Need Advise on Pre Fab Coops!

[dbounds10]

I have 6 girls that are 1 week old. They will need a permanent home soon. I have no building skills/tools to build my own nor can I afford a 1000 + coop!! So I need to hear from the BYC experts!

Can anyone offer a suggestion for a decent coop that would be large enough for 6 girls for under $500??

I have a large "Dog Run" that is standing ready for me to put the coop in as soon as I get it!

 

[teach1rusl]

Look up chicken coops specifically on CL. I've seen two different postings in my area for coops that range from $300-$400. You will need something that's at least 4 x 6 ft., so do ask about the size, NOT how many birds it'll hold (because that tends to be greatly exaggerated in most cases).

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Pre-fab=Don't do it! Like Teach said, check craigslist. Shoot buy a kids plastic playhouse, add wire to the windows and a dog kennel run and you are set. Those pre-fabs you see on eBay and other places aren't built to hold up for more than a year in most weather

 

[elmo]

What's your winter climate like? If it's mild, you could do what a very experienced poultry keeping friend of ours in North Texas does. He houses his chickens in large, roofed chain link dog kennels with no closed "coop" at all. In the winter, he just tarps off the sides partially to form a windblock. He uses plastic lidded bins with a hole cut in one end for nestboxes, and puts them right on the floor of the run.

He doesn't have to worry about digging predators because his yard is patrolled by livestock guardian dogs. A hardware cloth apron attached to the base of the run and extending outward flat on the ground two feet or so, then staked down, would also deter dig ins. The other thing I'd change about my friend's set up is to wrap the bottom 3 feet or so of the chainlink with hardware cloth with small openings to prevent the risk of reach through predation.

If your climate permits it, this would be a pretty inexpensive setup. However, since you would have no closed sided coop, you would need to be very careful about making sure there were no gaps between the chainlink and the framework that a critter could squeeze through, especially around the door area.

 

[dbounds10]

I live in North Texas also but this past winter we had 10 days below 5 degrees so I would not trust not having a closed coop. I wonder how he made it through all freeze we had? I am also looking into the childerns play house option. I found a wooden playhouse for under 400. Here it is, what do you all think? I think with a few modification, it could be perfect.

Option 1 - http://www.playhouses.com/playhouses/wood-playhouses/backyarddiscoverywinchesterplayhouse.cfm

Option 2 - http://www.playhouses.com/playhouses/wood-playhouses/kidkraftredroofoutdoorplayhouse1.cfm

 

[farmer_lew]

Quote:
Not only that, but they will tell you that you can house 6 - 8 chickens comfortably in their fancy shmancy pre-fab coop, but you will be lucky if two can walk past each other in it. Use extreme caution when considering a pre-fab. The plastic playhouse is a great way to go. We have one we are currently using as a maternity ward for our broody hen.