Has anyone tried or heard of The Gambrel Roof Coop by MyPetChicken, and have comments about it?

[SoCalRooster]

I'm still flip-flopping Between buying and building. This one's $429 or $449 including shipping.
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo....aspx?utm_source=Criteo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_ca

 

[Rammy]

Do NOT waste your money on these prefab coops. They dont last and for what you soent you could buy the wood to do it yourself.
Alot of times you can find a shed cheap on CL and just convert it.

 

[pibb]

If you can build, that is likely your best and cheapest option. As you can see, 2 chickens fill that coop up. Really it looks like there is one too many in there.

If you want to add trim and make your coop look pretty, that will cost you more but the chickens don't care what it looks like. Functionality is worth more in my opinion so do some research on the types of coops out there.

 

[56Chicks]

It seems the chicken world is in agreement that self-built coops are highly preferable, but if someone had to make a coop like this work, even temporarily, what could they do? I know My Pet Chicken tries to sell coops that their people have used successfully and they do add touches like hardware cloth over ventilation areas and either solid or hardware cloth floors (and they do emphasize that the numbers mean for sleeping only and that the chickens should be out of the coop most of the time. Are these any better, in a pinch, than a prefab coop from Walmart or a pet store?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Are these any better, in a pinch, than a prefab coop from Walmart or a pet store?

Not sure why you think they're any different? Most prefabs are made overseas from cheap, thin woods - the coop that the OP posted clearly says that it's made in China from fir, which is the same as 95% of the cheap prefabs.

The only exceptions in terms of quality would be prefab units from smaller companies that handle the building/manufacturing themselves and use better quality materials.

 

[Folly's place]

Build or buy a garden shed, and add windows and ventilation.
The best coop design, IMO, at least in cooler climates, is the Woods coop. There are threads about it on this site, and it's terrific.
Otherwise, the least expensive coop would be a hoop coop, modified to be predator proof. Again, threads here about hoop coop designs.
We have a shed type building, with additions and modifications over the years, and it works very well.
You will soon hate anything that you need to crawl under, or crouch to enter!
Mary

 

[56Chicks]

That’s what I was asking. Some of the chicken retailers like MPC sell these prefab fir coops and describe them as being designed and used by and for “actual chicken people,” which seems to imply a difference between them and what one could find at TSC or Walmart or Chewy. A friend of mine is looking into chickens for next year and was hoping there was something she could buy. Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

That’s what I was asking. Some of the chicken retailers like MPC sell these prefab fir coops and describe them as being designed and used by and for “actual chicken people,” which seems to imply a difference between them and what one could find at TSC or Walmart or Chewy. A friend of mine is looking into chickens for next year and was hoping there was something she could buy. Thanks!

If you want reviews from "actual chicken people" post (or have your friend post) the coops they're considering, so we can troubleshoot them for you.

 

[56Chicks]

I’ll encourage her to join. She is in a big city neighborhood with multiple families who have small flocks, usually around 4 hens, I think. The neighbors were DIYing wooden coops but had problems with a fox; I don’t know much about the floor plans or predator-proofing measures they did or did not use.

 

[aart]

describe them as being designed and used by and for “actual chicken people,” which seems to imply a difference between them and what one could find at TSC or Walmart or Chewy.

Marketing lie trick
Most experienced chicken keepers can look at the design and dimensions (if they are given) and spot the impostors right off the bat.