PawHut Large Wooden Chicken Coop Review: 8-10 Hens?
A PawHut large wooden chicken coop review covering the real capacity from its own square footage, the walk-in run design, wire strength and nest boxes.
It is sold as a coop for 8 to 10 hens. Read the square footage, and read what it actually is, before you order.
The verdict: This is a well-made walk-in run with four nest compartments bolted on, and it is genuinely good at being that. Buy it if you need secure, tall, easy-to-clean outdoor space for four or five hens, ideally alongside a proper hen house. Skip it if you are expecting a coop that houses 8 to 10 birds, because PawHut's own figure of nearly 43 square feet does not support that number.
PawHut Large Wooden Chicken Coop for 8-10 Hens, 83 x 73 x 73 in
~$420
An 83 by 73 by 73 inch fir-framed walk-in run with galvanized wire, an Oxford cover, lockable doors and four external-access nest compartments.
Check price on AmazonSpecifications
| Overall dimensions | 83 in L x 73 in W x 73 in H |
|---|---|
| Run area | Nearly 43 square feet |
| Frame | Solid fir wood with galvanized wire |
| Access | Walk-in, with a 21.3 in W x 60.2 in H door |
| Nest boxes | 4 individual compartments with outside access |
| Perches | 2 in the run |
| Weather cover | Oxford cover against sun and rain |
| Automatic door | The small access door is stated to fit an automatic chicken door, sold separately |
Specifications above come from PawHut's published product information. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.
What it does well
- Full standing height with a wide door, so feeding, watering and cleaning happen without crawling, which is the thing you appreciate every single day.
- Nest compartments with outside access, so eggs come out without you entering the run.
- A fir frame with real cross section rather than the thin batten used in cheaper flat packs.
- An included Oxford cover, which is what makes the difference between a run that drains and a run that turns to mud.
- Designed to accept an automatic pop door, so it can be integrated into an existing coop setup.
Where it falls short
- The listing sells it for 8 to 10 hens while stating nearly 43 square feet of run. At the standard 8 to 10 square feet of outdoor space per standard bird, that is four to five birds.
- It is a run, not a hen house. There is no insulated, draught-free sleeping box here beyond the nest compartments, so in most climates you still need a coop.
- Galvanized wire in this class is light gauge. It keeps birds in and keeps a fox out of a casual look, but a raccoon working at a stapled edge is a different problem. Overlay half inch hardware cloth on the lower panels and screw it through washers.
- There is no floor, so a digging predator goes under it unless you add a buried apron or a skirt of hardware cloth laid flat on the ground.
- An Oxford fabric cover is a consumable. It will need replacing after a few seasons of UV, and it does not carry snow load.
What owners report
Owner reports on PawHut walk-in runs are broadly positive and consistently practical. The walk-in height is the feature people mention first and keep mentioning, because a run you can stand in is a run you actually clean. Assembly is described as long but logical, with the usual flat-pack caveat about pre-drilled holes. The fabric cover draws mixed reports: fine for shade and rain, not something to rely on under snow.
The complaints cluster around the same two things across this whole product class. The first is wire and staples under predator pressure, and owners who upgraded to hardware cloth report no further trouble. The second is capacity, where buyers who took the 8 to 10 hen figure at face value describe a crowded, muddy run within weeks. Neither is a surprise if you go in knowing.
What it holds, using PawHut's own number
PawHut publishes nearly 43 square feet of run. The planning figure used throughout our coop size requirements chart is 8 to 10 square feet of run per standard bird, which puts this at four to five hens, not eight to ten. Crowding shows up first as feather pecking and bullying, then as mud and parasites, which is why we keep insisting on the arithmetic. Run your intended flock through the chicken flock and egg calculator and buy for the answer it gives you.
Making it predator resistant, and where it sits
Two upgrades transform a run like this. Overlay the lower three feet with half inch hardware cloth fixed with screws and washers, and lay a further skirt of the same mesh flat on the ground around the perimeter so a digging animal hits wire instead of soil. That is the whole argument in hardware cloth versus chicken wire, and it costs a small fraction of the run. Because this unit sits on the ground rather than on legs, it is also worth reading raised versus ground level coops to understand what you gain and lose. The rest of the field is in our best chicken coops roundup.
Who it suits
- Keepers who already have a hen house and need secure, weatherproof outdoor space.
- Anyone with a bad back who is done crawling into low runs to clean them.
- Four or five hens, comfortably.
- People who want to add an automatic pop door to an existing setup.
Who should skip it
- Anyone buying this as a complete coop for 8 to 10 birds, which it is not.
- Keepers in heavy snow, where a fabric cover is not a roof.
- Sites with digging predators unless you add a buried or laid hardware cloth apron.
- People who want a finished product with no upgrades, since the wire is the weak point.
Alternatives worth considering
Pawpuler 135.7 inch Extra Large Wooden Chicken Coop with Run
~$675
More money, but it includes an enclosed 18.64 square foot hen house as well as a 39.55 square foot run, so it is a complete setup rather than an outdoor space. Its capacity claim needs the same scrutiny.
Check price on AmazonAECOJOY 56 inch Chicken Coop with 6 Nesting Boxes
~$190
A small raised wooden hen house to pair with this run if you need somewhere enclosed for the birds to sleep. It is a coop rather than a run, so the two complement each other rather than compete.
Check price on AmazonLand Guard 19 Gauge Hardware Cloth, 1/2 inch, 48 in x 100 ft
~$80
Not an alternative to the run but the thing that makes it predator resistant. One hundred feet of half inch hardware cloth is enough to overlay the lower panels and lay a digging apron, and it addresses the actual way flocks are lost.
Check price on AmazonKeep reading
- Hardware cloth vs chicken wire
- Raised vs ground level coops
- Chicken flock and egg calculator
- Coop size requirements chart
- Best chicken coops
- Land Guard hardware cloth review
- AECOJOY 56 inch chicken coop review
This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Editor's Pick ยท Affiliate link
An Automatic Coop Door, the Upgrade Keepers Regret Waiting On
Nearly every predator loss happens because a door was open at dusk or dawn. An automatic opener closes on a light sensor or timer whether or not you are home, which is the single biggest reduction in risk available to a small flock.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many chickens does the PawHut large chicken coop really hold?
Four to five standard hens. PawHut states nearly 43 square feet of run, and the widely used minimum is 8 to 10 square feet of outdoor space per standard bird. The 8 to 10 hen figure in the title would leave each bird around 4 to 5 square feet, which is half what it should be, and overcrowding shows up quickly as feather pecking, mud and parasite pressure.
Is this a coop or a run?
Functionally it is a walk-in run with four nest compartments attached. There is no insulated, enclosed sleeping area of the kind a hen house provides. In a mild climate with the cover fitted, birds can manage, but in most places you will want a proper coop inside or alongside it for nights and bad weather.
Will the wire keep raccoons out?
Not on its own. Light gauge galvanized wire held on with staples is a containment fence, not a predator barrier. A raccoon can reach through a wide mesh and can work at a stapled edge until it lifts. Overlay half inch hardware cloth on at least the lower panels, fix it with screws and washers, and lay a skirt of the same mesh on the ground to stop digging.
Do I need to add a floor or an apron?
There is no floor, so yes if you have digging predators, which is most places. The simplest approach is an apron: lay hardware cloth flat on the ground extending 18 to 24 inches out from the base all the way round, and pin it down. An animal that starts digging at the edge hits wire instead of soil and gives up. Burying the mesh vertically works too and is more effort.
Can I fit an automatic door to it?
PawHut states that the small access door fits an automatic chicken door, sold separately. That is a genuinely useful design decision, because most automatic door failures come from mounting a door on an opening it was never sized for. Check the door dimensions against whichever opener you choose before ordering.
Ground level run or a raised coop: which is better?
A raised coop keeps the floor dry, gives shade underneath and makes it harder for rodents to nest in the bedding. A ground level run gives the birds real soil to scratch and dust bathe in, which they clearly prefer, at the cost of mud and a digging risk. Most good setups combine the two: a raised hen house opening into a ground level run.
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