Looking at this coop 🐓🏠

[fuzzi]

That's awesome! I love the idea of a good hoop coop. It's likely the best answer to OP's issue, I just think that some people aren't willing/able to build their own structure (no matter how simple it might seem). Perhaps OP is more than capable of pulling it off. It would definitely help with the budget issue if they could!

The hoop coop filled my needs:

• Lower build cost
• Lesser skill level
• More ventilation

If you look closely you can see that I am definitely not a carpenter. However, everything works. It may not be professionally built, but it's functional.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Why do they say 56sq. Ft if that’s outdoor space?. It’s so confusing when this is all new and I’m trying to wrap my head around it It also said for 14 chickens, so I thought that would be better if they tend to exaggerate..

You need to math it out, they generally will have a photo or diagram with the measurements, and then doing some guesstimating will yield you a rough answer. So in this case:

- Coop (aqua) is approx 40" x 35.5" which equals 9.86 sq ft.
- Run (also aqua) is 136.5" x 35.5"= 33.65 sq ft.
- Ventilation (purple) is 23.5" x 7" (technically divided by 50% because it can only open halfway, but it says there's another on the other side, so it's a wash) = 1.14 sq ft.

6 birds should have a minimum of 4 sq ft per bird in coop (24 sq ft), 10 sq ft in run (60 sq ft), and 1 sq ft in open ventilation at all times in moderate temperatures (6 sq ft). So this unit is large enough for 2-3 standard hens, with only enough ventilation for 1 bird.

 

[DaisyG2317]

Our coop that replaced the Pubelo Grande was built by a Puget Sound builder called "The Original Chicken Man" and he builds the coops in like, pieces and then delivers and assembles them on site. We have the ability and tools to build ourself, but definitely don't have the time. It was pretty spendy (and this was like 2020 prices, I would shudder to see how much now with wood costs), but it has definitely survived some extreme weather, a tree falling on the run, and the neighbors dog trying to break in.

It's nice to have the prefab as a broody hen hut, though! And jail

 

[ChickyCh00k]

You can get a much larger, brand new resin shed for just a bit more than you were already willing to pay for a teeny, very poopy prefab coop (the sheds are about $1000+, but you were going to spend $900 anyway...). Like SourRoses mentioned, think about space and ventilation. The shed route is going to give you way more space than those prefabs and you can cut ventilation into the shed and cover with hardware cloth (look at the articles here on BYC https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-resin-plastic-coop-construction-thread.1198632/ and https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-scoop-on-a-rubbermaid-big-max-coop.76444/ ). Add some roost bars, and a few nest boxes (like in the pic you posted), and you're set!

TSC Has an 8x5 resin shed for $1099 (it has a window in it)

They also have a windowless one of the same size for $899

 

[3KillerBs]

Is this ventilation amount still applicable in the dry high desert of Colorado where the temps are near 20 below for a few months every night? Just think it may get too cold in there. It’s very windy here during snow storms as well. TIA.

20 below 0F?

Ventilation is still critical to prevent (or at least limit), frostbite by carrying away moisture, but it's also critical to arrange it properly to prevent direct drafts.

I'm a hot-climate person so I refer you to these excellent articles on cold weather:

Article 'Cold Weather Poultry Housing and Care'

Article 'aart's Extreme Weather spiel'

 

[DaisyG2317]

I’m a new chick mom of 6, they hatched 7/25, they are 1.5 weeks old. I purchased an $800 on sale coop from the feed store that I bought it from, but after researching it, it didn’t get very All. Mainly saying that it would probably fall apart in a year and that it wouldn’t keep predators out. Thankfully they let me return it. I’m looking at this one for the most part. It got pretty good reviews and I am going to reinforce everything with hardware cloth And I may add a solar electric fence around the perimeter to keep out predators around here such as fox, skunks, gophers, raccoons and even though I haven’t seen any of my ring camera, there are bears and mountain lions in the near vicinity.
I’m placing this coop 20’ away from my kitchen window and have a ring camera with motion sensors and alerts.
The reviews on this one are way better than the $862 coop. If I got this one I would have $300 to get the hardware cloth, solar electric fence or…a larger run to go around the whole coop portion with secured predator edging and put the run from this coop in a close location but shaded and grassier terrain for a change and secure the edges of that as well. I kind of the last one. Ideas, comments and suggestions welcome.
•The coop in the box I returned.
•The yard picture shows the area for the coop. The other area if I use the coops run separately is out of view, but to the right. Plushier grass, dandelions and shade.
•This isn’t the one I got, but was thinking I could get something to put the coop inside of and secure the perimeter.
•The other idea is a DIY resin shed converted to a coop. The only problem there is finding a used one at a reasonable price. They are expensive new. I have a post on Next Door.
•Me and my dogs enjoying the Sun and reading about this new adventure.


https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-walk-in-chicken-coop-with-chicken-w007788267.html
View attachment 3600285View attachment 3600286View attachment 3600287View attachment 3600288View attachment 3600289

Good thing you were able to return the Pueblo Grande coop! I have that exact coop, but use it as a nursery/grow out pen/jail/emergency room. Definitely won't hold 6 adults

 

[ChickyCh00k]

I have very limited skills, a cordless drill, and determination.

My hoop coop:
View attachment 3605443

That's awesome! I love the idea of a good hoop coop. It's likely the best answer to OP's issue, I just think that some people aren't willing/able to build their own structure (no matter how simple it might seem). Perhaps OP is more than capable of pulling it off. It would definitely help with the budget issue if they could!

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Maybe check Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for cheap sheds. Depending on the predators in your area, predator proofing alone can cost $$ hundreds (not including the coop and run). A correctly sized coop (with enough sq footage/ventilation) and run for 6 chickens + predator-proofing for less than $800 is going to be VERY challenging to find.

Wishing you the best of luck!

 

[3KillerBs]

All of these little prefab coops in a box lie about how many birds they can hold.
False advertising.

Not so much false as misleading. They use the legal minimums for commercial birds kept in an intensive management system -- which are considerably too small for backyard birds kept in a typical backyard management system.

So this unit is large enough for 2-3 standard hens, with only enough ventilation for 1 bird.

And that ventilation is only adequate in a moderate climate. My personal experience is that hot-climates require at least double or triple the usual recommendations just to keep the coop under 100F on a 90F day.

 

[fuzzi]

I’m a new chick mom of 6, they hatched 7/25, they are 1.5 weeks old. I purchased an $800 on sale coop from the feed store that I bought it from, but after researching it, it didn’t get very All. Mainly saying that it would probably fall apart in a year and that it wouldn’t keep predators out. Thankfully they let me return it. I’m looking at this one for the most part. It got pretty good reviews and I am going to reinforce everything with hardware cloth And I may add a solar electric fence around the perimeter to keep out predators around here such as fox, skunks, gophers, raccoons and even though I haven’t seen any of my ring camera, there are bears and mountain lions in the near vicinity.
I’m placing this coop 20’ away from my kitchen window and have a ring camera with motion sensors and alerts.
The reviews on this one are way better than the $862 coop. If I got this one I would have $300 to get the hardware cloth, solar electric fence or…a larger run to go around the whole coop portion with secured predator edging and put the run from this coop in a close location but shaded and grassier terrain for a change and secure the edges of that as well. I kind of the last one. Ideas, comments and suggestions welcome.
•The coop in the box I returned.
•The yard picture shows the area for the coop. The other area if I use the coops run separately is out of view, but to the right. Plushier grass, dandelions and shade.
•This isn’t the one I got, but was thinking I could get something to put the coop inside of and secure the perimeter.
•The other idea is a DIY resin shed converted to a coop. The only problem there is finding a used one at a reasonable price. They are expensive new. I have a post on Next Door.
•Me and my dogs enjoying the Sun and reading about this new adventure.


https://www.wayfair.com/pet/pdp/tucker-murphy-pet-walk-in-chicken-coop-with-chicken-w007788267.html
View attachment 3600285View attachment 3600286View attachment 3600287View attachment 3600288View attachment 3600289

If your climate is as temperate as it appears to be I would recommend constructing a hoop coop. I used 4 cattle panels (16'x50") zip-tied together, with 16' pressure treated 2x4s as the base. The most expensive part of my build was the hardware cloth, but I didn't want to skimp on security.

I'm a 60+ arthritic woman who is not in shape and only slightly familiar with hand and power tools. I still built it myself.

My hoop coop thread is very long, but I made a post with links to actual construction information, here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/post-26819925

Feel free to ask more questions!