How to make (the factories) improve the flaws in the DIY chicken coops. 🤩

[DickMidnight]

the people on this forum are not the target consumers for companies selling pre fabricated coops that are substandard.

everyone here is disqualified simply by the fact that they sought out information about chickens on a forum. simply put, they know better.

sometimes, we just don’t know better until we mess up the first time.

this happens in every industry and with every hobby.

i’m an avid golfer. every season, the equipment companies come out with clubs that go “10 yards further” and take “2-3 strokes off your game”

anyone who’s serious about playing knows this isn’t true at all. but we’re not their target. that claim sounds great to someone who’s browsing the store uninformed. “ooohh 10 more yards, take my money!”

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm going against the grain here, most likely.

2 biggest things that could certainly make the coops more appealing and less... bad are:
1) ventilation. I have 4 prefab coops. I love them for small batches of birds, but of those 4, only one has any ventilation besides the doorway, and that one is actually an older model. Even if I wanted to, I can't close the door to the coops in the other 3 because then there would be practically no airflow.
2) a lower number when claiming the coop can house birds. Mine all say between 8 and 10 birds. Sure, about 12 youngsters can fit on the roost at night, but they're all free range. If I kept 10 adult birds in that coop 24/7, I'd be down to less pretty fast

 

[DickMidnight]

I'm going against the grain here, most likely.

2 biggest things that could certainly make the coops more appealing and less... bad are:
1) ventilation. I have 4 prefab coops. I love them for small batches of birds, but of those 4, only one has any ventilation besides the doorway, and that one is actually an older model. Even if I wanted to, I can close the door to the coops in the other 3 because then there would be practically no airflow.
2) a lower number when claiming the coop can house birds. Mine all say between 8 and 10 birds. Sure, about 12 youngsters can fit on the roost at night, but they're all free range. If I kept 10 adult birds in that coop 24/7, I'd be down to less pretty fast

no one is disputing either of those points.

most pre fabricated coops are too small for their listed maximum occupancy and also don’t have adequate ventilation.

there just isn’t any incentive for the companies that produce these coops to change either of those things.

 

[Silexian]

I have acquired a few of the prefab coops through my side business. For what it takes to add ventilation and make them secure against predators. (Grooves for the hardware cloth instead of tiny staples. Solid siding instead of flimsy slats. Plywood covered by shingles of metal for the roof)The factories would more than likely have to at least double the price of them. Which would put them in the same price range as the OverEZ type or individual built coops. Without the quality. So people would not buy them. If you do not have the skill set or the tools to build your own coop. In my opinion it would be better for your poultry and your bank account. To bypass the cheaply made boxed up, pre-fab coops and spend your money on a higher quality coop to begin with.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I don't understand exactly to whom you'd be giving this feedback.... If you order a coop from a big re-seller like Amazon or Wayfair, they are the 3rd point of contact. The origination of the coop is a factory in China. Then it's comes to the Seller and the Seller sells via the re-seller. So while it's a nice thought and you can certainly write reviews on the Re-Seller's website, I see it going straight into the ether. On the flip side if you find a coop that's made in the US and likely is not sold by a re-seller but instead the maker, THEN yeah, but in general those coops are already better than the coops I think you're targeting.

 

[Sequel]

@BDutch I think this is a wonderful idea! Nothing happens without making the effort. I look forward to following!

 

[Shadrach]

So many points to address I hardly now where to start.

This is the coop I bought. They say it holds 10 to 15 Legbar sized hens.

https://www.solwayrecycling.co.uk/shop/pig-poultry/hen-houses/standard-eco-hen-ark

It does.

Someone wrote it's people who can't build their own that buy prefab coops. I think I'm about right when I say I've built more than 20 coops. I've built little maternity units to full size house 20 coops.

That's two coops in the picture that I built and the sheep pen. Are we counting other animal enclosures?

Only people who don't know better would buy a prefab coop.
I must be getting close to 25 years of taking care of chickens now and I bought one. Guess I haven't learned much.

Quite a few very experienced chicken keepers I know now buy plastic (preferably recycled) coops having built the massive fixed structures commonly seen on BYC only to find that experience has shown the shortcomings of the over spec, fixed position, self built coops.

 

[MaryJanet]

Bdutch, you might be interested to know that I submitted a review to the people who build and market the coop at my house. I gave 5 stars and used the "shit sandwich" format in my written comments: positive points, negative points, positive points.

They never published it on their website, so I know for sure they read it and noticed the negative points.

They advertise this coop as suitable for up to 10 chickens and I think that's a fair call. It could sleep 10 average sized hens, but they'd need a run during the day.

In case anyone's interested in the negative points: the roosting bars are flimsy and the nest boxes are completely inadequate (both easy to fix). Positives: too many to mention here, but the best ones are that its incredibly strong, suitable for a hot climate, and it's been fox-proof.

Even the chickens' vet has one of these coops for his flock. Not all prefabs are the same.

I also have a little wooden prefab which is not much good, although the hens like to use its nestbox. It has lasted for six years now, so it's doing quite well really. The only maintenance its had is the addition of bracing under the nest box which was starting to sag.

 

[DickMidnight]

They never published it on their website, so I know for sure they read it and noticed the negative points

how can you be sure they read it?

 

[MaryJanet]

how can you be sure they read it?

They decided to not publish it.

Can't do that without reading it first.