That's the truth...my first little coop was from eBay and is so flimsy...$ 200.xx wastedLast week I bought a prefab for 4 chickens I’m getting in the next week or two. They are being given to me along with some supplies. I’m really disappointed with it, but we don’t have time to build anything right now. So, we are fortifying it as best as we can. We are going to scrounge up supplies around my in-laws farm and build at least a nice run for them. Eventually, I will build (with hubby’s help - really he will do the building, I will just help) or get a better coop - watching CL and other swap boards. I have no skills as far as construction goes, plus I have limited strength in my hands and arms. So, my options are slim as far as building a coop goes, but I’m hoping the prefab holds up at least until spring.
I’m not even sure there is $100 worth of materials in this coop we purchased. It’s pretty flimsy wood and I’ve already seen issues with it -and nothing even resides in it yet!
Also, they run pretty small. I got one that said for 8 chickens knowing that the number is highly exaggerated.
If you have skills and the resources, it’s definitely possible to keep the costs down.