Chicken coop

[kaitlinann1001]

Where is a good place to get a chicken coop for 8 hens for a decent price?

 

[drumstick diva]

probably can't. The ready made ones /kits, often are made very flimsy and cannot stand up to weather. Also they greatly overestimate how many birds can be housed comfortably.
They are also big prices to boot.

You best chance would be on your local Craig's list. Often people get birds, hate it and just want to dump the coop, food and birds and be done with it. Sometimes you will also find old dog run panels which can be used to contain chickens outdoors.

 

[Chonke]

for 8 hens youll need a coop that is at least 32 square feet inside. Look for anything that is 6'x6' or maybe even 6'x5', im not sure if thats pushing it. For sure it wont be cheap tho. As mentioned above, your best bet will be local classifieds.

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas and

! Pleased you joined our flock! I agree with the above - store bought are usually a short term proposition as they don't tend to last. If you have the knack you can repurpose material (pallets, etc.) and build yourself a pretty decent coop. Best wishes and thanks for joining BYC!!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - you have some great advice and links already so I'll just say hello!

All the best
CT

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under kaitlinann1001

Welcome!

Sorry, yeah, I have to agree with the other posters in that kit coops are kind of OK in the short term for a small amount of chickens [preferably bantams] but for 8 large chickens, you are probably best off picking up a larger, second hand coop or building your own. Beware of kit coops saying they can house 12 or 6 chickens etc; in reality the correct number is probably half of that.

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also pop in and say hello on your local thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you ‘Find your State’s thread.

If you would like to share pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out

 

[triplepurpose]

A lot really depends on climate and other local considerations like predators. In warm climate with no land predators in the area a "decent" coop can be a leanto shelter made out of scrap materials surrounded by some net fencing (or no fencing). Overbuilding can be a liability because of reduced ventilation and more habitat for mold and parasites. In very cold climates or areas with lots of four legged predators, however, the minimum requirements may be totally different. One other reason prefab coops are often a poor choice--the ideal coop depends so much on local environment, management differences, and other individual factors...

(Sorry, I realize thats not a directly helpful answer to your question, but these things do make a big difference in defining what a good coop is or what's a decent value for you.)

 

[QueenMisha]

Welcome to BYC! It's great to have you.

Avoid kit/box coops. For 8 birds, a small (5x5 - 6x4 - 4x8 - or similar) wood shed is about what you want. The only real difference between a storage shed and a decent chicken coop is nest boxes, roosts, and some ventilation cut into it. If you are halfway handy with construction you can build it yourself, but if you are not, you'll be well off checking places like craigslist for something similar.