pre-fab coops?

[lhammer1979]

I have found one I really like on ebay for about $350 that will house about 6-8 hens. Anyone have experience with pre-fab coops, how they go together, are they sturdy?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

They are generally flimsy, expensive and crowded, and never are big enough for more than 1-3 chickens. They can make good temporary isolation coops, but aren't good for long term housing.

 

[lhammer1979]

They are generally flimsy, expensive and crowded, and never are big enough for more than 1-3 chickens. They can make good temporary isolation coops, but aren't good for long term housing.

thank you for your reply.

 

[Teila]

They are generally flimsy, expensive and crowded, and never are big enough for more than 1-3 chickens. They can make good temporary isolation coops, but aren't good for long term housing.

100% Agree!

I battled with a prefab which then became 2 x prefabs joined together; gave up and built something more suitable.

Prefabs do serve a purpose for the short term or in an emergency etc but are not useful in the long term.

Generally, halve the amount of chickens the manufacturers say the coop can accommodate.

 

[lhammer1979]

ugh!!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you link the coop you're interested in, maybe someone who has it can give you feedback for that particular item. But I agree with the above, the numbers are usually deceptive and they're often made of flimsy materials. There are some pricier prefabs that are sturdier, but even those are usually fairly tight spacewise.

 

[lhammer1979]

here’s a pick from ebay...

 

[JDN]

How many birds do you have?

 

[llombardo]

When I first started my adventure I was thinking I would get chickens and they would be in the coop, done deal. I put it together and sealed it. It is sturdy, I can see 4 roosting on each roost at night without issue(I made this decision after I watched how close they roost now) plus there are 3 nest boxes. In the winter they will keep each other warm without a doubt. But there was no way they would have enough room during the day. So the next adventure of building an enclosure has started,hopefully finished this weekend.

So if they are going to be in the coop only all day I wouldn't go more then 4..

 

[21hens-incharge]

Does it actually include the run extension?

The farm store by me has that model and it only includes the run up to where the roof stops. That part with the chicken on it is new to me.

Looks short....... Are you looking at how to do the daily chores too? If I cannot walk into the run it would make tending them difficult at best.