Need help on where to buy a good chicken coop !!!!

[Aiee91]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this group and also newbie on raising chickens. I been looking all over internet to find a good chicken coop but i always see negative feedback. I just wonder if anyone can recommend me a website or a store that selling a good chicken coop that last long. I am now raising 7 baby chicken and about to move them to backyard when they get bigger so i need a coop and run. Much appreciated

 

[BleuSaphir]

Prefab coop are poorly made. That why your seeing negative reviews.

Have you thought about building your own coop?

 

[Suzz]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this group and also newbie on raising chickens. I been looking all over internet to find a good chicken coop but i always see negative feedback. I just wonder if anyone can recommend me a website or a store that selling a good chicken coop that last long. I am now raising 7 baby chicken and about to move them to backyard when they get bigger so i need a coop and run. Much appreciated

Or if you have 0 % carpentry skills like me buying a shed and converting it

 

[Aiee91]

Prefab coop are poorly made. That why your seeing negative reviews.

Have you thought about building your own coop?

We thought about it, but my husband is not a handy man. And i can’t help him since i am bedrest for couple months. And he has to look after the kids so there is no time for us.

 

[WonkierZulu]

Over ez coops they are expensive though can probably buy a small shed for the price

 

[Mtn Cur]

Box store coops are a waste of money.

However, Craigslist or FB market place may have a suitable alternative. Buying will be costly regardless

 

[rosemarythyme]

A shed (new or used) would be your best general option, but it'll need to be converted to work as a coop.

Most prefabs have to be reinforced/altered to make them work, even for shorter term use. You can get one as a stop gap, and keep it around for later use as a isolation cage or chick brooder, if that works better into your plans.

As a general rule, the minimum space you need for 7 birds would be:
- 28 sq ft floor space in coop (4 per bird, not including nest boxes)
- 7 ft roost
- 7 sq ft ventilation (nearly impossible in a prefab, there's not enough wall space)
- 70 sq ft run (10 per bird)

 

[Banana01]

Are they going to be free to run around the yard during the day and just sleep in the coop at night? I agree a shed is a good size. Prefab might work if you are going to design an outdoor run around it, but the shed seems like the easier choice.

 

[Aiee91]

Are they going to be free to run around the yard during the day and just sleep in the coop at night? I agree a shed is a good size. Prefab might work if you are going to design an outdoor run around it, but the shed seems like the easier choice.

yes, i was thinking to buy a shed . Thank you

 

[3KillerBs]

We thought about it, but my husband is not a handy man. And i can’t help him since i am bedrest for couple months. And he has to look after the kids so there is no time for us.

Welcome to BYC.

I agree with the above that prefab coops are a waste of money -- too small, poorly-built, and badly-designed. Even the better-made (but still ill-ventilated), OverEZ and Omelet coops claim to hold FAR MORE chickens than they can legitimately house -- basing the claims on legal minimums for commercial chickens. Carolina Coops are better built and more realistically-sized, but still not optimally-ventilated and quite expensive.

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters, especially in regards to housing.

For people who aren't handy the best option is usually a shed conversion or a hoop coop.

However, may I respectfully suggest that given the bed rest situation this might not be the best time to start with chickens? They do not require a LOT of time and work -- once you're setup. But having experienced bed rest due to a problem pregnancy and the household disruption involved by having one member incapacitated not only for that but when my husband suffered a severe bought of neuropathy I can say that it's going to be very hard to keep the household functioning without adding new chores.

It would, however, be a great time to do your research so as to be ready when the time comes that you're free of the restriction and back to your normal self.

Here are the Usual Guidelines for space, for each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

And here is an article explaining why they are guidelines, not rules: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/