Pawhut Chicken Coop

[JerryR708]

Back in May 2016 I bought my first 7 baby chicks for my cardboard brooder. I also bought a Chicken coop kit (PawHut Large Backyard Hen House Chicken Coop w/ Long Run 144") Listed at 484.99, but I bought it on a good sale for I believe 1/2 price. It advertised to hold 6 hens with nesting boxes attached to both sides. I have added an additional section to the run to make it 196"
I decided to paint the coop from the original orange cedar color to my own custom colors.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Wow!! that looks great!! I like prefab coops, I have three in operation as of now. Pawhut is a good brand as well. You did a good job on the painting, I paint my coops red and white as well. Do your girls like the coop?

Here are my coops, I am going to be ordering another one this spring.

 

[JerryR708]

Pawhut is probably the best of the cheap kits before jumping to building a quality coop from scratch. I changed out the small diameter perch and put in a thicker one. I changed out the latch to. I live in the desert and that is why I don't have the beautiful lush greenery like you have. I don't like the air gaps in the roof with this brand. Any suggestions? Did you upgrade your roof?

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

Pawhut is probably the best of the cheap kits before jumping to building a quality coop from scratch. I changed out the small diameter perch and put in a thicker one. I changed out the latch to. I live in the desert and that is why I don't have the beautiful lush greenery like you have. I don't like the air gaps in the roof with this brand. Any suggestions? Did you upgrade your roof?

No, I did not upgrade the roof. I added more latches, updated the hardwire, painted it, and made sure that I put a good water seal on it. So far is has held up really well.

 

[JerryR708]

I painted two coats of Behr paint, but no sealer and mine has held up good to. Water tends to get inside during a heavy rain and will need to fix that.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I painted two coats of Behr paint, but no sealer and mine has held up good to. Water tends to get inside during a heavy rain and will need to fix that.

I know what you mean there. I usually add a bit of calking to the gaps to make them water tight. At times I have to wait for the first really heavy rain to find them. But once I get it all fixed up they serve me and my girls well.

 

[JerryR708]

When they assembled the roof, they didn't overlay the roof slats enough. Some places have 1/16 to 1/8 inch gaps. I would have to disassemble to roof and push the roof slats tighter together. It almost seems like the wood was still drying and shrunk a little because the gaps weren't that bad when I put it together and painted it. After my second year owning the coop, I noticed that the bottoms of the nesting boxed were beginning to lose wood slats held by tiny nails. If I waited to long to fix it, chickens would have fallen out the bottom.
I had to upgrade the ramp. The little screws loosened and the ramp was laying on the ground. I decided to put a hinge on it to lift it during cleaning. So much easier to clean now.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Pawhut is probably the best of the cheap kits before jumping to building a quality coop from scratch. I changed out the small diameter perch and put in a thicker one. I changed out the latch to. I live in the desert and that is why I don't have the beautiful lush greenery like you have. I don't like the air gaps in the roof with this brand. Any suggestions? Did you upgrade your roof?

By air gaps what do you mean? Would it add ventilation? If the gaps are big enough, maybe add hardware cloth?
Nevermind, I read your other post. We used some kind of clear roofing caulk to seal the top of our prefab coop. Maybe adding a water sealant would help as well. Also, the screws they use are tiny and I had to change mine out from the ramp too. As well, we reinforced areas with better screws.

Do you have pics of your mods?

Can you stand up in the run?

 

[JerryR708]

By air gaps what do you mean? Would it add ventilation? If the gaps are big enough, maybe add hardware cloth?
Nevermind, I read your other post. We used some kind of clear roofing caulk to seal the top of our prefab coop. Maybe adding a water sealant would help as well. Also, the screws they use are tiny and I had to change mine out from the ramp too. As well, we reinforced areas with better screws.

Do you have pics of your mods?

Can you stand up in the run?

RUN:100.5L x 37.25W x 49.5H
Run under living area: 40.75L x 37.27W x 20.25H
Main outer door: 31W x 46.75H
Total length: 144L

 

[JerryR708]

Do you have pics of your mods?

I will take some photos of the mods and send some when I get the chance. The run is modular so it was easy for me to make an additional section and attach it at the end to make it longer. I just removed the end panel added a section the same size and reinstalled the end. This added section made a big difference for my 3 hens giving them plenty of space along with free ranging a few hours during the day. Enough room that they never bicker or fight and are content.