Buying a coop

[RubelliteRose]

Another alternative is calling a few shed places to see how much it would be to move your current shed to a better location and then fortifying it so it is predator proof.

 

[DobieLover]

We are thinking of purchasing a coop but wanted advice from the experts. We formerly talked about converting an existing shed on the property, but it’s out of our line of vision and we didn’t even notice when a fox stopped by and took a few chickens.

so we were hoping for opinions from you guys on this coop for our remaining ladies.
This is the coop in question:

https://www.familyfarmandhome.com/chicken-coop-t242674.html

Thank you in advance!

It shouldn't matter if the shed is out of the line of view. You can make it predator proof.
I converted an old shed on my property into my coop and I can't see it from any window in my house. I have to go outside. Nothing is getting in.
Please post pictures of your shed, inside and out, and we'll help you resign it and make it predator proof for a lot less than building from scratch and you won't be wasting money on a rinky dinky pre-fab.

 

[3KillerBs]

Please post pictures of your shed, inside and out, and we'll help you resign it and make it predator proof for a lot less than building from scratch and you won't be wasting money on a rinky dinky pre-fab.

Yes, we certainly will!

 

[bill3607]

There is a reason that these store bought coop/runs are not very good, which is the price. Think about it. The one in your link cost $249.99. You can not build much for $250 even before the recent skyrocketing of lumber prices. Then, there is a markup on that price. I do not know what the markup is, but there is not much at all left for materials. There was not much to start with.
You will most certainly be better off putting the money in to what you already have.

 

[Mamatomany123]

There is a reason that these store bought coop/runs are not very good, which is the price. Think about it. The one in your link cost $249.99. You can not build much for $250 even before the recent skyrocketing of lumber prices. Then, there is a markup on that price. I do not know what the markup is, but there is not much at all left for materials. There was not much to start with.
You will most certainly be better off putting the money in to what you already have.

You can build a decent coop if you're willing to scavenge and find sales. We build this for around $150. Added onto a playhouse. Playhouse was free. Hardware cloth was on sale for under $10 for a 20ft roll. Paint was marked down because it was already mixed. Wood was almost free and found on nextdoor and letgo. Had to buy a couple 2x4s. It took some time but in the end we ended up with a great coop.

 

[bill3607]

You can build a decent coop if you're willing to scavenge and find sales. We build this for around $150. Added onto a playhouse. Playhouse was free. Hardware cloth was on sale for under $10 for a 20ft roll. Paint was marked down because it was already mixed. Wood was almost free and found on nextdoor and letgo. Had to buy a couple 2x4s. It took some time but in the end we ended up with a great coop.

Looks great! Excellent example of what you can do with that money. I think you can always do a lot better than spending the $249.99 on something someone built trying to turn a profit.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Looks great! Excellent example of what you can do with that money. I think you can always do a lot better than spending the $249.99 on something someone built trying to turn a profit.

I agree. I just had to look around. The metal roof I got for free from my neighbor. It was just sitting by her shed. A lot of the wood I got were sitting next to dumpsters of businesses (always ask before you take them)

 

[neo71665]

I got $25 in my 10x10 coop and run. All I bought was a box of screws. The tin I pulled off an old barn. The wood I picked up in various places. The chain link dog pen I found by the side of the road somebody was throwing out. I already had the other dog pen that one panel a tree fell on so I combined the two into a 10x20 run. The hardware cloth I had as I make fish traps and use it all over the farm.

 

[Ann Perkhens]

So this is where they are currently. It’s very big, especially considering there’s just three in there right now. 8 ft by 18 ft. The covered area is 4 ft by 18 ft. We still need to add ventilation and roosting bars but we were working on the run, which we’d need to do over again. What would we need to do to make this one more secure? Someone mentioned moving it—this one is somewhat unstable, so I’m not sure about moving this shed. It has no floor as well, so I believe it would likely collapse if we attempted moving it.

I’ll attach our other option to another post.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Sounds like some chicken math could be handy... you could fit a lot of chickens!