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

[MaryJanet]

Maybe we should provide a prominent thread called "Read Before Buying a Chicken Coop!!" And if we all like it, google will put it high up in the search results.

With 2 example pictures with short lists called

Do not buy!!

• Flimsy waste of money
• Too small for adult chickens

Buy!! Or build!!

• Made to last
• Big enough for six adult chickens

And with a link to a page with detailed info.

Super fast to read and understand while in a shop.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Don't buy them.

Advise newbies who ask before purchasing against buying them.

Spread knowledge of chickens' actual requirements for space and ventilation.

The companies who make those awful prefabs will not stop doing it for any reason other than if properly educated consumers refuse to buy them. Therefore consumer education is the only thing that can possibly be effective.

Ditto hit them where it hurts in the pocket book. Or give bad reviews.

 

[Krugerrand]

Even if all the poor prefab coops come from China, there is a shop or a chain store that buys and sells these coops. If a lot of people criticise the coops and give a reasonable feed-back of the flaws and how to improve the coops , to the shop were they bought it, it might help.
The chain stores often have or can have contact with the factory abroad. The buyers in big chain stores can demand to adjust the ventilation, the hinges, the roof or whatever is the saddest part of the sell.

You also can address the flaws in the info in the advertising about the size and the number of chickens that should / can fit in. Especially in online feed back.
I do hope it might help to reward stars and feed back on the online platforms and shop platforms. If people read the evaluations of the lesser quality coops , they will sell less, the good and more honest ones will sell better. (I hope).

I see the problem as an intersection of 'it can't be done' with 'sell what people want to buy.'

People WANT a cheap and easy coop. While wishing doesn't make it so, it's still a powerful influencer.

Cheap, easy, good (secure/properly ventilated, etc) You can have 2 - depending on which 2 you choose. Three ... It can't be done.

Yet, the desire is still there, and so the market provides what it can. And, because it 'can't be done,' you can't 'build a better mouse trap ' and expect the world to beat a path to your door.

Education is the best resource ... but most people buying them are not looking to educate themselves ahead of the purchase.

 

[BDutch]

Maybe we should provide a prominent thread called "Read Before Buying a Chicken Coop!!" And if we all like it, google will put it high up in the search results.

With 2 example pictures with short lists called

Do not buy!!

• Flimsy waste of money
• Too small for adult chickens

Buy!! Or build!!

• Made to last
• Big enough for six adult chickens

And with a link to a page with detailed info.

Super fast to read and understand while in a shop.

We could review more flimsy coops in that BYC section. Even if we have no experience on having one.
Seeing a flimsy coop in the shop or at a fair we can review it because we can predict what the problems will be just seeing it.
For instance:

1. if they sell a small coop claiming you can keep 4 normals sized chickens in it. And we see only 3 bantams will fit in. We can review.
2. If we see the panels are made of soft thin wood, osb or other material that won’t last long, we can comment this probably won’t last longer than a few years
3. If we see there isn’t enough ventilation by far, we can review it.
4. And if it needs an extra 16m2 run to attach or you have to free range, we can put that in a comment too.

On the other hand. If we let people think it costs a lot more to buy a good coop than they had expected. Or the only way is to make a coop by yourself. -> many people wouldn’t start keeping chickens. Finding out chickens are wonderful creatures to keep, the will buy or build another coop if needed.
With some minor alterations the prefab can be kept for a sick bay, a broody or for a few new chicks.
So if we comment I think it’s best to address the flaws and give solutions how to repair/make changes.

 

[BDutch]

I noticed that in the review section there are 3 categories: chickens breeds, other poultry and a mish mash of things we buy for our poultry like waterers and chicken guards.
There is not a section for prefab coops and runs. @Nifty-Chicken is it possible to add another section for prefabs?

If you want to add a new coop you did see (but don’t own) to comment on, don’t forget to take a picture. https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/categories/coops-runs-housing.15/add

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

There is not a section for prefab coops and runs. @Nifty-Chicken is it possible to add another section for prefabs?

This is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how we'd do this and also maintain the sizes in addition to "prefabs"... since you can buy a prefab that is Large, Medium, Small, or a tractor.

... so if there was a small prefab, or a large prefab, would they go into that section and be removed from the size-categories (since they can't be in two at the same time)?

 

[BDutch]

This is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure how we'd do this and also maintain the sizes in addition to "prefabs"... since you can buy a prefab that is Large, Medium, Small, or a tractor.

... so if there was a small prefab, or a large prefab, would they go into that section and be removed from the size-categories (since they can't be in two at the same time)?

Thanks for thinking out loud. Good point.
I’m not sure what is the best, but I think the prefabs don’t ‘florish’ between the coops people build themselves.

So personally I do prefer the review section for reviewing a prefab coop without alterations. And the coop section, sizewize to explain what a member has altered with the materials listed and rebuilding pictures. Maybe a poll could help to decide?

 

[BDutch]

@Nifty-Chicken most prefab coops are already in the review section. https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/categories/coops-runs-housing.15/

Only hard to find (on a phone). A separate section with a picture, making it as important as chicken breeds, would get more attention and surely would grow in contributions too.

 

[Shadrach]

I wouldn't buy a prefab wooden coop. The availabilty of plastic coops provides another option. Below are the main suppliers I've found in the UK.


https://www.coopsforchickens.co.uk/shop-chicken-coops

https://www.the-animal-house-company.co.uk/plastic-chicken-coops-14-c.asp

https://greenfrogdesigns.co.uk/recycled-plastic-chicken-coops/

https://arkus.co.uk/recycled-plastic-chicken-houses/

https://www.poultrypages.com/plastic-chicken-coops/

https://www.theclevercoopcompany.com/

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

https://henlays.com/

 

[janiedoe]

I wouldn't buy a prefab wooden coop. The availabilty of plastic coops provides another option. Below are the main suppliers I've found in the UK.


https://www.coopsforchickens.co.uk/shop-chicken-coops

https://www.the-animal-house-company.co.uk/plastic-chicken-coops-14-c.asp

https://greenfrogdesigns.co.uk/recycled-plastic-chicken-coops/

https://arkus.co.uk/recycled-plastic-chicken-houses/

https://www.poultrypages.com/plastic-chicken-coops/

https://www.theclevercoopcompany.com/

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

https://henlays.com/

The UK, I believe, is more chicken loving than the US. I think y'all have better prefab offerings than we do. They may not be perfect, but they are better.
I wish we were more concerned with animal welfare, here in the US.