Plastic coops

[aart]

It's a good reason not to use flimsy plastic, like flimsy wood or flimsy wire, for a shed or coop. Like wood and wire, plastic comes in lots of types and grades.

Maybe, squirrels are pretty tenacious.

 

[tigger19687]

Build in Wood so it will LAST.
And make it BIG ! I keep seeing people wanting to put 4 hens in those tiny plastic boxes... it's a box and I think cruel to put even 2 in there, but that's MY Opinion.
Mine are, for now, in a 7x7 rubbermaid shed, their area is 6x7, 1 foot in is the doorway and supply area for me. I only have 6 hens ! anymore and it will be too small for the winter time when they want to stay inside. This this morning they didn't want to go in the 10x10 completely closed in and covered run area. So they scratched around inside for the 1st hour (0715 till 0815) then went out and are in the hay/leaf floor digging around.... well right now they fluffy feathers and not even sitting on the roost bars in the run, they are Australorps .

 

[My_3_Hens]

I'm actually not in the UK! I'm in Kentucky, USA. Darnit!

Formex makes plastic coops in 2 sizes; we bought ours from MyPetChicken.com and the best part they are made in the USA and ship for free!

 

[Perris]

Build in Wood so it will LAST.

Green Frog plastic coops are guaranteed for 25 years. I don't know how many wooden ones will last that long, but I don't see any with guarantees beyond 10 years.

 

[aart]

Green Frog plastic coops are guaranteed for 25 years.

How long have they been making them?
Even if they get chewed up by a rodent?

 

[Perris]

How long have they been making them?
Even if they get chewed up by a rodent?

They've been in business since 2009, and I've had them since 2017. No rodent has even attempted to chew any of them (unlike the garden shed, where traps have to be set every winter because rats eat their way in), nor fox. They really are very sturdy.

 

[Ccort]

Build in Wood so it will LAST.
And make it BIG ! I keep seeing people wanting to put 4 hens in those tiny plastic boxes... it's a box and I think cruel to put even 2 in there, but that's MY Opinion.
Mine are, for now, in a 7x7 rubbermaid shed, their area is 6x7, 1 foot in is the doorway and supply area for me. I only have 6 hens ! anymore and it will be too small for the winter time when they want to stay inside. This this morning they didn't want to go in the 10x10 completely closed in and covered run area. So they scratched around inside for the 1st hour (0715 till 0815) then went out and are in the hay/leaf floor digging around.... well right now they fluffy feathers and not even sitting on the roost bars in the run, they are Australorps .

I'm curious how you did a Rubbermaid coop?

 

[Ccort]

Formex makes plastic coops in 2 sizes; we bought ours from MyPetChicken.com and the best part they are made in the USA and ship for free!

Are you happy with the Formex?

 

[tigger19687]

Green Frog plastic coops are guaranteed for 25 years. I don't know how many wooden ones will last that long, but I don't see any with guarantees beyond 10 years.

Guarantee is not worth poop.... let's see how much you get at 24 years with that coop? And if they have only been in business since 2009, my math is usually off but that is only 11 years in business ???
BTW i was not referring to those cheap-arse store bought tiny coops. I was talking about Building their OWN big coop... like shed size and with good materials.
I won't argue, it is your opinion. Nothing is perfect. But a wooden one will not be anywhere near at hot as a plastic one in the sun.
My PLASTIC rubbermaid shed DOES have a whole in the side form a mouse on the 1st winter. It happens, I just put rocks in front of it and a brick on the inside (that my waterer sits on so it all works).

I'm curious how you did a Rubbermaid coop?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-resin-plastic-coop-construction-thread.1198632/
This will show you when I first put this together, it's basically the same just some small tweeks till I buy a house with land and build a very large shed type coop- or shed in 1/2 and coop in the other with a solid wooden wall in between.

 

[Perris]

Guarantee is not worth poop.... let's see how much you get at 24 years with that coop? And if they have only been in business since 2009, my math is usually off but that is only 11 years in business ???
BTW i was not referring to those cheap-arse store bought tiny coops. I was talking about Building their OWN big coop... like shed size and with good materials.
I won't argue, it is your opinion. Nothing is perfect. But a wooden one will not be anywhere near at hot as a plastic one in the sun.
My PLASTIC rubbermaid shed DOES have a whole in the side form a mouse on the 1st winter. It happens, I just put rocks in front of it and a brick on the inside (that my waterer sits on so it all works).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-resin-plastic-coop-construction-thread.1198632/
This will show you when I first put this together, it's basically the same just some small tweeks till I buy a house with land and build a very large shed type coop- or shed in 1/2 and coop in the other with a solid wooden wall in between.

For your information, I also have a wooden coop. None of my birds has ever chosen to use it, for any purpose. And it gets a lot hotter in the summer than the Green Frog coops. My birds don't need a large coop because they have an acre to roam, all daylight hours.