Opinions on Coop Kits

kaykaypw

In the Brooder
8 Years
Aug 31, 2011
37
0
22
Napa, CA
Hi All,
I'm in an urban situation and need a small coop with a decent size run. I am not handy, nor is my husband so building one is out of the question.

I've been looking at several kits and am wondering your opinions on this one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chicken-Pou...ltDomain_0&hash=item1c1e8b7800#ht_4942wt_1037


I'm afraid it is going to be too flimsy. Has anyone seen one in person? Or, any recommendations on kits that I can easily put together?

Thanks!
K
 
Hi K,

I think that the coop looks really good, and has some very nice features. 1. slide out poop tray, 2. pop door opens from outside, 3. coop opens up for access and cleaning and 4. attached run.

The seller has 99.4% positive feedback, you can check that feedback and see if most of it is coop or perhaps other items--possibly by what the buyers have said.
They seem very upfront about making sure that the buyer knows the size --- and having an attached run is such a great idea. Also the height would mean easy access to the nest box to gather eggs, and the slide out poop tray for dumping the poo in the compost.

It is wooden, and as such would mean that it would require yearly maintenance, inside and out. And I don't know the ease of construction/assembly etc. -- but there are a lot of good ideas incorporated in the design.

Infact, I'm so surprised that you didn't get tons of opinons to this, because most chicken keepers have very passionate ideas about coops.

From the size, I would guess that it could hold 2 standard sized chickens, and perhaps more if you get bantams. That said, I have an 'Eglu GO' and I have 3 standard sized chickens. They are giving me about 17-eggs per week right now, even in our awful heat...but one of my hens is a serious over-achiever, so she sKews the statistics, I'm sure. I consider thier productivity a sign they are pretty happy, and I think that the size I have is pretty equivalent to that coop. Mine is plastic, thus no yearly painting inside and out, and no wooden roosts with crevices where red-mites could get established. Also safe from predators which is pretty important to me.

Not sure about your climate, but I wonder how that roof would perform in drenching rain? The way it opens is cool for access I think, but could it be problematic for leak--or did I just look at it the wrong way?

I just helped a friend assemble the top-of-the-line Eglu Cube which costs a fortune, but is a pretty well engineered arrangement.

Perhaps you can ask the seller very specific questions, about the type of wood and thickness of wood, and the level of skill and tools that are needed to assemble it. You may also want to ask them what number of chickens the manufacturer recommends eventhough it is a controversial topic exactly how much space a chicken needs. Part of the chicken space equation is what breed of chickens you get, how docile the individuals are, how plentiful they feel their food and water is, how much time they have to spend inside versus in their run, and how much if any time they can free range or be in a chicken pen (play pen/portable pasture etc.).

Everyone will tell you it is too small, and you won't be able to keep all the chickens you will want, once you get immersed in chickens. But I think that everyone's needs are a little different, and it is like a car, what is best for one person isn't what another person should choose.

How many chickens you will eventually want will depend upon how many chickens you want to feed and care for, how many eggs you want and how much space for chickens you have.

If this coop fits your criteria, the number of chickens that you want, your budget and other chicken and lawn aesthetics, you haven't risked a fortune to get it.

Whatever you decide, get chickens, you will love having them. I can envision a very successful small back yard flock with this setup. Email me if you would like more info on Eglu and how easy they are to assemble.
good luck!
 
It's big enough for 1 chicken. 4 sq ft per chicken, inside coop and 10 sq ft per chicken in run. Very small
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The coop is nice, but it will not hold up to cold or lots of rain. I have seen these and they will leak and I have heard that they do come damaged at times and your out of luck sending it back or getting help. I would think there ok for warm climates. maybe a tarp over the top if it rains. there real small so maybe 2 birds, 3 if there small.
 
We bought a similar, simpler coop from the same folks on eBay. It came in record time and was in perfect condition. It was not too difficult to assemble. It is definitely light-weight but is ok for us because we live in a mild climate. Ours has a more substantial roof than the one you linked too but I have wondered if I will need to throw a tarp over it when the rainy season arrives. Like you, we don't have the skills needed to build our own coop. So far, I am happy with ours. (We haven't had any serious weather yet, though.) Our model didn't come with a run so we constructed a large one to make up for the small size of the coop.
 
I was in your situation a few months ago - needed a coop but didn't have the experience and know-how to build one myself. I searched for "chicken coop" on Craigslist and found someone nearby that builds them. We got ours with an additional 6-foot run, and it easily holds our 7 chickens for under $400. I don't know your location, but checking Craigslist might be a good idea. Ours came fully assembled. We made a couple of modification - but nothing major. We've gone through some major storms in the past couple months, and it hasn't leaked at all.

The biggest problem I saw in the eBay ad - was that they mentioned more than once that they would not accept returns for scratches and chipped wood. It made it sound flimsy to me - and made it sound like they've had lots of problems with scratches and chipped wood.

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You're better off hiring a handyman to build one for you. You can buy plans for a great coop at www.thegardencoop.com or there's a new book out highlighting 16 coops from this website. It has color photos, parts lists, and construction notes. A handyman could easily build one of the 16 coops for you. The book is available on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Chickens-Guide-Coops-Tractors/dp/1440316961/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313257287&sr=1-1

Click
on the "look inside" feature and you'll get a good idea of what the book contains.
 
these coops are way too small and wont hold up in cold climates, I bought one and the biggest
dissapointment was the size they make them look much larger then they are, here is the 1st one I bought
then less then 2 weeks later upgraded to the large red one. I can't build either and if I knew then what I
know now I would have just bought one from a place that sells outdoor building and be done with it.
my 1st coop
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my current coop which I love!
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I think they are really cute! However, I am in agreement with the other posters. It doesn't seem too practical AND they will not accept it back because of damages to the wood. These are the same damages that can let in water and cold weather.
mikecnorthwest

You're better off hiring a handyman to build one for you. You can buy plans for a great coop at www.thegardencoop.com or there's a new book out highlighting 16 coops from this website. It has color photos, parts lists, and construction notes. A handyman could easily build one of the 16 coops for you. The book is available on Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Chickens … amp;sr=1-1

Click on the "look inside" feature and you'll get a good idea of what the book contains.

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