Pre built coops

[Soon2BChixMom]

Take a look at this blog it is written by a byc member. She likes prefabs and has written about what she does to ready the prefabs.
https://thekuntryklucker.blog
I think prefabs have a place and with the right care they can last. However, it is a good thing to know exactly what you are getting into.

 

[Mckennas poultry]

This woman is my go to on chicken keeping
She knows everything

 

[Mckennas poultry]

Look how colorful she is too

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I have watched this video before. I don't know about the OP, but around here dogs, coyote, raccoons, etc would rip through that in a heart beat.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Building a simple coop isn't hard. Do you have access to a power drill and the ability to screw in a screw straight with it? Do you have at least one functional hand and one functional eye? If so, you can probably build a coop.

 

[X_and_Z]

Take a look at this blog it is written by a byc member. She likes prefabs and has written about what she does to ready the prefabs.
https://thekuntryklucker.blog
I think prefabs have a place and with the right care they can last. However, it is a good thing to know exactly what you are getting into.

Yes! That was the poster I was thinking about. Her experience doesn't match mine, but she details exactly what she does to make pre-fabs work for her. It seems like more effort than building a hoop coop to me, but her pre-fabs are cute.

I have watched this video before. I don't know about the OP, but around here dogs, coyote, raccoons, etc would rip through that in a heart beat.

Alter that list a little to raccoons, opossums, skunks, rats... and ditto. Also dogs before my dogs became chicken friendly. And I live downtown in a city of ~1 million that is part of a greater metropolitan area of ~7 million.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Yes! That was the poster I was thinking about. Her experience doesn't match mine, but she details exactly what she does to make pre-fabs work for her. It seems like more effort than building a hoop coop to me, but her pre-fabs are cute.



Alter that list a little to raccoons, opossums, skunks, rats... and ditto. Also dogs before my dogs became chicken friendly. And I live downtown in a city of ~1 million that is part of a greater metropolitan area of ~7 million.

That was the etc.
I live in a rural area and we have neighbor dogs that aren't leashed. They have visited our yard before. Once we got chickens, they terrorized them and actually might have broken through the hw cloth on the prefab had I not caught them. They were only out there at most 5 min before I knew what was going on. I can't imagine what would have happened if they were out longer. So, we installed cattle panel and welded wire to extend their fortress. Lol. They will be residing in a new coop by the end of the weekend. My hubby finally relented and built me one from scraps. It is so much better than the prefab - probabaly doesn't have many straight angles either. However, if I didn't have help, a prefab would be all I could do.

 

[rachki]

Fyi my wife got that farm housey chicken coop from sams club because she thought it was cute. The wood is cheap splits easy and can barely hold its own weight. The doors are not secure, the lock system is about as secure and safe as a checkbook in d.c. The shingles drop asphalt bits every time a rheumatic chipmunk sneezes and the screws are made of cheap metal reminiscent of the titanic's rivets. Had 2 screw heads snap completely off the screw. I wouldn't buy it. It's worth 150 not 300

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I bought a prefab because I am new to chickens and didn't know anything. Lol. Plus, we have an HOA and everything in our yard had to be "aesthetically pleasing". I would advise you to make sure you either coat it in a waterseal product or paint it with exterior paint, and place something under it so the wood doesn't touch the dirt. We also put caulking in the seams of the roof before screwing on the wood panels over the shingles. We had some metal edging already, so we layed it flat under the wood, then stapled hardware cloth to the bottom and made a skirt around the whole thing. I also reinforced all the staples attaching the wire to the run as they were super flimsy. My daughter bumped into the side and detatched the wire that easily. Ours is good now, but I am already planning to build once this one falls apart

 

[Threewyandottes]

Yeah i am probably going to elevate the coop with cindering blocks and paint it with a wood sealant or woodstain. In this area, it is extremely windy even without a hurricane which is why stakes are needed.