Aivituvin AIR31 Wooden Hen House

This review is on the site partly for the coop and partly for the principle. In a category where nearly every listing prints a bird count it cannot support, a maker that publishes dimensions and declines to print a number is doing something worth noticing.

The measurement, and what it includes

74.9 inches by 26 inches is 1,947 square inches, or 13.5 square feet. That figure spans the whole unit, and on this model the whole unit is a raised house over an open run - so the enclosed portion where birds actually roost is a fraction of 13.5 square feet, not the whole of it.

There is no claim here to check the number against, which is the point. We print 13.5 square feet, note that it is a generous whole-unit reading, and leave the reader to draw the conclusion. Two hens is the sensible one.

Depth is the constraint

26 inches. That is the whole story on capacity, and no amount of length fixes it - a bird needs room to turn, to get away from another bird, and to sit on a roost with clearance front and back. At 26 inches deep the usable roost space is limited regardless of how the length is arranged.

What it does well

• The pull-out tray is better executed than on most fir coops at this price, which makes the weekly clean genuinely quick.
• The ramp and general construction are solid for the money.
• No inflated bird count to correct, which also means no disappointed expectation three months in.
• Small enough for a courtyard or a side return where a full coop-and-run kit will not fit.

What it needs

The same three upgrades as everything else here - half-inch hardware cloth, latches on every opening, and an apron under the raised run - plus annual treatment of the fir. And a realistic bird count, which in this case you have to supply yourself, because the maker sensibly did not.

The full write-up

Top pick · A tidy two-hen setup in a small yard

Aivituvin AIR31 Wooden Hen House

Well made for the money and unusually honest by omission - Aivituvin publishes no bird count here at all.

What the numbers say

Published footprint13.5 sq ftHonest count3 hensMaker claimsno claim

74.9in x 26in = 13.5 sq ft of whole-unit footprint, which includes the attached run and is therefore generous. At 4 sq ft per standard hen that is 3 birds. The maker publishes no bird count of its own to compare against.

Figures from Aivituvin published specifications (Amazon listing) · 74.9"L x 26"W x 39.4"H · Fir

13.5 sq ft across the whole unit, and that figure includes the open run beneath the raised house. The enclosed portion is a fraction of it.

Aivituvin does not claim a bird count for this model. That is worth noting in a category where almost every competitor prints one it cannot support - there is nothing here to correct.

Treat it as a two-hen coop and it is a good one. The pull-out tray and the ramp are better executed than on most fir coops at this size.

Good

• No inflated bird-count claim to correct
• Pull-out tray makes weekly cleaning quick
• Fir construction is solid for the price

Not so good

• Narrow 26in depth limits usable roost space
• Whole-unit footprint counts the run, not just the house
• Fir needs re-treating every couple of seasons

Skip this if: you have three or more standard hens. The depth is the constraint, and no amount of length fixes a 26in-wide house.

Check price on Amazon

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The comparison worth reading

The Aivituvin against the Formex Snap Lock puts this coop next to the plastic alternative in the same size class, and it is the clearest illustration on the site of what whole-unit versus enclosed measurement actually means.