HERBAN Large Metal Walk-In Coop

Two facts define this product. It is the largest enclosure measured anywhere on this site, and it is not a coop. Both matter, and the second one is the reason this review exists rather than a simple recommendation.

The measurement

157.2 inches by 117.6 inches is 18,487 square inches, or 128.4 square feet. For comparison, the largest wooden coop-and-run kit on this site measures 51.6 square feet whole-unit and most are under 25. HERBAN publishes no bird count, which is appropriate for a product that is an enclosure rather than housing.

What galvanized steel buys you

• Lifespan. A decade or more against three to six seasons for untreated fir, with no annual treatment.
• No rot pathway. There is no base rail sitting in wet ground absorbing moisture.
• No mite harborage. Red mite colonizes cracks and end grain in timber and has nowhere equivalent on a steel frame.
• Reconfigurable. It comes apart and moves rather than being replaced.
• Airflow. In a hot climate an open steel enclosure is a much better environment than a closed wooden box.

What it needs

1. A henhouse. This is the first purchase, not an optional extra.
2. A ground apron. The base is the weak point on every metal run - a perimeter meeting soil is a route in for anything that digs.
3. Half-inch hardware cloth on the lower panels if the supplied mesh has a wider aperture. Galvanized is not the same as secure.
4. Cold galvanizing paint on any cut edge or drilled hole from assembly, which is where corrosion starts.
5. Shade in a hot climate, since an open enclosure gives none.

The full write-up

Top pick · A genuine walk-in enclosure

HERBAN Large Metal Walk-In Coop

128.4 sq ft, all-around hardware cloth, and no bird-count claim to correct. The most enclosure per dollar here.

What the numbers say

Published footprint128.4 sq ftHonest count32 hensMaker claimsno claim

157.2in x 117.6in = 128.4 sq ft of whole-unit footprint, which includes the attached run and is therefore generous. At 4 sq ft per standard hen that is 32 birds. The maker publishes no bird count of its own to compare against.

Figures from HERBAN published specifications (Amazon listing) · 157.2"L x 117.6"W x 76.8"H · Galvanized steel

128.4 sq ft is the largest ground area on this site by a wide margin - more than twice the next biggest.

HERBAN publishes no bird count, which is the correct choice for a run: capacity depends on the henhouse you put inside it, not on the enclosure.

All-around hardware cloth rather than chicken wire is the specification that matters. Chicken wire keeps chickens in; hardware cloth keeps raccoons out, and they are not the same job.

Good

• Hardware cloth all round, not chicken wire
• 76.8in height is a true walk-in
• No inflated bird claim - correctly sold as an enclosure

Not so good

• It is a run, not a coop - you still need a henhouse
• 13ft x 10ft needs serious yard space
• Assembly is a substantial job

Skip this if: you expected a coop. There is no insulated, enclosed house in it, and birds cannot roost in a run overnight safely in most climates.

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Where it fits

This is the answer on the twenty-bird page, where almost nothing sold as a coop reaches the required floor area. It is also the pick on hot-climate coops, for the airflow rather than the size.