Is this a decent coop for the money?

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I'm able to get this coop for $250. I live where temps get down to 20, the coop would be somewhat sheltered from the wind. Anyone have one and recommend them?

http://www.knock-out-deals.net/chic...h=104&osCsid=f656bce34520356f2c79684da17adac6

 

[Country Parson]

It is a very nice coop, and the price seems OK. However, keep in mind there are two philosophies regarding chicken coops, each which say...

1. "...I won't put a chicken in it unless its beautiful, elegant, and eye-appealing."

or

2. "...I won't put a chicken in it unless its free (or nearly-free)."

At this stage of life I fall into the latter category.

 

[patandchickens]

I am on dialup and so did not wait around for their pics to load, but I did read their text description with dimensions.

it sounds like the enclosed (house) part is less than 2x2', and the whole shebang is only about 2.5 x 6'. How many chickens were you going to put in there? I would not personally put more than 2 in, unless they were going to free range most of the day and even then you couldn't put more than maybe 3-4 onto that roost space and for that they'd have to be real friendly with each other.

Honestly I think you could probably score a secondhand rabbit hutch for a whole lot less and be as well or better off.

But, maybe you've spent some months *looking* for used rabbit hutches and not found any, I don't know what your area is like. In which case, I guess if you want a teensy tiny coop it is cheaper than some.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Cass]

It's beautiful and would cost at LEAST $250 to make yourself if you made it of the exact materials they made it from. Which most people wouldn't , not because the materials aren't good, but because of the cost; they would substitute something cheaper.

However, how many chickens do you have or plan to have? If you are not regulated by local ordinance to just a few chickens, you need to figure you will wind up with at least twice the number of chickens you swear is your MAX.

On the other hand, it would make a nice brooder area when you have moved your hens to the larger coop you wind up building to house your ever growing flock.

(you get the idea)

 

[annie3001]

a bit small. and the ad does say "starter". i would have it built for you or build it yourself.
kinda pricey imo.

 

[domino7]

It's pretty small, but I think it's a good value. It's very nice looking too.

 

[cochicks]

I have that same coop. We bought it as our starter coop. It's advertised for 2-4 hens. We had three in it, and they clearly needed more space. I think it would have been okay for two. We live in Colorado, and it did fine in the cold and wind. No frost bite even. You do have to be careful with ventilation though because with all the doors shut, they are sealed in tight. We added lots of pine shavings for extra warmth and to help with drafts on the ground level. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions.

We plan to use ours as a brooder now that our big coop is finished.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Quote:
My philosophy at this point is #3..."it doesn't require me to add one more project to my already overwhelming list." I do like free, but better, I like finished.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

It is a good price for that specific coop but it is quite small. They never have a person standing next to them in the pictures because it shows how little they actually are.
I personally like building my own coop, which is why I keep making extensions but if you want something predone and easy and only have a couple chickens, go for it.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Quote:
It's for a LF hen and her bantam sidekick. The LF is blind so I thought a smaller coop close to the house where I can keep an eye on her would be best. It's not steal, that's for sure, but I live far from everywhere and seldom seem to be quick enough to take advantage of the super deals on CL. This was found only because the seller didn't list it as a rabbit hutch OR a chicken coop. BUT, I think you're right and should maybe hold out for something that would suit the situation better. With the ramp this isn't ideal. I have the materials to make something...drats! Was hoping to take the easy route.