better coops and gardens in seattle - which is your favorite?

[egglicious]

I've been asking so many questions lately! Thanks to all of you for your input. I bought an eglu cube but i'm now second guessing myself so I just want to make sure there isn't something better. I found a builder in Seattle called Better Coops and Gardens and the designs look really cute. Anybody heard of them? The run can be made as large as 14 feet which is such a plus. Please check it out and let me know what you think and which design is your favorite!

http://www.bettercoopsandgardens.com/coops.html

 

[bryan99705]

The grass is always greener...

You might consider getting a friend to build to your specs (retirees are cheap and fun) A friend did that and it cost materials and ice tea. Take all your research, combine all the things you like and you'll get exactly what you want and it reflects your personality.
Once that's done, quit looking at other peoples coops and look at their birds instead, this helps prevents coop envy.

 

[elmo]

Gee, those coops look miniscule to me. And I don't see any ventilation in them, either.

 

[egglicious]

Oh man... I am getting so confused! Lol. Neurosis + chickens = coop madness.

 

[hennyannie]

How many chickens do you have or wish to have? They are cute, but look to be low to the ground, thinking about having to clean them.

 

[teach1rusl]

I would go with whichever coops would give your birds about 4 sq. ft of indoor space, and about 10 sq. ft. of run space as a minimum. In other words, don't worry about how cute it is, find something roomy w/good ventilation, and easy access for cleaning.
And read closely the SIZES of the coops, not how many birds they advertise it will hold. Both of the barn-style coops I looked at on the site were basically 9 sq. ft, and they said it could hold FIVE birds - that's not even 2 sq. ft each!!! Not sure how eglu's compare size-wise...

 

[egglicious]

Ten chickens... slowly going back to the eglu... it just seems like the best option.

 

[kichohana]

Quote:
I agree. The girls will need space. I thought I had plenty of space until this winter when the feather plucking started. My coop is 3x6= 18 sq feet and I have 4 full sized birds. I'm kinda pushing the space thing, but they have a 6x7 attached outdoor covered run area. When the feather plucking started, I decided they needed even MORE room to spread out; thus the coop "sun run" extension.

For the price of these coops, and the "extras" like a run (shouldn't be an extra - it's a necessity!!) you could have a local carpenter or maybe a high-school kid taking a shop class build one for you that would be twice the size. Keep checking Craigslist - if not for a coop then for a handyman that can build you one.

There is a pretty good basic coop on the Purina Mills website with plans too. If you purchase the materials, maybe a handyman can build it for you.

 

[egglicious]

Oops, I mean I will have six chickens. Three large breeds and three bantams. I figured I would get the larger size coop with a 12 or 14 ft run..

 

[essig]

Hey, I work in Seattle. I don't think there is an eglu that holds 10 chickens comfortably. I would rethink that. For the same price you can get someone to build you one. I would look here: http://www.seattlechickencoops.com/ The portage bay grange sells his coops if you want to check them out first: http://www.portagebaygrange.com/ but I think he custom makes them too. I believe I've seen craigslist postings for a guy up north that custom builds them too and I recall they looked nice.