Is it worth the cost?

[Alex S]

They might go down there willingly to scratch around in all that leafy goodness. That said, if you can train them well enough, they could probably make it back up on their own with some incentive.

I'll just keep an eye on them or get a small garden fence!

 

[nuthatched]

Just don't buy one of those prefab coops, you can build a really nice coop for what one of those rickety things cost.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just don't buy one of those prefab coops, you can build a really nice coop for what one of those rickety things cost.

A prefab can be fine for starting out small, as long as you're realistic about expectations (they may not hold up very long, they can hold far fewer birds than advertised, they will likely need alterations to make them work). But costwise if you have some basic skills and can recycle or shop smartly, you can definitely build something better.

 

[deidreg]

You can check around if there's a place near you rents hens. I rented a pair for the summer from a local farm. They provided coop, food, bedding, etc. And I got to try before buying. And now, I have a small flock of my own.

 

[nuthatched]

A prefab can be fine for starting out small, as long as you're realistic about expectations (they may not hold up very long, they can hold far fewer birds than advertised, they will likely need alterations to make them work). But costwise if you have some basic skills and can recycle or shop smartly, you can definitely build something better.

You're right, the coop would be okay for about a year, which is enough time for someone to decide if they really want to invest in the madness that is chicken keeping.
But in the long run, they arent worth a fraction of the money spent for them.
They aren't remotely predator proof. A few weeks ago, I had to deal with a clean up of a mutilated flock of banties that lived in a prefab, coon's broke through the bottom of the nesting boxes, that 1/6 inch plywood held on by staples. It was the big $400 dollar prefab, that I was constantly fixing up because people who design prefab coops have never seen a chicken except on a plate, have no idea how clever and strong predators are, and couldn't care.
By the time one spends the money to make a prefab safe and sturdy, the could have made a much better one by hand.

 

[Alex S]

A prefab can be fine for starting out small, as long as you're realistic about expectations (they may not hold up very long, they can hold far fewer birds than advertised, they will likely need alterations to make them work). But costwise if you have some basic skills and can recycle or shop smartly, you can definitely build something better.

I'm planning to build my own coop because It seems like a fun Sunday project.

 

[aart]

I'm planning to build my own coop because It seems like a fun Sunday project.

You must be a very experienced builder if you can whip up a coop in one day.

 

[Alex S]

You must be a very experienced builder if you can whip up a coop in one day.

Well might not be ONE day but I could get some of it done in one day

 

[3KillerBs]

You must be a very experienced builder if you can whip up a coop in one day.

Agreed.

My Little Monitor Coop was done over a long weekend by my DH and his best friend. DH being an experienced amateur builder and his friend being in the construction trades.

The original run took another weekend later with the door being the hardest part to get right.

 

[DouglasB]

you gotta answer that one yourself, sorry.