Anyone heard of a Poultry Pod before?

[ronbonzo]

Bump!
Any more reviews, Pictures? At this price, I am very curious. I have to build a perimeter fence anyway so the strength of the structure against predators is not much of an issue for me. Anyone?

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Be aware that it's much harder to build a predator secure run than it is to build a predator secure coop...after all, the run is much bigger. Your fence would need to be strong wire with small openings (less than 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch) with a similar or solid roof if that's going to be your security.

After security, the main things you need a coop to do is provide shelter from rain and wind. There's no roof overhang on the Pod, and it looks like there's some kind of hinge right in the middle of the flat roof. It might get soggy in there after a good rain. The holes in the side are right at chicken level, so in the winter that's a draft (what you want to avoid). With the plastic as flimsy as it is, you're not going to get any real insulating effect, either.

At 2' by 4", that's big enough for no more than two chickens, and less than that if you take up floor space with a feeder, a waterer and nestbox. At 20 lbs, you'll need to stake it down or it could go blowing around the yard in a gust of wind.

Honestly, I think you'd be getting a better product if you bought one of those plastic dog houses, instead.

 

[ronbonzo]

Quote:
Thanks elmo. I've been thinking about and studying the different ways of raising laying chickens for over a year now and can't seem to pull the trigger. The problems are I live in the country in a wooded area by a creek where the predators are numerous. The predator fence I originally planned was massive and prohibitively expensive considering I wanted to free range. Oh well, I'll keep looking for a solution but won't keep my hopes high.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Other than hawks and roaming dogs, most predators are nocturnal, which means you can guard against them by building or buying a secure coop and locking your chickens in at night.

Many people build runs with the field fencing (16 gauge, with 1' by 3" or 2" by 4" wire spacing) to keep dogs out, then put netting or chicken wire over the top to keep the hawks out. At night they lock their chickens in the coop. This arrangement works pretty well, I think.

The fellow we got our first chicks from (he has more than 25 years of experience keeping poultry) uses chain link dog kennels with tin roofs. He tarps the sides in our mild winters to provide a windblock. That's his coop. He lets his chickens out to free range in his fenced back yard. He doesn't have to worry too much about critters digging into his pen or reaching through the openings of the chainlink because he has a big Australian shepherd dog on the prowl. But if you don't have a guard dog handy, you can always fashion a hardware cloth apron to go around the perimeter laid outwards flat on the ground, and wrap the bottom two or three feet of the run with hardware cloth, too.

There are many different ways to approach it.

 

[blefky]

Looks like it would be great as a brooder or hospital coop, but it sure doesn't look very substantial for other than that.

 

[ronbonzo]

Quote:
Don't I know that! I think I will, for the time being, abandon my dream of having free range chickens and look strongly at a tractor with a four season coop and a heavy duty run. Starting with only a few chickens, I can then decide whether I wan't to increase the size of the flock.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Sounds like a great plan!

 

[BWKatz]

I have started with 4 chicks and a lg plastic doghouse from Home Depot. Less than 1/2 the price of the Poultry Pod. More secure and more water proof. Since I have decided to build a more traditional coop & expand(yes they are addicting) I will then use it for a breeder coop.

 

[jenjscott]

Actually, I finally put mine together last night. I forgot to take pictures. It goes together easy enough, but as suspected, two hens max with a secure run and outside water and feed. The variable ventilation is neat, it has a little roost and a door guard so you can put about 3 inches of litter in it. I think it will be perfect for a batch of babies, or a trio or quad of Japanese in a secure run. It even has small access doors for collecting eggs and the roof opens for litter changes or just checking things out.

 

[cajunbuck]

I just put mine together. I like it. Trying to figure out if I like the idea of raising chickens and this is a great start. will build a permanent coop/run next summer if this hobby pans out!