Condo is ready!!!

[Tree Goat]

The birds are very happy with their new condo! I bought a Precision Pet brand kit from Tractor Supply (TS) on sale for $350.00 and the kit was the best I have ever experienced. ACE wanted $700.00 for the same kit, Walmart $500.00, so TS had a great sale on this unit. Comes in two huge boxes; made in China. Every panel fit perfect; no missing screws, easy instructions, no hassles. The unit will house up to 12 birds; I have six hens and four turkeys and they grew fast in the brood!

The unit was a little bit below average for strength and rigidity, so I beefed up by caulking all joints, panels, hardware cloth joints and seams, and any joint I could find resulting in I estimate a 50% more structural strength increase; was so strong I used a mover two wheeled hand truck to move both sections from my shop to the sand pad in the back acre; without caulking all the joints, using a mover's hand truck would not be feasible. I used seven tubes of latex caulk for all the joints (do not use silicone when using latex paint; latex paint will not adhere to silicone). Caulk was applied at about 5/16s wide and 1/8 inch deep beads for most of the joints. I installed the two sections on treated 2X4s; hardware cloth 2 foot wide predator perimeter around the coop...on top of four inches of sand and then three inches of large pine flakes. I bought a truck load of sand at $32.00 for one ton. I sprayed the roof cap and roof sides with Flex Seal rubber spray to help preserve the roof wood borders. Total cost was about $450.00. I estimate this coop will with hold up for at least five years because of the caulking and paint to preserve the wood and keep water out of the nesting box. It poured rain in buckets the night I finished and not one leak in the nesting area.

I applied two coats of light brown latex inside and out (I had Home Depot leftover deck paint from last summer I used). The locks that came with the coop are average; I think a smart raccoon could figure out how to open, so I used inexpensive angle hardware from HD at $.64 a piece and made four additional lock mechanisms (see pics). Cheap and very secure.

Last night I saw two feral cats clawing away at the screen door and digging at the base only to be frustrated by the hardware cloth two inches under the sand. All sides of the coop are built with 1/2 inch square hardware cloth. Below is the advertisement from TS web site. This unit is not Listed on TS website anymore.

"Precision Garden Walk-In Chicken Coop (2 Box) In Gray/White - Petmate 40081 Precision Pet chicken coops are an easy and convenient alternative to building a chicken coop from scratch. The Garden Walk-In Chicken Coop fits 9-12 chickens and stands 6 ft. tall, making it easy for you to walk in if needed. Features include a plastic corrugate roof, access doors on every side for easy cleaning and egg collection, 4 internal nesting boxes, and an adjustable rear ventilation. The Garden Walk-In Chicken Coop provides your chickens with a safe, durable, and easy-to-clean shelter"

An additional item needing modification is the ladder leading up to the nesting room; I will screw in a board under the ladder frame for easier walking access. Will install modified feed and watering systems soon.

 

[DobieLover]

It's great that you did all the upgrades to try to improve the structural integrity and security of the coop but caulk really isn't improving the integrity. But it did keep the unit in one piece for transport so that's good. The extra paint will help preserve the wood a bit longer.
Regardless of what the box said, it will not hold 9 to 12 birds... ever. Well, unless they are pigeons.
With a predator apron on a structure like you have, I would consider the coop adequate for 1 bird per 3.5 sq feet. That's it. And by bird I mean one LF chicken. The turkeys are going to be huge. Are these pets or are you raising them for Thanksgiving?
And the proportions of the run to the coop on pre-fabs are ALWAYS too small. Are you planning to add on to the run to give the chickens about 15 sq ft of space per bird? I would imagine turkey need 2-3 times that amount of space per bird but I've never raised them before.

 

[Tree Goat]

It's great that you did all the upgrades to try to improve the structural integrity and security of the coop but caulk really isn't improving the integrity. But it did keep the unit in one piece for transport so that's good. The extra paint will help preserve the wood a bit longer.
Regardless of what the box said, it will not hold 9 to 12 birds... ever. Well, unless they are pigeons.
With a predator apron on a structure like you have, I would consider the coop adequate for 1 bird per 3.5 sq feet. That's it. And by bird I mean one LF chicken. The turkeys are going to be huge. Are these pets or are you raising them for Thanksgiving?
And the proportions of the run to the coop on pre-fabs are ALWAYS too small. Are you planning to add on to the run to give the chickens about 15 sq ft of space per bird? I would imagine turkey need 2-3 times that amount of space per bird but I've never raised them before.

Hi Tonya,

Thanks for the comments.

I agree, the unit is not sufficient for the operation I have for pets and egg laying only; I am not raising for mass egg production or harvesting; those birds unfortunately do not live the luxury life like pets do.

Depending on what you read about mixing turkeys and chickens, the consensus is more they will get along together and so far they are friendly toward each other and nest together during the day and night. I think raising all the birds together as newborns is the best psychology to use; the chickens look at the turkeys like big siblings. That "friendly" sibling relationship may change as turkeys mature in size and unknown aggressiveness so I will be on the look out. One of the reasons I delved into raising birds again (kids had 30 plus chickens during there high school years while I was still active duty USMC) is to observe their behavior and social life / interactions; a good hobby to have in the current isolation environment.

Regarding additional run area; I mapped out a 50' X 30' additional run area that is partially shaded during the day; has old logs and brush areas for forage.

The caulk did add strength; any type of glue / adhesive especially a 5/16 wide bead 1/8" thickness is almost comparable to adding a wood rib that size; adding the hardness of the caulk along any seam will add strength and rigidity to the entire structure. Every panel that was flimsy before applying caulk, is much more rigid and stronger. I hope that makes more sense.

 

[aart]

the kit was the best I have ever experienced.

How many others have you experienced....and used to house birds long term??
@DobieLover made the same, more actually, valid points as I would have.
But maybe you have more hand on experience keeping poultry than it seems?

ANYway.....Welcome to BYC! @Tree Goat (great name )
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Tree Goat]

How many others have you experienced....and used to house birds long term??
@DobieLover made the same, more actually, valid points as I would have.
But maybe you have more hand on experience keeping poultry than it seems?

ANYway.....Welcome to BYC! @Tree Goat (great name )
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2119321

Hi Aart,

Thanks for the welcome. Regarding your "kit" question, I'm referring to "all" the various types of kits I have bought and assembled from plastic models, electronic kits, real aircraft kits, and now the chicken coop kit. As I eluded to in my thread, my kids had chickens for four years, so I learned a little from that experience. I live in the country about ten minutes from Waldorf, MD. I have one neighbor and my back acre borders a State Park. My call sign in the Marine Corps was "Goat."