- Jun 16, 2013
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I have been looking on-line at all the pre-fab chicken coops. Does anyone have one and what are your opinions?
Pre-fab chicken coops
- Thread starter k24smith
- Start date
I don't have any but several friends do. Most are nice but IMO every manufacturer greatly exaggerates the number of birds the coop will comfortably hold. Some even seem to use the stocking density of commercial egg operations as a criteria.
There is more thought put into how they are going to package and ship, than into what is best for the chickens that are going to spend their lives inside of it.........Locate a local builder if you can (craigslist, newspaper, facebook, etc.). They will provide the greatest value for the buck. Only buy a chicken coop from someone who raises chickens. JMTC
Most BYC member reports that I've read in the past talk about how cheaply made they are (not ALL of them of course). Definitely go by the actual dimensions of the housing...NOT including nest boxes...and separate from the run space dimension to base capacity. Do NOT go by how many chickens they TELL you will fit in the coop.
- Apr 12, 2012
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We bought one prefab for my parents; it was described as Amish made and we were able to pick it out at a local shed place, although I've seen them online. I think it's very well made; that being said, we did add some extra hardware cloth ( had aluminum screens on windows) and put vinyl on the floor and weather stripping around the pop hole; it also had a door that got sticky once the weather got cold, now it's better again, that sort if thing. I think it will last a long time. Balances out my cheap coop that's repurposed from a dog crate and run.
- Thread starter
- #6
- Jun 16, 2013
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How many hens would be able to live in a 45Lx47Hx56W?
Is the 45 inch length x 56 inch width the actual HOUSING, or the housing and run together? And does that measurement include or exclude the nest boxes? If that's JUST the housing alone, then I'd say four chickens if you're in an area that gets winters, or 6 - 8 chickens if you live in a year-round mild climate area.
- Thread starter
- #8
- Jun 16, 2013
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Here is the new pre-fab coop, and we built the run with lumber and roofing we already had with hardware cloth. We even put the hardware cloth on the bottom to make sure our girls are safe!
- Sep 24, 2013
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That's super cute! I agree with most of the posters here that the sellers of pre-fab chicken coops exaggerate the number of chickens that can live comfortably in the coop. I bought mine and it was supposed to house 6. No way. They started sleeping on top of the coop at about 10 weeks old. I would say 2 or 3 could be housed comfortably in the coop we bought 
Their pen area is big enough though, it's just the coop that is too small.
Their pen area is big enough though, it's just the coop that is too small.
res
Songster
You get A LOT more for your money by purchasing a "shed" and converting it to a coop than to purchase the pre-fab Amish-made coops.
Converting a shed IS NOT difficult, and doesn't require a lot of time, skill, or money.
We bought an 8x10 gable roof shed for ~$1500.
Added insulation + lined with OSB, a dog door (easier to install than a homemade one), a roost, and nest boxes for about $150 total. If we ever decide not to have chickens, or sell the property, the shed can be converted back to a shed for other uses.
I currently have 14 hens in the 8x10, but have had more, and will have more again soon when my broody hatches her clutch. My hens free-range, so that does impact the # I can comfortably house in the coop. They are pretty much only in the coop to sleep....
If I had spent $1650 on an Amish shed, I would have had something that could only house <10 hens, and would have been difficult to access or walk into. It would have had no storage area for feed, and no floorspace for days when the weather required the hens to be locked indoors 24 hrs a day (blizzard/hurricane/etc.) It would have zero uses other than being a coop.
Converting a shed IS NOT difficult, and doesn't require a lot of time, skill, or money.
We bought an 8x10 gable roof shed for ~$1500.
Added insulation + lined with OSB, a dog door (easier to install than a homemade one), a roost, and nest boxes for about $150 total. If we ever decide not to have chickens, or sell the property, the shed can be converted back to a shed for other uses.
I currently have 14 hens in the 8x10, but have had more, and will have more again soon when my broody hatches her clutch. My hens free-range, so that does impact the # I can comfortably house in the coop. They are pretty much only in the coop to sleep....
If I had spent $1650 on an Amish shed, I would have had something that could only house <10 hens, and would have been difficult to access or walk into. It would have had no storage area for feed, and no floorspace for days when the weather required the hens to be locked indoors 24 hrs a day (blizzard/hurricane/etc.) It would have zero uses other than being a coop.
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