I understand your problem if you have no experience or confidence in your being able to build or modify a building. Another probable problem is that you won’t have the tools you need. Since you are in the city limits, how pretty it is could be a big consideration. Converting a building to work for you is not all that hard but if you have absolutely no experience, it can seem overwhelming.
I’m not a big fan of prefabricated coops. How well they are actually put together is always a question. They usually say they will hold a lot more than they actually will. And some might use cheap materials, whether wood or hardware.
Let’s look at that one. I would probably be pretty or at least good enough so your neighbors won’t complain about appearance. I can’t tell how well it is actually put together. Is the frame strong enough to stand up to a big dog or a raccoon? I don’t know why they are using 12 mm here in the USA instead of saying ½”, but that does not bother me. It’s thick enough if the frame is solid. It looks like they are using hardware cloth and not chicken wire, but I have no idea what gauge or thickness that wire is.
If you discount the nests, which don’t count, that coop part is 39” x 51”. That’s just under 14 square feet in the coop. The run itself, including the part under the coop which does count, is 39” x 124” or about 34 square feet. You are in St. Pete Florida where your climate would allow them access to the run area all the time. The design is such that if you provide dig protection you never have to lock them in the coop portion. In your climate, that should be OK for 4 hens maximum. If you were up in the snow belt, I’d not suggest four, but in St. Pete that should be OK. But nowhere near the 9 they claim even in your optimum climate. And if you wind up building or converting a building, more space is better. Much better.
Your enemy there will be heat. Don’t even think about cold being a problem. They can get under that coop for shade, so that helps. I can’t tell enough about the top to see how well that is ventilated and predator protected up high. It looks like that top section has sliding doors you can open to get more ventilation, and that raised top will help get the heat out. I can’t tell if it has wire up there to keep a raccoon out or is built strong enough to keep a raccoon from ripping it apart.
They give the height of the run section as 42”, which along with the base of 20” gives you a total of 62”. That’s barely 5 feet. From the photo it looks like that might actually be the sides and not the peak under the roof. It’s really convenient for you to be able to stand up in the run. That space under the coop would be a good place to put the feed to keep it dry. You will be in that run wherever you put the feed.
It looks like the lock on the run section is a barrel lock. A raccoon would not have any real problems opening that. I’d suggest a better type of lock.
Let’s discuss predators a bit, especially raccoons. In St. Pete you will have raccoons. If you don’t believe me, talk to your local animal control. But whether it is raccoons or something else, not all predators attack each and every day or night. Some people can go years without any predator problems while others will be attacked their first night. When we talk about predators, we are talking about what can happen, not what will happen each and every night.
The last thing I’ll mention is that chickens poop a lot. If it builds up and gets wet, it will stink. The tighter you house your chickens, the more you have to manage poop, especially in suburbia. If you do get something like that, I’d suggest putting a good layer of sand in the run and under the coop section so you can more easily clean it. Keeping chickens in suburbia usually takes more work than in a rural setting, mainly because space is tighter and your neighbors are closer.
If I knew how well this coop and run were actually built and what materials were used, it would probably suit you for 4 hens. As far as prebuilt online coops, you probably won’t find many that are much better, especially if pretty is part of your criteria.
If you can find a suitable building on Craigslist and get it transported to your backyard, you can maybe find a handyman that can fix it up for you and maybe even build a decent run for less than the price of that coop, especially when you factor in shipping. But you’ll have to find a reliable handyman and give pretty good instructions as to what exactly you want done.
There are some challenges however you go about this. Your climate gives you some really great advantages. You could even build a coop that is mostly wire, with just enough protected space for them to sleep out of the rain and stop a direct wind, keep the nests dry, and a dry place to feed them.
Lots of people in your situation have come up with a workable solution. I wish you luck!
