A visual - adult chickens in Producer’s Pride Sentinel Coop

[leah0222]

Just wanted to share pics for people who need a visual of how many adult medium-large sized chickens ~really~ fit in this coop.

My chickens do not live in this, they have a 8x8 shed converted into a coop with an attached 7x18 (ish?) run. We do keep this coop around because it is in our back yard where they”free range”. The door to this coop stays open and it serves as a place to lay when they’re in the back yard and to run for shelter if they see a hawk. I think it would be a great isolation ward, too.

It was a good grow out coop for them but as you can see from the size, it would not be large enough to keep them in as adults. As they grew only 2 would roost inside and only 2 outside - meaning it was too crowded for them all to roost inside.

I had a hard time finding pics of adult chickens in this coop when we got these ladies, so I hope this can help someone.
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That's a great visual! That size of coop is advertised to hold 6, and that is only realistic for bantams or chicks. It would serve as a nice little nursery pen, or isolation. I currently have a wounded roo living in my green house ...he has a make shift cage that I cover and lock him into at night because the greenhouse is bare ground so I don't consider it predator proof.

 

[Se7en]

That is a great post. When we started out we looked at those coops and thought no way for two reasons. 1. It looks too small and I wouldn't be able to add more. 2. In Louisiana with hurricane weather it just wouldn't last.
So we built a large coop and run thinking it would last a while for growth but it didn't. Chicken math started with four and is now at twenty-seven. We now have two large coops and runs and am so glad we didn't get those prefab ones. We have two large dog crates that we use for isolation when necessary.

 

[alinas2010]

That's a great visual! That size of coop is advertised to hold 6, and that is only realistic for bantams or chicks. It would serve as a nice little nursery pen, or isolation. I currently have a wounded roo living in my green house ...he has a make shift cage that I cover and lock him into at night because the greenhouse is bare ground so I don't consider it predator proof.

Thank you, I hope it reaches the right audience. I agree, this is definitely something I plan to keep for isolation or nursery purposes. I don’t think this is too predator proof, either, although I’m actually not too disappointed with the quality of it. I don’t worry about it much so close to the house.

That is a great post. When we started out we looked at those coops and thought no way for two reasons. 1. It looks too small and I wouldn't be able to add more. 2. In Louisiana with hurricane weather it just wouldn't last.
So we built a large coop and run thinking it would last a while for growth but it didn't. Chicken math started with four and is now at twenty-seven. We now have two large coops and runs and am so glad we didn't get those prefab ones. We have two large dog crates that we use for isolation when necessary.

Thank you! I wish I had been as smart as you from the beginning, it would’ve saved some money. Im glad we have this tiny coop if we ever need it, but in reality, a makeshift coop for temporary isolation can be made as you have both said here. We’ve definitely housed our girls inside in a xl dog crate a few nights during the polar vortex last year.

 

[JLoWil]

Just wanted to share pics for people who need a visual of how many adult medium-large sized chickens ~really~ fit in this coop.

My chickens do not live in this, they have a 8x8 shed converted into a coop with an attached 7x18 (ish?) run. We do keep this coop around because it is in our back yard where they”free range”. The door to this coop stays open and it serves as a place to lay when they’re in the back yard and to run for shelter if they see a hawk. I think it would be a great isolation ward, too.

It was a good grow out coop for them but as you can see from the size, it would not be large enough to keep them in as adults. As they grew only 2 would roost inside and only 2 outside - meaning it was too crowded for them all to roost inside.

I had a hard time finding pics of adult chickens in this coop when we got these ladies, so I hope this can help someone.
View attachment 3607132View attachment 3607134View attachment 3607133View attachment 3607135

 

[JLoWil]

Before my chickens even went outside from their indoor brooder, I modified the roost bar inside to make two bars instead of 1 and cut into the “run” area to extend it. My 2 Orpingtons and 2 satins fit fine in here as only the orpies use the roost bar. Later, I added another small coop for 3 bantams and connected the runs. They free range all day and put themselves to bed at night.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Same thing we had to do! Ours were in this when they outgrew their brooder, probably sometime in June or July to mid September last year and they were out alll day. We realized it wasn’t gonna work for winter here as there would be days the snow would be too deep to come out. I think it’d be a great one for a few bantams, too. They definitely try to oversell these a little IMO. It is a great isolation/jail, I agree!View attachment 3611904View attachment 3611905View attachment 3611905View attachment 3611906

Have you considered putting a foot or so of clear plastic around the outside of the run to help keep some snow out?

 

[alinas2010]

Before my chickens even went outside from their indoor brooder, I modified the roost bar inside to make two bars instead of 1 and cut into the “run” area to extend it. My 2 Orpingtons and 2 satins fit fine in here as only the orpies use the roost bar. Later, I added another small coop for 3 bantams and connected the runs. They free range all day and put themselves to bed at night.

Your set up looks nice and sounds like it works well for your flock. I wish I would’ve seen more modifications like this for the coop, also. I think the breeds of chicken play a huge role in how well this works. Our ladies were just a little too big. The climate is another issue for us with this coop, although with the right modifications it could work.

Have you considered putting a foot or so of clear plastic around the outside of the run to help keep some snow out?

I actually really didn’t until it physically snowed this year. Stupid, I know, but I thought the roof would keep a lot of snow out. Obviously that didn’t work.

It became a moot point once there was just way too much snow to even let the girls over into the yard. But this year, I’m hoping for a more temperate winter, and I may end up wrapping it if they end up being in the yard a lot more.

As I said above, I wish I had seen some more modifications to this coop; i think it has some possibilities. Maybe sometime down the road I’ll get a wild hair and want to convert it into a little more than it is.

 

[bjdewell]

Just wanted to share pics for people who need a visual of how many adult medium-large sized chickens ~really~ fit in this coop.

My chickens do not live in this, they have a 8x8 shed converted into a coop with an attached 7x18 (ish?) run. We do keep this coop around because it is in our back yard where they”free range”. The door to this coop stays open and it serves as a place to lay when they’re in the back yard and to run for shelter if they see a hawk. I think it would be a great isolation ward, too.

It was a good grow out coop for them but as you can see from the size, it would not be large enough to keep them in as adults. As they grew only 2 would roost inside and only 2 outside - meaning it was too crowded for them all to roost inside.

I had a hard time finding pics of adult chickens in this coop when we got these ladies, so I hope this can help someone.
View attachment 3607132View attachment 3607134View attachment 3607133View attachment 3607135View attachment 3607136

I have the same coop and I love it. But we have to get a coop that fits our lifestyle and that of our hens. I have four Australorps, which are big hens, and they have free range of my entire backyard, which is large and has lots of shade, grape vines, wonderful dust bath areas, and a hill to climb that is terraced. We're in the high desert, and they have tons of bugs and seeds to forage for while free ranging.

The reason I chose this coop is because it is a hard frame that wind won't bother, hard wire all the way around that no critters will be able to get through, and it's a good place to "keep" them during bad storms, which are monsoons in this area and blow away quickly. We also get some pretty ferocious winds, and they are safe inside the X-pen area that surrounds our coop. If it's really bad, they'll go inside the coop's wired-in yard.

They sleep on the roosting bar inside the "house" and are not crowded, and always lay in their egg boxes. So, for my hens, this is perfect. But if they had to LIVE in it, I'm not sure I'd want it for even two hens.

Photo from when they were much younger, I used to sit on that chair and visit with them, but took it out as they grew. : )

 

[Evadig]

The reason I chose this coop is because it is a hard frame that wind won't bother, hard wire all the way around that no critters will be able to get through, and it's a good place to "keep" them during bad storms,

Same here - it was way more sturdy and predator proof than some of the other products on the market. I think it’s the best one if you absolutely need a prefabricated house.

 

[alinas2010]

I have the same coop and I love it. But we have to get a coop that fits our lifestyle and that of our hens. I have four Australorps, which are big hens, and they have free range of my entire backyard, which is large and has lots of shade, grape vines, wonderful dust bath areas, and a hill to climb that is terraced. We're in the high desert, and they have tons of bugs and seeds to forage for while free ranging.

The reason I chose this coop is because it is a hard frame that wind won't bother, hard wire all the way around that no critters will be able to get through, and it's a good place to "keep" them during bad storms, which are monsoons in this area and blow away quickly. We also get some pretty ferocious winds, and they are safe inside the X-pen area that surrounds our coop. If it's really bad, they'll go inside the coop's wired-in yard.

They sleep on the roosting bar inside the "house" and are not crowded, and always lay in their egg boxes. So, for my hens, this is perfect. But if they had to LIVE in it, I'm not sure I'd want it for even two hens.

Photo from when they were much younger, I used to sit on that chair and visit with them, but took it out as they grew. : )

I agree with you on the construction of it. I loved that the wire was all welded on all the way around and that the roof was shingle quality. I’m impressed your ladies all roost in there. We just have CQs, which are medium size, a Rhode Island blue, medium, and and a sapphire gem, which is a big girl. I can’t imagine any of ours are the size of yours, but man they would not all sleep in there together. Our hens do like to lay in it still, and I like when they do because it’s a little cooler in there than in their big coop. One thing I considered was converting the whole thing into a coop and building a new, larger run around it. But I’m not quite innovative enough to figure it out. Maybe one day.