Did you ever buy a prefab coop? Give a review!

[Jenni Hen]

In my opinion prefab is nearly always a joke. Not great materials, very small, not sturdy, and cumbersome to deal with. My experience with prefab has not been good. Way too flimsy, the amount of birds it will hold is often exaggerated, etc. I'd always rather build than buy prefab. I don't trust T.S.C prefab coops, or Ama.zon. Just looking at them you can tell they're cheaply made, but others look pretty good. Rita Marie's look nice. Egloo seems okay too. I just like to know that I've taken every step to make sure my birds are comfy and safe.

I can't fault the quality of construction of the Eglu but there are design flaws and weaknesses, as described above. I do feel that my birds are safe from predators and bad weather when they're shut up for the night.
To anyone thinking of getting an Eglu I'd say, consider the pros and cons and whether you could make it work for you and your birds. Also, consider the volume inside (not much headroom or air space).

 

[NagemTX]

The prefab I bought was more an open air pen. Added wood frame around the bottom to attach hardware cloth to for extra predator protection and will be adding either a tarp or building a covered roost and nesting boxes. I'll post a link in an edit.

Picture of it instead of Amazon link.

 

[Iluveggers]

Thanks to research on BYC, we bought a homemade 4x5 coop from CL with the plan to stick with 5 chicks. We are not very handy and I wanted something strong & sturdy. However our contractor friend saw it and said “you’re going to want more chickens than that will hold”. So he helped us build an 8x8 coop with 8x20 run. Aside from roofing, hardware cloth, and a few sheets of plywood, we had everything else left over from a project, including matching siding from our house. Tell about the luckiest thing that could have happened! We have 10 chickens with a plan to add 5 more this summer. We have an attached fenced garden next to the run with an additional 800 sq ft or so, and the girls use that area when we are home (& there’s no snow.)

I wish there was an affordable option for people who don’t know how to build. Small sheds are probably the best option for people who want a decent size flock.

 

[NagemTX]

The prefab I bought was more an open air pen. Added wood frame around the bottom to attach hardware cloth to for extra predator protection and will be adding either a tarp or building a covered roost and nesting boxes. I'll post a link in an edit.

Picture of it instead of Amazon link.
View attachment 3421405

And another note. I do not like the door and latch so with the other added things we will be devising a home made door. It will be heavy and sturdy like my hoop coop door. Lol, my hoop coop is over kill but it keeps the coons out.

 

[FC16]

When I first started keeping chickens I bought a prefab, biggest mistake I made! Was like a little dolls house. They’re okay for a few chickens, but as everyone knows in most cases you never just have ‘a few chickens’ for a while. Always better off building your own or repurposing an old shed/barn. The small prefabs can be quite useful for easing chicks in though I must say.

 

[BDutch]

Great responses! .

Did anyone leave a review of the prefab in the article section too?
Reviews coops and runs
https://www.backyardchickens.com/revieT-ruhousing.15/

And now some photo’s of my setup.

First photo is of the altered prefab with the run behind it. The run is build with (glued) pipes of a second hand party tent. On top is netting for (against) birds of pray.
On the left the old prefab, on the right the extension, now with a large piece of perspex (acrylic) in front to block the cold eastern wind in winter.

The nest box in the old prefab. It has epdm on the lid because it was leaking and a piece of a car sunscreen because it’s in a sunny spot and this prevents the nesting area getting too hot.

The old prefab coop has a smal run, but with rain an stormy weather lots of rain came in. I put an old window under an angle against the coop to keep it dry. Under the glas its always dry and a nice spot to take a sand bath.
The pop door is part of the extension. It’s closed at night with a automatic chicken guard.

The extension, open to the tiny run of the old prefab coop on the south side and hwc on the east side in summer. In winter I put a window in front of the east side and a wooden panel in the lower door at the back (north).

Another even smaller prefab. I got this second hand from my neighbour. Its just a nest box which I used it for two broodies once in the second run behind the party tent run. This part is a 6m2 run with strong netting on top (cat net). In between the 2 runs is an opening that can be closed.

 

[Shadrach]

On the subject of prefabricated coops...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/flat-pack-coop-takedown-and-appraisal.78406/

 

[drycreek]

Not I but the wife knew I was planning on getting some chicks after we moved here to this location. Well she surprised me with a prefab and it was not well made as others have said but I put it together and had to add on to it so that it would hold 6 hens. The ad said it would hold 8 and was only six square feet so need much more space (don’t remember the name or manufacture but came from TSC) My add on was a temporary fix. The semi open air coop that I posted is the result of the prefab falling apart. So no I would never recommend a prefab kit.

 

[BDutch]

I’ve been wondering.
Why can we give ratings for coops we have build in the article section even if we didn’t build such a coop ourself. And not for prefabs?

I think we should give ratings for prefabs in the same way if we have enough info in them.

So do add more reviews and additional info on prefabs in the article section. The prefabs that are reasonable should have a chance to get bought by people who don’t have the time or skills to build a whole new coop. And asking a carpenter to build one is for many of us too expensive.

Adding tips to improve a prefab are great info too for those who like to buy one. And I know that for many people who live in a climate with long winters a prefab is probably a no go, even for half the amount of chickens, the seller says, fit in. So do add climate info in your review.

link where to add reviews on prefabs

If you don’t agree on reviewing a prefab you didn’t buy, please let me /us know why.

 

[TimonHens]

I have caved and ordered a dinky prefab. :/
My kid is bringing home at least one chick from school in 2 weeks.

My big diy coop that we made sans actual plans/skills is in need of serious first season revision. I don't want to detract from the main money sink.

Hoping it isn't a total turkey and that it will go in the run and be sufficient for integration/isolation with a minimum of modification.

I'm going to elevate it for sure and probably do some work with hardware cloth.
And of course buy more fencing bits so I can make a run within a run to keep a separation for a month or 3.