New to chickens :: Just bought this coop, thoughts? Feedback?

[banditti]

I bought this off ebay. Thoughts? Feedback? Anyone have one? Recommended mods?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110548903637

Thanks!

 

[goldeneggtees]

Looks great from what I can see, but I'm no expert on coop building. Congrats!

 

[sunflowerenvy]

it is nicely build but you would need to should that the roof does not leak then it rains and can it handle wet snow on the roof if you live where snow come and you would have put locks on the doors too

 

[Oven Ready]

Are you going to mount it on concrete? It looks like if you don't then something could easily get under the bottom of the frame.

It's very nice looking, don't forget to treat the wood before you put it all together, much easier and more effective. What lucky chickens you have.

 

[featherz]

I think it's neat. 8 birds is a bit optimistic with the size of the living area (did I read it right? Something like 30 inches x 31 inches for the inside space?) but other than that it's very cool looking..!

 

[gryeyes]

That's NICE. But do seal it with waterproof seal, and maybe exchange some of the hinges for heavier-duty hinges. (I bought a similar coop from the same seller and have found the hardware to be a little bit "light.")

And the company does over-estimate how many chickens can be kept in it, just a tad.

 

[GoAngels]

Quote:
I think they make the house look bigger in the pictures than it actually is. From another auction for the same seller: "SUITABLE FOR 5/6 BIRDS COULD BE USED FOR MORE Dependant on size (As a guide bantams need 8" sq , large birds need 12" sq of floor area)".

So yeah, the seller is underestimating how much space chickens need. This is barely big enough for 2 standard hens.

 

[columbiacritter]

After my experience buying a coop kit off line I would be extremely wary of quality of materials and contruction. Plan on doing a lot of modifying to make it work.

I wouldn't put more than 2 hens in this.

 

[ranchhand]

7'6 square feet of living space in the "living area", which includes the roof overhang, did I do the math right? That's about enough for 2.75 chickens. Don't know where they got the 8 hens idea. It IS a really cute little coop and run, but I'd only put maybe 3 standards in there.

And I'd expand the run area a bunch, unless you are going to free range daily.

I looked online - this is the US distributor for a UK company selling coops/hutches/etc. made in China. Sure would be nice to find one made in the USA.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
If you shut the chickens up in the coop at night, do you really need a solid floor for the run? Where I live, predators are mostly an issue at night.