and not for some robot on a factory production line. And super importantly, you’ve chosen Made-In-Australia. You’ve given your vote to sustainability, and by purchasing local, you’ve made one small step towards making a cleaner world for our kids, and for all of us.

And you, and your flock, will have a unique, eye-pleasing, one-off product that no-one else has.

Best wishes for a wonderful and Cosy 2024!

Phil 

Both food and water should be kept outside of the coop. There is room under the coop as well to store these. Chooks will enter the coop at night to perch and sleep, and won’t need water or food until morning when they exit the house.