Backyard Chicken Coops

What Backyard Chicken Coops does

Backyard Chicken Coops is an Australian direct-to-consumer e-commerce company that designs, manufactures, and distributes chicken coops, poultry accessories, and live chickens to residential customers nationwide. Founded in 2008 and operating under parent entity Kros Holdings, the company is led by founder Kassandra Smith and runs on a Shopify-based storefront with Australia-wide delivery to every postcode, including remote offshore islands, executed through contracts with six national couriers. Its product range spans six coop models from the entry-level Cluck House at $249 to the premium Mansion Coop & Run at $2,669, plus proprietary automatic treadle feeders and drinkers, consumables such as hemp bedding and mealworm treats, health products, fencing and run extensions, and a small pet enclosure line covering rabbit and guinea pig hutches. Manufacturing uses A-grade kiln-dried timber and galvanised wire mesh; the Bed & Breakfast coop holds Design Registration #201914070 and the soft-close treadle feeder is under Patent Application 2018100407.

The company's go-to-market is a hybrid content-and-community model. It drives top-of-funnel traffic through a Learning Centre of more than 600 expert-authored articles and 120 training videos, a Chook Coop blog, and a Facebook community of 170,000+ fans. Conversion is supported by 7-day live chat and phone support staffed by poultry experts, a beginner's quiz and Getting Started Guide, and 0% interest buy-now-pay-later financing via Zip and Openpay from $20 per week. Beyond hardware, the company operates a chicken sourcing marketplace that connects customers with what it describes as Australia's largest private list of poultry breeders, facilitating live chicken sales across more than 12 breeds including Silkie Bantam, Australorp, Rhode Island Red, and Sussex. Ancillary revenue streams include an optional assembly service from $195, a painting service, extended 2-year warranty upgrades, and a partnership-driven online education offering via Chickenpedia.co.

The customer base is fragmented across residential backyard chicken keepers seeking fresh eggs, family pets, and child-friendly animal experiences, plus breed enthusiasts and a smaller cohort of small pet owners. Pricing is unit-based across a $249 to $2,669 ladder, with frequent discount-to-original pricing and pre-order mechanics on newer items. Backyard Chicken Coops operates as a bootstrapped, privately held business with no disclosed external funding, a stated headcount of 1-10, a Redcliffe QLD warehouse and pickup location, and no public-facing technology platforms beyond its Shopify storefront and lc.chat live chat integration.

Name

Backyard Chicken Coops

Legal name

Backyard Chicken Coops

Website

https://backyardchickencoops.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Backyard Chicken Coops is an Australian direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer that designs, manufactures, and delivers chicken coops, poultry accessories, and live chickens to residential backyard keepers nationwide, supported by a content library of 600+ expert articles and a 170,000+ member Facebook community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Poultry Housing & Equipment

NAICS

Poultry and Poultry Product Merchant Wholesalers (42444), Poultry and Egg Production (1123), Other Poultry Production (11239)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200), Wholesale-Farm Product Raw Materials (5150)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Poultry Operations (Vertically Integrated Farms) (AFAEADAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Poultry Shops (CRAHAHAD)

Keywords

• Chicken coops
• Poultry supplies
• Backyard chicken keeping
• Poultry feeders
• Live chickens

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Chicken Coop Sales: Sale of manufactured chicken coops ranging from small tractor coops to large mansion coops with integrated runs. Products sold directly through e-commerce with Australia-wide delivery.
2. Chicken Accessories & Supplies: Sale of accessories including feeders, drinkers, bedding, health products, fencing, and coop add-ons. Includes consumables like hemp bedding and mealworm treats.
3. Live Chicken Sales: Poultry sourcing service connecting customers with Australia's largest poultry breeder database. They facilitate chicken sales through their network of breeders.
4. Assembly & Services: Optional assembly service for coops starting from $195, plus chicken sourcing and painting services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Backyard Chicken Coops designs, manufactures, and sells a range of chicken coops, coops with runs, chicken tractors, automatic feeders and drinkers, and live chickens, alongside complementary pet housing (rabbit and guinea pig hutches) and chicken care products. The company operates a direct-to-consumer Australian e-commerce model shipping to every Australian postcode via a network of national couriers, supported by in-house poultry experts and a content library of 600+ articles.

Product overview

Backyard Chicken Coops is an Australian e-commerce company offering a comprehensive product portfolio centered around backyard chicken keeping. The core offering consists of six chicken coop models ranging from budget-friendly (The Cluck House at $249) to premium (The Mansion Coop & Run at $2669), all designed and manufactured in Australia. Complementary product lines include proprietary automatic treadle feeders and drinkers, health products (diatomaceous earth, mealworm treats), bedding and coop accessories, and small pet enclosures (rabbit hutches, guinea pig enclosures). The company also operates a poultry sourcing service to sell live chickens directly, offering 12+ breeds including Silkie Bantam, Australorp, Rhode Island Red, and Sussex. Additional revenue streams include an online learning platform (partnered with Chickenpedia), finance services (via Zip and Openpay), and delivery/assembly services. The business operates on a Shopify e-commerce platform with integrated payment processing through PayPal, eWAY, and major credit cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Penthouse Chicken Coop An Australian-designed chicken coop made from A-grade kiln-dried timber, intended for backyard chicken keepers who want a durable, predator-resistant enclosure for a small flock.
• The Mansion Chicken Coop A large-format chicken coop for backyard keepers with bigger flocks, built from kiln-dried timber and designed for ease of cleaning and egg collection.
• The Bungalow Chicken Coop A compact, raised chicken coop designed for hobbyists with limited yard space or small flocks of 2-4 chickens.
• The Taj Mahal Chicken Coop A premium decorative chicken coop built from A-grade kiln-dried timber for keepers seeking a statement backyard feature alongside functional housing.
• The Penthouse XL Chicken Coop A larger variant of the flagship Penthouse coop, designed for keepers with bigger flocks who want the same Australian-made construction in a higher-capacity format.
• Chicken Coop and Run Packages Bundled coop-and-run combinations offered at a combined price for first-time backyard chicken keepers wanting a complete, predator-secure starter setup.
• Chicken Tractors Mobile chicken tractors designed for pasture rotation, letting keepers move flocks across the lawn to graze on fresh grass.
• The Eglu Pro Chicken Coop A modern plastic chicken coop marketed for easy cleaning and predator resistance, targeting hobbyist keepers who prefer a low-maintenance enclosure.
• Automatic Chicken Feeders Including the proprietary soft-close treadle feeder (patent pending), these feeders open in response to a chicken's weight and stay closed to deter wild birds and rodents.
• Automatic Chicken Drinkers Automatic waterers designed to keep flocks supplied with clean water and reduce spillage and contamination in backyard coops.
• Live Chickens for Sale Live chickens (Araucana, ISA Brown, Silkies, Polish, Sussex, Rhode Island Red, Barred Rock, and other breeds) sold to backyard keepers across Australia for flock-starting or breed expansion.
• Pet Hutches (Rabbit and Guinea Pig) Wooden hutches for rabbits and guinea pigs, designed and sold alongside the chicken coop range for small-animal owners.
• Chicken Care Products Consumables such as diatomaceous earth, worming treatments, mite-and-lice sprays, and supplements sold to existing chicken keepers for ongoing flock health.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ chickens homed since 2008
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Chickenpedia.cocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnline chicken courses linked from the main website, providing educational content for chicken keepers from beginners to experts. External partner site for extended learning resources.
• Australia-wide Poultry Breeder NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLargest private list of poultry breeders in Australia. Backyard Chicken Coops acts as intermediary, connecting customers with local breeders for chicken sourcing.
• Zip & OpenpayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinance partners offering 0% interest payment plans from $20 per week, enabling customers to afford higher-priced coop purchases.
• 6 National Courier PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping partners contracted to deliver products to every Australian postcode, including remote offshore islands, at competitive rates.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pets at Home: UK's leading pet retailer with extensive ranges for small animals including hutches and runs. A regional incumbent comparable to Backyard Chicken Coops' small-pet enclosure products, operating in a different geography with broader pet category focus.
• Bunnings Warehouse: Australia's dominant hardware and outdoor living retailer carrying coops, feeders, fencing, and pet enclosures alongside a much broader DIY range. Comparable as a competitor on coop hardware and accessories, but operates at vastly larger scale across many categories.
• Tractor Supply Co. US rural-lifestyle retailer with strong backyard poultry assortment including coops, feed, and live chicks. Comparable as a competitor in the backyard poultry equipment space, but operates as a broad farm-and-home retailer at national scale.
• Petbarn: Australia's largest specialty pet retailer (part of Greencross) selling small pets, enclosures, feed, and accessories. Comparable to Backyard Chicken Coops' small-pet enclosure (rabbit, guinea pig hutch) lines and consumables, but as part of a much broader pet portfolio.

Emerging players

• Chickenpedia: Online education platform offering video courses on chicken care; explicitly listed as a strategic partner of Backyard Chicken Coops. Directly comparable audience (beginner to expert chicken keepers) and overlapping content mission, though monetized differently (courses vs products).

Direct peers

• Omlet: Omlet is a UK-founded direct-to-consumer brand selling chicken coops (notably the Eglu), feeders, and chicken-keeping accessories globally. It is the closest direct competitor to Backyard Chicken Coops with near-identical product range, brand-led marketing, and proprietary coop designs.
• Treats for Chickens: US brand selling chicken treats, supplements, and coop accessories (e.g., Coop Klear, Grubblies). Comparable to Backyard Chicken Coops' consumables/accessories lines and shared audience of backyard chicken keepers, though geographically separate.
• Williams & Bennett: UK manufacturer of handmade chicken coops and runs sold direct-to-consumer. Comparable to Backyard Chicken Coops as a premium-timber coop designer/maker targeting hobbyist chicken keepers in their home market.
• ChickenCoops.com: US-based online retailer specializing in chicken coops, runs, and accessories with a multi-brand catalog and home delivery. Comparable business model and customer base to Backyard Chicken Coops, focused exclusively on backyard poultry equipment.

Regional players

• Rural King: US farm-supply chain selling coops, feed, and poultry equipment alongside agricultural inputs. Comparable product overlap with Backyard Chicken Coops but confined to the US Midwest market and broader farm-rural focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/about

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Backyard Chicken Coops