Which coop?

Hi, I am getting chickens in the spring, and I am looking at two coops. I can't decide witch one is better. I can post more info/pics from online if you want. Here are the descriptions for them.


This one is smaller, and the reviews say that it is a lot smaller than it is in the picture. It is a little simpler than the other one, and the small run has a roof. This will all go in a big run, and the attached runs will only hold food/water/grit. They both have built in nesting boxes, at least two, maybe 4 on the other one, I can't tell from the description. This is supposed to fit 4 chickens.



This one is way more complicated, and the mini runs don't have roofs. This is pretty big, judging from a picture someone posted in the reviews. It has a little storage area on top, apparently. It was hard to tell, because this is the only picture. The top of the runs open. The runs connect to the main thing, but I can't figure out where the ramp leads to that will hold roosts/nesting boxes. The window is good ventilation, which the green coop has none of, although that could be fixed by drilling small holes near the top.
Please let me know which coop you would recommend. Thanks so much!

I have one like the top picture. I say you will be wasting your money with prefab coops like these. Mine has been through one winter, and the roof has failed. The wood it is constructed with is very flimsy, and is also in the process of failing in different areas. I have seen them priced anywhere from $199 to upwards of $400. I'd say even at $199, that's a lot of money for something that is basically "disposable". (I paid over $300 for mine, which I thought was good from the on line searches I did, but now I feel was not so good.)

The one in the second picture may also be cheaply made, but the design of it may make up for that. See how the roof is more slanted? That may allow water to run off better, and thus avoid rotting through the roof. (The first one has way too flat of a roof, and the way the asphalt shingle layer is put on, actually makes the water run into the framing, not off the edge.)

For the price you would spend on these, you are better off either building your own coop, which would be way superior, plus give you more options of features you can build in and layout you can give it. If you have until spring, that gives you plenty of time to build, or even to haunt Craigslist to find well-built ones other people are selling. For the quality, it would be worth the cost of renting a truck or trailer to haul it home. CL has a lot of crappy looking coops for sale, but there are the occasional nicely built strong one, if you are patient.

Or, you could even hire a handyman to build you one on your property, and you would probably still come out bigger and better quality than one of these kits, and still keep it under $500. (Well, that might depend on local costs for things.) Still, if you figure in the cost of buying a "disposable" one first and then a better one later, you are better off skipping the first waste-of-money step.

By the way, the siding on these is thin slats of tongue and groove, which is not very sturdy. I have had to use shelf brackets to support the nest box, since it was sagging downwards. And the hens have scratched off several layers of the nest box floor, so I will have to be cutting a new piece of plywood to fit there as well, before they make an outright hole.

As for size, mine (the top photo) came with 3 chickens in it. I think they did OK for the first guy who had them, but I wanted more than 3, and that coop just couldn't handle 4. The bottom photo looks bigger. That one might be OK for four.

I say, if you have until spring, you have tons of way better options out there! Have fun!

Oops, I didn't address the ventilation holes you are thinking of drilling. I tried to do that. The wood is so thin, that drilling holes basically cuts in pieces. I was able to drill small holes, but they are still completely inadequate for ventilation, as I have discovered. It was 90 degrees inside that coop back on a balmy April day. It definitely needs to be paced in a shady area.

Here are some photos of mine, with a new roof that I built since the old one leaked. I'm hoping the new roof will provide some shade. I also replaced the door with one that is ventilated.




You can see my tiny ventilation holes. I'm afraid to drill larger ones into the siding, since it that would break the tongue and groove slats. This is also before I braced up the nest box- you can see how it slopes downward.

I bought the bottom one , but when we took all the pieces out it was so thin and lined up so badly we didn't even put it together. I understand the attraction to them, they are so cute , already painted and they should have thought of everything, right?
Wrong ....the roosts are too small , the size is way to small and worst of all if a dog jumped on it or chewed a corner he'd be in before you knew he was there

Don't waste your money, build a shed

Ok, thanks a lot. My dad isn't very handy, but I'm sure we could get a friend to help out.

I agree with the others, and when anyone on here has already purchased a pre-fab and are lamenting the issues with them, I tell them that all is not lost - it can be reinforced and would make a dandy brooder pen for a hen with chicks or an isolation pen for newly acquired birds, or for sick/injured ones. Since you haven't already made the purchase, I'd skip it completely. By the time you're done ordering it, paying for shipping, and reinforcing it, you could have a nice coop built that will accommodate more chickens, be safer, and have the features YOU want instead of the things that someone who gets paid by the hour for churning these out thinks you want.

If you're worried about you building skills, a good place to start is your local big box home improvement store. Any of the sheds they have there would make dandy coops. They usually deliver, some even set up, and it's a simple matter to put in a couple of windows, some vents at the top, and customize the inside to suit your needs. You have the luxury of time on your side. Good luck!

peopleRanimals2 said:

Ok, thanks a lot. My dad isn't very handy, but I'm sure we could get a friend to help out.

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You could ask at your lumber yard , there are always handymen (women) looking for small jobs.

I currently have the second coop you posted. I am a first time chicken owner, so I am not as knowledgeable as others on this topic. I have six chickens that seem to be very happy in the coop. It has storage spots on both sides of the coop above the nesting box. It has two levels. The top has four nesting boxes (which are easily accessible) and a little platform spot. The two arms off the side bud up next to but do not attach to the main coop for easy moving around on grass (I think it was designed to move around more, but I keep mine stationary) the ends of the arms open up and the chickens love to use them as perches through the day. I built a larger area for the chickens to wonder/play (I don't like confining any animal into a small space plus we have quite a few predators here in utah.) The only things i would change is the front door, when it gets soaked (from my sprinklers) the wood expands a little and makes it a little hard to close. Here is the coop in my yard.

If you want more pics of its features I can take some. Again I am not an expert on chickens, this is my first year, buts it has been a good starter coop. I think I will eventually upgrade to something bigger though because for some reason when you get one chicken you end wanting to get more. : )

I'm in the don't waste your money camp. You have 8 months to come up with a better solution. Start with CL. Look for play houses, sheds, a swing set with a fort, a chicken coop, shipping crates, chain link dog run. .. it's easy to pick stuff up for free. Watch YouTube videos on building a coop. Plug away over the winter and learn how to build something simple and use hand tools. Skills everyone needs.