We got this exact coop on sale at Tractor Supply! We already have a huge coop & indoor & outdoor run that we built for our 2 year old flock but we needed a place to integrate our babies so this was perfect for the price. Yes it is very flimsy but it was a great buy for what we needed and didn't have time to build. A few things we did was cover the Asphalt shingles with scraps of tin from an old barn (and I painted the tin white). it really helped strengthen it. We also did a 2x4 frame that we set the entire coop on on to because that wood would rot sitting on the ground in a week! I also, prior to assembly, did 2 coats of spray poly coat to help seal the wood (I will likely paint it eventually). Until the chicks are laying age we took more scrap pieces of tin from barn roof and laid them inside on an angle covering the nesting boxes. They should not have access to the nesting boxes until they are near laying age (you don't want them to sleep in them). When they are old enough, the thick clear plastic shelf paper is great to line the nesting boxes with (Costco has a great price for the nice clear thick roll) and then cover in the pine shavings so clean up is a breeze. If not, yes, the particle board will be trashed. We also added another roosting bar since the ones it come with are barely 2" off the ground. As soon as they are a few weeks old you can go in when they are asleep and put them on the roosting bars if they aren't already doing it on their own. btw... we have 4 seven week old chicks in ours. No way that coop holds more than 4-5 full grown birds, despite what the manufacturer says and I would say if they are going to live only in that run space (no other run or free ranging) that no more than 2 would fit be fair to share that space. Best of luck!
