Are there any good pre-fab coops?

[StinkyAcres]

Omlet coops are unbelievably overpriced, undersized, and underventilated. Not a good choice.

 

[LaceyJune]

I mean, I'de just thought I'de throw it on the table as an open option. But you may be totally right, personally I have not tried these coops. So, thank you for your input, so no one makes the mistake of owning one of these for your birds!

 

[Perris]

@briansol remember to factor in ongoing costs for annual maintenance of woodwork and roof materials etc., plus chemicals and time for pest control, plus your time spent cleaning it and dealing with mites.

 

[briansol]

So the current thought is that I AM going to get one of these pre-fab coops, and get one that is sized for 8+ (i have 5) so there's actually enough space inside AND get a fence enclosure/run something like this:

and put the coop inside that area for extra security.

Since a lot of those enclosures have a uv cover, i'm going to add some addtional venting to the pre-fab coop and the cover area should help keep the water off it, which will hopefully extend the life of the shoddy material pre-fab.

Also, will add some bottom border protection to stop the digging under and add some hardware cloth around the lower areas. I have a pile of old pavers i can re-purpose here, standing up on the vertical and dug in 6-8 inches.

I think i can do all this under $500 and a couple afternoons of labor.

These chicks are growing fast. day 9 inside and we're ready to get them out of our bathroom and into the garage in a larger 'pen'.

 

[casportpony]

So the current thought is that I AM going to get one of these pre-fab coops, and get one that is sized for 8+ (i have 5) so there's actually enough space inside AND get a fence enclosure/run something like this:

and put the coop inside that area for extra security.

Since a lot of those enclosures have a uv cover, i'm going to add some addtional venting to the pre-fab coop and the cover area should help keep the water off it, which will hopefully extend the life of the shoddy material pre-fab.

Also, will add some bottom border protection to stop the digging under and add some hardware cloth around the lower areas. I have a pile of old pavers i can re-purpose here, standing up on the vertical and dug in 6-8 inches.

I think i can do all this under $500 and a couple afternoons of labor.

These chicks are growing fast. day 9 inside and we're ready to get them out of our bathroom and into the garage in a larger 'pen'.

I've thought about getting something like that. Keep in mind that predators can get through the wire mesh that it comes with, so you might want to install hardware cloth around the bottom 2-3 feet.

Edited to add:
Watch the videos in this ad:
https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Poul...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A164PEFL8U6ZXH&th=1

 

[ChaosMom]

So the current thought is that I AM going to get one of these pre-fab coops, and get one that is sized for 8+ (i have 5) so there's actually enough space inside AND get a fence enclosure/run something like this:

and put the coop inside that area for extra security.

Since a lot of those enclosures have a uv cover, i'm going to add some addtional venting to the pre-fab coop and the cover area should help keep the water off it, which will hopefully extend the life of the shoddy material pre-fab.

Also, will add some bottom border protection to stop the digging under and add some hardware cloth around the lower areas. I have a pile of old pavers i can re-purpose here, standing up on the vertical and dug in 6-8 inches.

I think i can do all this under $500 and a couple afternoons of labor.

These chicks are growing fast. day 9 inside and we're ready to get them out of our bathroom and into the garage in a larger 'pen'.

This is going to sound pretty derpy, but watch out for coop height. From the look of the gate, you don’t have a lot of room to play with.

Remembering legends of old aircraft lovers rebuilding their planes in the basement, and then realizing that they couldn’t get them out

 

[briansol]

Yeah, I will certainly make sure it all fits before purchasing.

And yes, i will install hardware cloth on the lower portions and skirt it as well for extra protection.


does anyone use anything like those glow in the dark eyes to deter anything?

 

[MommyGirl]

So the current thought is that I AM going to get one of these pre-fab coops, and get one that is sized for 8+ (i have 5) so there's actually enough space inside AND get a fence enclosure/run something like this:

and put the coop inside that area for extra security.

Since a lot of those enclosures have a uv cover, i'm going to add some addtional venting to the pre-fab coop and the cover area should help keep the water off it, which will hopefully extend the life of the shoddy material pre-fab.

Also, will add some bottom border protection to stop the digging under and add some hardware cloth around the lower areas. I have a pile of old pavers i can re-purpose here, standing up on the vertical and dug in 6-8 inches.

I think i can do all this under $500 and a couple afternoons of labor.

These chicks are growing fast. day 9 inside and we're ready to get them out of our bathroom and into the garage in a larger 'pen'.

Search around on Amazon cause they do sell one of those that has hardware cloth 19 gauge for the fencing. But I don’t have one of them so I’m not sure if it’s safe or not just wanted to give you a heads up on the hardware cloth

 

[casportpony]

And yes, i will install hardware cloth on the lower portions and skirt it as well for extra protection.

Check out this video:

 

[AntiqueB]

I have one of those. The cover lasted a year before it got holes. It also needs to be shored up for potential snowfall. I have a post in the center, the door frame on one end, and a converted shed holding up the other end.

If I could do it over, I would have built a wood frame in conjunction with the metal, because going through a tarp a year is pricy. I would love to have the option of permanently roofing it easily.

If you want to make it predator proof, you have to enclose the entire thing in hardware cloth. Raccoons (and foxes) can climb easily.