Maybe new coop?

I'm thinking about possibly getting a new coop. I have been looking at the pre made ones but I'm not what is the best for my 8 girls. I've read that those ones are not as good but I've also seen that they work for some people. We don't have the time to build one on our own which I would be doing if we had the time. Any input is great in helping me decide on what to do!

kidfarmer said:

I'm thinking about possibly getting a new coop. I have been looking at the pre made ones but I'm not what is the best for my 8 girls. I've read that those ones are not as good but I've also seen that they work for some people. We don't have the time to build one on our own which I would be doing if we had the time. Any input is great in helping me decide on what to do!

Click to expand...

I'm a great great fan of the pre-made coops. They have worked really well for me. I have a variety of them purchased on line and from local places. Over recent years, I have seen the prices kind of skyrocket.

Depending on how you manage your chickens - one may suit your needs well. I see that you are in Mass too though...so your concerns will be different from mine in hot old TX.

Eglu are pricey -- but double insulated and portable -- easy to assemble and have a run incorporated. Snap-Lock a bit less pricey and some good engineering ideas.... I have two of the original Eglus now (they look like little pods) -- they are no longer available in the USA but the 'GO' and the 'Cube' are for sale here. You may want to check eBay and Craigs list for them -- you may even want to put in a search that will notify you if they come up on eBay. They have ability to attach the run.....

Snap Lock are pretty durable -- and I once had a raccoon trying to get access and not succeeding -- same with the Eglus -- I like Snap lock because they come apart for easy moving to a new house -- which mine have been relocated twice now -- and they are as good as ever. Snap Lock also gives you a plan to build 'legs' so you can easily put legs under -- and get that extra 16sq ft or so of floor space under the coop -- and the chickens can shelter there.....dust bath central...

I have bought the ones that you assemble and the quality goes down significantly -- but it depends on your usage. I use them for grow outs -- and housing a few chickens..... IF you get the kind with the nesting boxes as a pop out -- take the extra step to screw down the flooring -- it is a very thin piece of wood (like luan plywood 1/8") Once I had a raccoon pop up the bottom of the nesting box and kill a broody mom and her 4 newly hatched chicks -- because I relied on the gravity to hold the base of the nesting box in.


This one is on a table now that has wheels on the bottom.... and now the bottom of the nesting box is screwed down. - was bought at end of season sale from TSC long time ago -- but it is in a chain link run with a tarp over the roof.....so not exposed to a lot of weather.


This was bought as a rabbit hutch -- about 6-years ago -- and is good for grow out cockerels -- the 'hoop coop' made from cattle panels is what keeps the chickens safe from preditors... probably the lowest - low end -- these were once about 70.00 and now they are probably in the $100's. Before I retro-fit the sides and front with 1/2 inch hardware cloth -- a team of raccoons terrorized some juveniles in it -- one scaring them to the far side and one pulling them through the 1" hardware cloth that it came with - Sometimes I put a pet carrier in there for added housing for the grow-out bys -- but they prefer to be on the roof. If you had 8 you would probably need to do a lot of reinforcing and you would probably need 2.



snap lock with a walk-in-run made from cattle panels.....


rabbit hutch as a brooder on the front porch


legs made according to snap-lock's plans


snap lock on the ground....

A snap lock can be put together in about 20 minutes -- and it can be disassembled and put flat to move or to scrub the inside for spring cleaning.....

in the back ground an original Eglu with run attached.



The Eglu Cube with two other eglus in the background, the rabbit hutch (back wall is solid ) and poultry netting fence in the foreground.

Here's a thread about the Eglu Cube and a tour:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/my-friends-very-cool-cube

So that is a LOT of images and some tips about pre-made..... to summarize - here are a couple more

• Know your criteria - good things are -- pull out poop tray, easy access to gather eggs -- most important is security of your chickens
• The small Snap Lock comfortably held 4 hens and a roo on the roosting bar and they kept each other warm throughout the winter
• Assembly coops are likely more portable -- so the trade off is the light weight -
• my chicken only go in to roost and to lay for the most part they are outdoor chickens -- may not work in your climate....
• The MyPetChicken dot com sight has a lot of new ideas about coops
• This time of year -- you may find some reduced prices at your local TSC... I'm eyeing one where I bought feed yesterday.
• If you get an Eglu - you have resale value -- probably the same with snap lock -- watch Craigs List and eBay for those products at lower costs (have yet to see anyone sell a snap lock -- usually Eglus come up because people get more chickens than the Eglu capacity.
• Consider one that has an attached walk-in-run.... IMO a great help to your chicken safety and chicken management - for times you aren't there or free-ranging isn't in their best interest.

Good luck with your quest!

ChicKat said:

I'm a great great fan of the pre-made coops. They have worked really well for me. I have a variety of them purchased on line and from local places. Over recent years, I have seen the prices kind of skyrocket. Depending on how you manage your chickens - one may suit your needs well. I see that you are in Mass too though...so your concerns will be different from mine in hot old TX. Eglu are pricey -- but double insulated and portable -- easy to assemble and have a run incorporated. Snap-Lock a bit less pricey and some good engineering ideas.... I have two of the original Eglus now (they look like little pods) -- they are no longer available in the USA but the 'GO' and the 'Cube' are for sale here. You may want to check eBay and Craigs list for them -- you may even want to put in a search that will notify you if they come up on eBay. They have ability to attach the run..... Snap Lock are pretty durable -- and I once had a raccoon trying to get access and not succeeding -- same with the Eglus -- I like Snap lock because they come apart for easy moving to a new house -- which mine have been relocated twice now -- and they are as good as ever. Snap Lock also gives you a plan to build 'legs' so you can easily put legs under -- and get that extra 16sq ft or so of floor space under the coop -- and the chickens can shelter there.....dust bath central... I have bought the ones that you assemble and the quality goes down significantly -- but it depends on your usage. I use them for grow outs -- and housing a few chickens..... IF you get the kind with the nesting boxes as a pop out -- take the extra step to screw down the flooring -- it is a very thin piece of wood (like luan plywood 1/8") Once I had a raccoon pop up the bottom of the nesting box and kill a broody mom and her 4 newly hatched chicks -- because I relied on the gravity to hold the base of the nesting box in. This one is on a table now that has wheels on the bottom.... and now the bottom of the nesting box is screwed down. - was bought at end of season sale from TSC long time ago -- but it is in a chain link run with a tarp over the roof.....so not exposed to a lot of weather. This was bought as a rabbit hutch -- about 6-years ago -- and is good for grow out cockerels -- the 'hoop coop' made from cattle panels is what keeps the chickens safe from preditors... probably the lowest - low end -- these were once about 70.00 and now they are probably in the $100's. Before I retro-fit the sides and front with 1/2 inch hardware cloth -- a team of raccoons terrorized some juveniles in it -- one scaring them to the far side and one pulling them through the 1" hardware cloth that it came with - Sometimes I put a pet carrier in there for added housing for the grow-out bys -- but they prefer to be on the roof. If you had 8 you would probably need to do a lot of reinforcing and you would probably need 2. snap lock with a walk-in-run made from cattle panels..... rabbit hutch as a brooder on the front porch legs made according to snap-lock's plans snap lock on the ground.... A snap lock can be put together in about 20 minutes -- and it can be disassembled and put flat to move or to scrub the inside for spring cleaning..... in the back ground an original Eglu with run attached. The Eglu Cube with two other eglus in the background, the rabbit hutch (back wall is solid ) and poultry netting fence in the foreground. Here's a thread about the Eglu Cube and a tour: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/my-friends-very-cool-cube So that is a LOT of images and some tips about pre-made..... to summarize - here are a couple more

• Know your criteria - good things are -- pull out poop tray, easy access to gather eggs -- most important is security of your chickens
• The small Snap Lock comfortably held 4 hens and a roo on the roosting bar and they kept each other warm throughout the winter
• Assembly coops are likely more portable -- so the trade off is the light weight -
• my chicken only go in to roost and to lay for the most part they are outdoor chickens -- may not work in your climate....
• The MyPetChicken dot com sight has a lot of new ideas about coops
• This time of year -- you may find some reduced prices at your local TSC... I'm eyeing one where I bought feed yesterday.
• If you get an Eglu - you have resale value -- probably the same with snap lock -- watch Craigs List and eBay for those products at lower costs (have yet to see anyone sell a snap lock -- usually Eglus come up because people get more chickens than the Eglu capacity.
• Consider one that has an attached walk-in-run.... IMO a great help to your chicken safety and chicken management - for times you aren't there or free-ranging isn't in their best interest.

Good luck with your quest!

Click to expand...

Thanks! Lots of good info and stuff to look for I will be doing alittle more research soon!