Plastic or Wooden Hen House - Which is best?

Wood or Plastic Chicken House – Which is better?

If you are considering purchasing a chicken house but can't decide between a plastic or a wooden one, then read on! In this article we review the advantages and disadvantages of both.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of a plastic built coop is just how easy it is to clean. The cleaning of plastic houses is much easier than wooden housing, and maintenance is practically zero. Many of the plastic designs can be cleaned out, washed and dried in under 30 minutes, while wooden housing will take significantly longer to dry, especially in the depths of winter.

This advantage should not be underestimated. In the height of summer your flock may not require the house for the whole day and so cleaning and drying times won't be relevant, but on bad weather days you won't want the house out of action for too long or for the birds to face roosting in a soggy house.

Plastic surfaces are also smooth and non-porous, which means they can be wiped clean or even pressure washed with ease. Wooden coops, on the other hand, have porous surfaces with cracks that can harbour bacteria or mites and require much more time and effort to clean them.

The dreaded red mite can appear in any chicken house regardless of its material, but clearly there are thousands of places for a red mite to hide in a wooden hut compared to a plastic one. It is also much easier to eradicate red mite from a plastic hut, and a plastic hut does not need to be sprayed with insecticide unlike its wooden alternative.

The dreaded red mite is more prevalent in wooden coops.

It is also important to consider the environmental impact of the materials used in the house, wood is degradable and can be a sustainable product, and so it would previously have been a better option environmentally, however, if recycyled plastic is used, it is hard to argue that it wouldn't be a better option.

So what is to be said for wooden housing? The cost of a high quality wooden chicken house will be in the same region as the plastic designs (avoid the poorly constructed cheap and nasty wood built houses), so there's little in it from a price perspective.

Wood is a naturally breathable product, so if you do opt for plastic housing, ensure there is adequate ventilation. Chickens need ventilation, but should not roost in a draft, so this design is perfect and represents the best of both worlds.  

Finally, size matters! Both plastic and wooden chicken houses come in a range of sizes to suit the number of chickens you plan to keep, the vast majority of chicken houses on the market, plastic and wooden, are designed for around 4-8 large hens. If you want more chickens, finding a suitable house can be tricky.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to your personal preferences and what is best for your chickens.