How to reinforce cheap coop

[hispoptart]

I bought a coop similar to that size about 8 years ago for my first 4 chickens. I placed in in a 15x10 fenced in area and they all did just fine, until they flew over the fence and I lost 3 and then had to give away the last one. That coop sat unused through the heat, rain, snow and freezing cold until this year when I decided to try again. The roof is a bit warped but still water proof and I have 4 chickens in there again. They seem happy as they really only sleep in there and free range in a 20x20 higher fenced area now. This time though it is only temporary as we will be turning and old shed into their coop, hopefully before winter.

 

[grettasurfergirl]

Btw, welcome to BYC!
I forgot to add, if you live in an area with snow, your flock will hole up for days, even weeks on end. There is barely enough room inside the “house” portion for them to sit let alone be active which will lead to major behavioral and health problems.

Luckily we live in San Diego area so no chance of snow thankfully and generally dry but this year we have had tons of rain! Thanks for your help!!

 

[grettasurfergirl]

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!

Wow thank you for all of this information on how to potentially work with what I’ve got! I would love to make all of the adjustments that you’ve done! Did you also add new, stronger hardware for locks etc? Or did you think what it came with was okay? Love the idea of the 2x4 Base as well. I think I could make the run bigger and also let them free range in the afternoons to help with the space crunch but 2-3 seems more reasonable than the suggested 8! Thanks so much!

 

[Katlinalyssa]

Wow thank you for all of this information on how to potentially work with what I’ve got! I would love to make all of the adjustments that you’ve done! Did you also add new, stronger hardware for locks etc? Or did you think what it came with was okay? Love the idea of the 2x4 Base as well. I think I could make the run bigger and also let them free range in the afternoons to help with the space crunch but 2-3 seems more reasonable than the suggested 8! Thanks so much!

I have this same coop too! I have 4 12 week old chickens in it. I removed the nest boxes and tiny roosting bars it came with and made my own roosting bars. When they are ready to lay I will DIY a nesting box or 2 for them in the large run. They free range quite a bit of the day too.

ETA I’m ready for a bigger coop already so I can get more chickens

 

[Kris5902]

Perhaps in the meantime extend the “house” area out the back for more space? It will be a good starting point and you can see what works and what doesn’t about it for your situation, so when you build something more permanent/larger you have a better handle on the design? Does it have enough ventilation and will you be able to place it in a shady spot would be my primary concern at first.

 

[Katlinalyssa]

Perhaps in the meantime extend the “house” area out the back for more space? It will be a good starting point and you can see what works and what doesn’t about it for your situation, so when you build something more permanent/larger you have a better handle on the design? Does it have enough ventilation and will you be able to place it in a shady spot would be my primary concern at first.

That’s what I was thinking. Adding siding to the prefab run. The door has a window that opens and is covered in hardware cloth. As well as the vent in the back. I could cover the hatch for the nesting boxes in hardware cloth so it could be open for the summer. Same with the sliding door. Our trees shade the run and coop in different spots all throughout the day so it’s perfect.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Sounds like you have a plan! I forgot that I used waterproofing compound wherever I thought my coop needed it. It's compound you paint on, meant for under tile in bathroom/kitchen installations. Good stuff. To test it out, I painted a small cardboard box and filled it with water. That box sat on my porch for weeks and never leaked. You could use that, too, maybe. Love the idea of siding and floor reinforcement.

 

[Eggscaping]

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!

 

[Shadie77]

Hi! Just got our first chicks a few weeks ago and am desperately trying to figure out the coop situation. We bought an inexpensive coop from tractor supply (the “homestead”) and people said the bottom of the nesting boxes was flimsy particle board that wouldn’t last very long. Any ideas on how I can protect this or replace it so it doesn’t deteriorate quickly? Paint? Flashing? Another piece of wood on top? Also seems I need to get better hardware and replace. Any other suggestions? Thank you!!!

We bought the same coop. We put HWC ( hardware cloth) over all the coop cloth as it seems weak to us. We also raised it 16" to make it more accessible for cleaning. We removed the nesting boxes and extended the roosts to accommodate our four chickens more comfortably inside the enclosed coop area. We will make a nesting box in a month or two when they are of age to lay eggs and put it in out in the run in its own little 3 sided shed as its hot here in central Florida and having it in the run will keep it cooler but protected. Then we added 5 holes covered in HWC up in the peaks of the coop for better ventilation and added HWC over the long vent that's where the cage area attaches to the coop and under the poop tray to prevent animals from getting in. Its in a chain link HWC reinforced enclosure. It was a lot of work and scratches but worth it to be able to sleep knowing the chickens are as secure as we could make them. Hope this helps! : ^

 

[Peepsi]

However, my run was stupid expensive, but that's because my DH insisted. I'd have been just as happy with chain link or building one myself. That's a whole story into itself.

Building my run right now. I'm already in about $2,000 for a 8' x 16' run. Used all new materials, because I figured that would make it last longer than old scrap wood. And the $2,000 does not include the roof! I don't know people can build cheap runs or coops. Does the old scrap wood last? Just the concrete blocks for the base were around $250 or so.