Anyone used cconly coops?

[Dancingreenwoman]

How are they?

 

[smalltownchicks]

They sure look cute, no experience though...what do you have now?

 

[greenpixies]

Hi!

We bought one during the summer when our first (and only) brood was rapidly expanding and we realized that our dream to build our own was going to have to wait. I have mixed feelings about the whole experience. I think your choice must factor in how many chickens you have and where you live. Here are some of my thoughts:

SIZE: We bought one of the largest that cconly sells, I'll find the model number for you for a later post. We were advised that it would be suitable for 12 full sized birds, so we felt we'd be fine with our 7 full sized and 7 bamtams. Let me be clear: These Coops run VERY SMALL!! I have put them all in the coop and technically they will fit, but they are not in to hanging out in there due to the size, I believe.

ASSEMBLY: the directions for assembly are not fabulous, but it was fairly simple for me to put together.

QUALITY: These coops look darling! However, the coops are very thin and rickety. I was somewhat shocked by how thin the wood is. I am always afraid that it might break when we have to move it within their pen. The roof peices (which have asphalt shingles) started to bow inwardly after a couple of weeks and no direct rain even falls on the roof. Another indication of the thin wood.

DESIGN: Several aspects of the design looked most promising on-line. The model that we selected had big thick wheels for moving the coop around, we thought that would be great. Also their website boasts about the metal trays that slide out for easy cleaning. That seemed like another great feature for newbies like us.
Practically speaking, however: the framing on the coop is so weak and insubstantial that the wheels (which are the best quality parts on the whole coop) can not do their job properly, and the trays need help to stay in place under the coop which doesn't stay properly squared.

PRICE: I did a LOT of research on line for coops. Any one else who has done so will share that they are all CRAZY EXPENSIVE!!! CCOnly appears to have the best prices per size but comparing price alone with coops all online gives no indication of quality comparison and relative value per price.

SUITABILITY: I was grateful for this thin rickety coop during this summer's heat wave, but truly, the chickens never sleep in the coop anyway. We live in north Louisiana. Now that we've had a few days in the 30's, I am concerned that the chickens are not keeping warm enough. Plan to go elsewhere on forum to seek assistance in this area.

Bottom Line: the gentleman who is the contact person whose cell phone you can find on the website, was very nice. He made sure that I knew to put extra coatings of a wood preserve on the outside of the coop and suggested re-orienting the roasting bars during assembly. He told me the chickens would not like it the way it is and how to change the bars so they would be happy. I should have taken all this as a warning sign, but was pleased with his honesty.
I suspect that they coops are all made in a factory in China. If they were local, would the company not already have made the suggested changes? If my suspicion is correct it explains the low quality in conjunction with (relative) low price.

The REAL BOTTOM LINE: I paid well over $500 for my Coop. It's really BEAUTIFUL. When I have the time, I can probably re-work it with real lumber so that it is rigid and sturdy. That will be a bunch of my time and more money. If I had more money and time I would have built it the right way in the first place.
Would I buy it again, knowing what I know now, but given the pressure that I was under to get my awesome chickens outdoors and out of the brooder? No way. Not a chance!

Also, if you are in the north, I certainly would not recommend these coops for purchase at this time of year. Your peeps will freeze. If you have lots of peeps, also would not recommend. These are kinda like Ken and Barbie Coops. Did I mention how adorable and gorgeous they are though?

Any specific questions, let me know. Also, if you live close by, happy to let ya look. And finally, if you are interested in buying a second hand (less than 5 months old) CCOnly Coop that's darling, let me know ;-)

 

[AtholCoop]

These are the very coops that got me started building coops for extra cash. Our local feed store had a couple, I looked them over and thought I could do better for the same price. If I were you I'd hit your local craigslist up. Do a search under Farm/Garden for "coop" I'll bet there's a couple builders locally who could beat the price or give you either a larger coop, or a better looking one for the same price.

Depending on where you are I might even have someone I can recommend.

 

[Lynzi777]

Thanks for posting a thorough "review" of your CC Only coop. I am from upstate NY and just paid for mine today. I am new to chickens this year and also did a lot of research on coops and kept coming back to CCONLY I am staying small with this chicken hobby and my chickens will more than likely to roam free throughout the day. I purchased the CC-18-R1. The only reason I went with this one was because it says will hold up to 8 hens or 12 bantam (that number is more than likely exaggerated) but I plan on having more than 6 chickens total. So I thought 8 hens, 12 bantams, OK, my 5-6 silkies should be ok, and thats even if I get to 5-6! right now I have 2 silkies and 1 BO mix with no desire to get any more at this point.

I did post a question about coops and the weather where I am and to be honest, I do plan to tweak this one a little by putting a better roof on it, and staining it with some weather proofing stain. However, once it gets cold out I plan to move the coop itself to my shed and let the chickens out of the coop, out of the shed for a couple of hours a day because by then they should be used to the cold.

But I have to agree, out of everything I looked at, these are cute and at a great price. I cant wait for it to arrive this week and get it put together.

 

[tizzielou99]

Thank you for the posts! I had ordered a cconly coop and just canceled it in time before it shipped. They credited me back and I found one around here instead! Thanks for the advise!

 

[zippy722]

I too appreciate the review. I was close to ordering a CCOnly coop, but had already decided to have one built, thankfully. Phew, escaped that bullet! Thanks

 

[ChariM]

Thank you for your review. We were just looking at buying one of their coops, but with our wind, we need something sturdy. I was fearful with them milling their own wood that it would not be of standard size. Looks like we might have to build it after all. We are new to chickens and not very good carpenters so teh idea of the CConly coop was right up our ally .. sadly not.

 

[Lynzi777]

Just thought I'd share some pics of my finished coop from CCONLY. I stained twice this weekend and I have to say, I'm surprised at how sturdy it is after I put it together. Thought for sure it would be this flimsy cheap coop. But I'm happy with it. And like I said before, I'm staying small with this chicken hobby. I don't plan to get any more than 2-3 more chickens for a total of 5-6. And these chickens will eventually free range during the day. And once winter comes, the actual coop will go into the shed and the chicks will be let outside from there.

 

[survivert]

They Suck!!!!!!!!!!!
Stay as far away as you can!
My CC Only coop just snapped, the wheel came clean off :'(