Looking at this coop 🐓🏠

[Onyxflock]

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

I did the same thing. It's a POS and they moved right out of it and just love to sit around under it. All of those with that kind of wood are cheap cheap. I added floor support and insulation as we get snow. But the first 3 birds filled it up.

Next bought 4x6 resin shed. Works great - we added a window and it has bottom and top ventilation. But too small for 5 girls - so go bigger if you can. They need room to fly or hop down from the roost bars - 3-4 ft. trajectory.

Mine is in conjunction with a 10x20 covered dog run. The chain link is great - but we had to add chicken wire to keep rodents out.
Solar spotlights work wonderfully for night lights.

 

[greylock]

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

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Most of the coops you find at the feed store are made of cheap thin wood and won't last. I did get one from OVER E_Z. It is well made and should last. You can get this in different sizes.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Most of the coops you find at the feed store are made of cheap thin wood and won't last. I did get one from OVER E_Z. It is well made and should last. You can get this in different sizes.

I have an OverEZ as well - they still overestimate the number of birds they hold, and I had to add A LOT of ventilation, but it is definitely better made than other prefabs. The OP has 6 chicks and $800 to spend on coop, predator proofing, and run. I think a right-sized OverEZ coop would be out of their price range. I have 8 chickens in the Large OverEZ and I wouldn't dare try to fit any more in there (it was $2100 and says it holds "up to 15" chickens).

 

[3KillerBs]

Most of the coops you find at the feed store are made of cheap thin wood and won't last. I did get one from OVER E_Z. It is well made and should last. You can get this in different sizes.

I have an OverEZ as well - they still overestimate the number of birds they hold, and I had to add A LOT of ventilation, but it is definitely better made than other prefabs.

I have read good things about OverEZ's build quality, but that people still have to modify them for improved ventilation.

 

[lifein1840]

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.. So bottom line thank you ever for your replies, I really appreciate it since I’m trying to do it right. There’s too many choices and types and ways of doing things , but I’m not complaining, I’m just muddling through it all to figure it out. I have a $800 budget, I hope that will take care of a coop and securing it.
Thanks again!
Susan

I would check with some local carpenters/farmers/handymen that could build what you want if you can't build it yourself. Call your extension council and speak with the 4-H person. They may have some great ideas and/or contacts with people that could help.

 

[wolfinator]

I bought a large prefab walk-in coop, 5x8, from Tractor Supply after adding 14 standard pullets and 2 cockerels to my flock of rescued bantams. I wanted to keep them separated being they were on chick feed for another 2 1/2 months. We needed help assembling the walk in unit. We built an enclosure around the coop like my other one had so they had some freedom. After about 6-8 months the coop was showing signs of wear so some repairs were made ahead of winter. In the spring, I had to do some major repair work on it. The thin rolled roofing was peeling up allowing water to seep under to the wood, the bottom boards that were ground contact were rotting. After making the repairs and adding a wooden floor. I then removed the nesting boxes after seeing one was in rough condition and decided to make it my juvenile coop. I've been using the coop since June 2017, it's been repaired a few times, modified and I'm getting ready to make it over again. The roof started leaking again so we tarped it for now and we're putting a metal roof on it this time.

Prefab coop newly assembled

Coop after a few years of repairs and modifications.

We had to raise it on blocks after heavy rains flooded it - added floor too.

Depending on your average climate really depends on how long these can last. I'm in the mountains of WV, we get ample snow, rain plus are surrounded by woods so we don't get a lot of sun on the property. The coops are unfortunately at the bottom of the hill with our house at the top - no choice where to put coops.

Hope you don't get onto chicken math like many of us have. I started with 18 rescues, lost 2/3 from the neglect they suffered, added 16 more 18 months later and have had as many as 100 chickens, ducks and guineas. Now I have 40 hens, 1 rooster in one pen. 21 ducks, 2 saved broiler hens, 2 older hens and 2 male guineas in a second pen, the coop pictured is where most of them stay plus they get free ranged too. A 3rd pen - the newly added juvenile coop has 9 pullets, 1 cockerel and 4 ducklings.

 

[Firsttimechickmom2]

The coop on the Wayfair site only has 17.5 sq. ft. of coop space, which is only enough for 4 hens as you need at least 4 sq ft of coop space per bird. Unfortunately getting a secure setup for happy chickens can be an expensive initial investment. There are ways to do things inexpensively, but be sure you don’t scrimp now only to have behavior problems or loose birds to predators later on.

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.. So bottom line thank you ever for your replies, I really appreciate it since I’m trying to do it right. There’s too many choices and types and ways of doing things , but I’m not complaining, I’m just muddling through it all to figure it out. I have a $800 budget, I hope that will take care of a coop and securing it.
Thanks again!
Susan

 

[aart]

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

..as well as making the dimensions very hard to accurately assess.

 

[User105877]

I've got about $700 and three days work in this. You could do something similar on a smaller scale if you do not need all that room.

 

[21hens-incharge]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/top-10-hoop-coop-ideas.76490/

The above article is a good one to look through.
They aren't expensive compared to standard wood coops and are quite sturdy with minimal lumber and minimal tools to build them.

They work very well as a run as this member shows in their post here.

I've got about $700 and three days work in this. You could do something similar on a smaller scale if you do not need all that room.