Are any of the small coop kits actually worth it?

[Hensintexas]

We made a hoop coop out of an old trampoline! Another one out of a dog run! Anything is possible

That’s pretty cool!

 

[Sunny-n-moony]

Looking for a coop for my daughters new bantam chicks, when they are old enough to go outside. Want to get her a coop kit to build for her b day but am skeptical of the kits (300$ and under budget) and of they are worth the money.
Has anyone used any of them? Or have any ideas of what would be a good alternative? Thanks.

We made a hoop coop out of an old trampoline! Another one out of a dog run! Anything is possible

Hi! Check out "egglu" they are sturdy and VERY convenient to clean, easy to move. A big pain in the butt to put together and a little pricey though. It came in many sections with multiple instruction books. Other than that it has been great.

 

[3KillerBs]

Hi! Check out "egglu" they are sturdy and VERY convenient to clean, easy to move. A big pain in the butt to put together and a little pricey though. It came in many sections with multiple instruction books. Other than that it has been great.

As far as quality of manufacture, Eglus may well be the best of the kit coops. But they are still short on ventilation and short on floor space for the number of chickens they claim to hold.

 

[Opiumbrella]

Hi! Check out "egglu" they are sturdy and VERY convenient to clean, easy to move. A big pain in the butt to put together and a little pricey though. It came in many sections with multiple instruction books. Other than that it has been great.

Thanks!!!

 

[suburbanfarmermi]

Good luck on whatever you decide to do! We aquired our first chickens last march and decided to build our own coop using the simple suburban living free plans. I am sure we were just like everyone else, we put scores of hours into researching coops and found very few people that we happy with their pre-fab coops.

Another alternative that seems to come up frequently is to buy small shed and modify it and add a run to it.

I still remember shopping all of the prefab coops on tractor supply's website and then went to the store to look at them. they had one setup in the store. at first I thought it was a scaled down display model... they make them look so big in the pictures...

If you are able to build something yourself I would highly recommend it.



WEBSITE/CATALOG PICTURE

REAL LIFE PICTURE

 

[3KillerBs]

they make them look so big in the pictures

This spring one of our members discovered that one brand of prefab coop actually uses toy chickens in the ad photos!

 

[mrtoren]

$300 may be a tight budget depending on how many chickens she has and how large of a coop they require. I'd recommend scouring Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for any second hand deals. You can occasionally find decent homemade coops in the $200-300 range.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I use prefab a lot. Have 3 built now, 1 more to build in a few weeks and probably one last one next year.

Are they perfect? Absolutely not.
Do they comfortably hold what they claim? Absolutely not
Can they work for calm, smaller groups of birds? Yes.

I currently have in my 3: a pair of cockerels in one, a pair of bresse an Orpington pullet in one, and 5 bantams (1 male, 4 females) in one.

I like the new Setenal (sp?) The best. Metal frame, and it takes me and my mom only a few hours to build. But it severely lacks ventilation and only works for me because I don't close the coop door.

 

[suburbanfarmermi]

I use prefab a lot. Have 3 built now, 1 more to build in a few weeks and probably one last one next year.

Are they perfect? Absolutely not.
Do they comfortably hold what they claim? Absolutely not
Can they work for calm, smaller groups of birds? Yes.

I currently have in my 3: a pair of cockerels in one, a pair of bresse an Orpington pullet in one, and 5 bantams (1 male, 4 females) in one.

I like the new Setenal (sp?) The best. Metal frame, and it takes me and my mom only a few hours to build. But it severely lacks ventilation and only works for me because I don't close the coop door.
View attachment 2848433View attachment 2848434

Thanks for sharing your experiences ... you look like you are in a much dryer and warmer climate...... SouthWest USA?

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

We made a hoop coop out of an old trampoline! Another one out of a dog run! Anything is possible

My prefab is inside a covered 6x10 dog run. The pullets roost in it at night. I just shut the dog run door at night.