Buy or Build? The Truth About Chicken Coops & Electricity Needs

Why Simplicity is the Smartest Move for Your Flock

I didn’t buy my first coop because it was the best one out there.

I bought it because I didn’t want to think about it.

I remember standing in Tractor Supply, staring at the neat stack of pre-made chicken coops lined up outside. Some were small, others were a little fancier, but they all had one thing in common: they were ready to go right now.

And that’s exactly what I needed.

At that point, I wasn’t trying to win any Coop Builder of the Year awards. I wasn’t even sure how committed I was to raising chickens long-term. I just wanted to start.

So I bought the cheapest one that seemed to hold together, threw it in the Subaru, and drove home with my new flock’sfuture packed into the cargo area.

That was the easiest decision I made in this whole chicken-keeping journey.

The Truth About Buying a Coop

It took me less than an hour to set it up. I placed it where I thought it should go, secured the nesting boxes, filled the feeder, and called it done. The next morning, my brand-new hens scratched at the dirt, pecking the ground like they’dalways been there.

That little coop did exactly what I needed it to do: it got me started.

But a few weeks in, I started noticing things.

The run area was too small. The door latch felt flimsy. The thin plywood walls weren’t exactly fortress-level protection. On rainy days, the ground beneath the coop turned into a soggy mess.

At first, I ignored it.

Then, one morning, I walked outside to find my birds huddled together on the driest patch of dirt they could find, looking utterly miserable.

That’s when it hit me.

I had made the right decision by starting with something simple, but now it was time to think ahead.

When Buying a Coop is the Right Choice

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

Buying a pre-made coop is the fastest way to start raising chickens without getting bogged down in construction. It’swhat got me into the game in the first place.

And when you’re new to chickens, that’s the smartest move you can make.

The goal isn’t to build a perfect coop on day one—it’s to get the birds, watch how they live, and learn what works before committing to a permanent setup.

Because here’s the truth: most people overthink the coop and underthink the chickens.

I see it all the time. Someone gets excited about raising chickens, but instead of buying birds, they spend weeks—or months—designing the perfect structure. They research ventilation, predator-proofing, insulation, roofing materials, and all the latest fancy gadgets.

By the time they’re ready to finally get their flock, they’ve lost steam—or worse, they’ve built something that doesn’tactually work for them.

I get it. I really do. But I’m here to tell you: start small, learn, and adjust later.

Because that’s exactly what I did.

Why I Switched to a Mobile Chicken Tractor

After a few months, I knew my pre-made coop wouldn’t cut it long-term. I needed something bigger, something better suited to my space and my birds’ needs.

But I also didn’t want to commit to a massive, permanent structure that might not work in the long run.

So I did what any practical chicken keeper would do: I built a mobile chicken tractor.

A chicken tractor is a lightweight, moveable coop that lets you rotate your flock across fresh pasture. It’s simple—just a sturdy frame, a covered area for shade, and enough space for the birds to scratch and peck in fresh grass every day.

The first morning after I moved my flock into the tractor, I watched them dig through the fresh earth, hunting for bugs they never had access to in their old setup. The ground behind them looked cleaner and less scratched up.

It just made sense.

No more muddy, overused patches of ground. No more stagnant mess in the run. No more expensive feed going to waste when my birds could graze on natural forage.

And the best part?

It was cheaper and easier than building a massive walk-in coop.

Do You Really Need Electricity in a Chicken Coop?

The first winter rolled in, and I started hearing it from people.

"You’ll need a heat lamp," they said.

"Your birds won’t lay without extra light," they warned.

So I did what most people do: I panicked.

I ran an extension cord to the coop, plugged in a red heat lamp, and felt good about myself.

That lasted exactly one night.

At 3 AM, I shot up in bed, suddenly realizing I had just left a fire hazard inside a wooden structure filled with dry bedding.

I ran outside in the freezing cold, yanked the cord out of the socket, and vowed to never do something that stupid again.

And you know what?

The chickens were just fine.

I learned that chickens don’t need heat as long as they have a dry, well-ventilated space. They fluff up their feathers, roost together for warmth, and adapt better to cold than most people think.

What they need is a proper coop design. If moisture builds up inside, they’re at risk of frostbite, not from the cold itself, but from damp, poorly ventilated air.

That was the real lesson. It wasn’t about adding heat but making sure my coop stayed dry and draft-free while still allowing airflow.

As for light?

Yes, chickens slow down in winter when daylight hours drop. Some people install low-wattage lights on a timer to keep egg production steady.

But I let my birds follow their natural cycle.

Giving them a winter break wasn’t a bad thing. A few months of rest meant healthier birds and better eggs in the long run.

Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Focus on the Chickens

I bought a coop when I first started because I wanted chickens, not a construction project.

I don’t regret that decision. It got me started, and that’s what mattered.

Later, I built something that worked better for me—a mobile chicken tractor that was cheaper, easier, and healthier for my flock.

And as for electricity? I learned the hard way that chickens don’t need it—at least not in the way most people assume.

So, if you’re new to chickens and wondering whether to buy or build, here’s my advice:

Start small. Buy something cheap if you have to. Watch your birds and learn what they actually need.

Because, in the end, it’s not about the perfect coop.

It’s about raising healthy, happy chickens.

And if you're looking for more ways to simplify farming—raising chickens, growing food, or just making the most of your land—there’s a better way than most people think.

Because, in the end, it’s not about the perfect coop.

And the same is true for farming as a whole.

When I first started, I thought success came down to having the right setup—building the best coop, choosing the perfect design. But over time, I realized that farming isn’t about perfect structures—it’s about understanding the system.

Whether it’s raising chickens, growing food, or making the most of the land you have, the key isn’t just working harder. It’s working smarter—learning to use what nature already provides instead of fighting against it.

That’s exactly what Thinking Outside the Soil is about.

It’s not just a book—it’s a guide to rethinking how we farm, how we feed our animals, and how we create self-sustaining systems that actually work.

If you’re ready to look at farming differently—and start making the land work for you—this book is where it starts.

👉 Get your copy of Thinking Outside the Soil today.