Can anyone recommend a good store bought coop?

[thecreekhouse]

I need to get a coop for my 4 chicks (two Silkies and a Polish) that are in the brooder now. I am not handy IN THE LEAST so building a coop is truly not an option for me. This means I have to buy a prefab coop and run. My first choice would be the Eglu Go or Cube but they're both out of my budget and I feel like the runs they have may not be big enough. All the other coops and runs I look at online have reviews saying they're much smaller than advertised and/ or made with poor quality materials. Surely there's a good store bought coop out there. Can y'all help me find it? Can anyone recommend a specific brand and model of coop + run that I can order online or buy at a store and that will be big enough for my four chickens (may go up to six at some point) and that's well made? All suggestions welcome

 

[Pork Pie]

From what i read and have seen online, good quality prefab coops are not so common. Have you considered a prefab shed? They could house many more chickens that you have, and give you room for storage of all your chicken stuff (and a bit of gardening things also). They are for sure cheaper, better quality and flexible in terms of how you lay it out.

All the best
CT

PS - maybe check out "shed coops" in the search box and see if the idea inspires you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Another option is to look in the coops section at the top of this page and select one you like. Most have plans. The find a handyman to build it for you. Ask at your local hardware store for recommendations for a handyman. That’s usually a good source. It probably won’t cost you any more than a prefab coop and can be a lot better quality.

You might want to read this thread before you buy a prefab coop. Notice the title of the thread. There are a few that are sort of decent but they are pretty rare.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/852529/money-poorly-spent

 

[Pork Pie]

Interestingly enough, the suggestion of hiring someone to make a coop was raised a month or so ago. A member, who is also a carpenter suggested that could be more expensive to go that route. Everywhere is different, as are the skills and costs of carpenters so there's no harm in getting a quote for sure (maybe the member was an artisan and hence the higher costs).

CT

 

[N F C]

Have you looked at the Reviews forum? Maybe there is something there that would work for you:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/products/category/coops-runs-housing?sort=rating

 

[Ridgerunner]

Good point, CT. It’s also possible someone selected a coop with all kinds of gingerbread. Some are going to be a lot more expensive to build than others. But getting a quote is a really good idea.

 

[aecs]

Check out Craigs list. There are 3 or 4 up now in Memphis and one guy that builds them. About 300 or so.

 

[Hirad]

Do you have a technical high school or trade school near by? Usually if you supply the materials the schools are happy to let the kids learn by building your project.

 

[MeepBeep]

Dollar for Dollar you are not going to get a 'good' coop in kit form vs the alternatives like having one build or converting something else into a coop...

IMO it's generally penny wise but dollar silly to invest $400 in one of the commercially available coop kits vs spending $800 to build your own coop... Yeah, it's double the money initially but you will almost certainly spend that money in short making the $400 kit functional and still generally have an inferior product...

If you don't have the skills to build it, may I suggest some social networking, seems like there is always someone willing to get together and work for free beer and free food on the weekend...

 

[BBQJOE]

If you can't start with a good sturdy real coop, might as well just give up now.

I scoured a lot of net, and home stores, and saw nothing much short of balsa wood, and they were all rated over what the coop would actually hold comfortably.
Plus, I wouldn't give them 6 months outdoors.