post your chicken coop pictures here!

[perchie.girl]

Quote: LOL... I know about garage space.. My moms will NEVER be the same after Brooded up 40 Guinea keets.... I had NO idea how much dust they made.

Boy you guys got hammered on the east coast....

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

There's a big separation board between the two sections. It's blackjack coated too. Not worried about the sand.

Funny. My inspector didn't want to go in with his muddy boots. I told him it's not my living room, it's a coop! Practically had to shove him in.

Oooh why both sand and chips....?

Silly inspector... Coops are for chicken poo.

For what its worth I am a fan of Sand throughout.... even in the nest boxes.


deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: I agree Bruce. Missing parts are the responsibility of the manufacturer. Broken or abused parts are the responsibility of the shipper. Usually there is a specific amount of time for you to file a complaint to the shipper.

With the amount of birds @Sylvester017 has the coop should be enough... But the company is definitely misrepresenting its product.

I have perused this companies site before. I passed because of the price. got some good ideas though. It concerns me that they use particle board on the inside.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Well, our Cove Products Chicken Condos Mobile Barn Coop w/Run arrived today after 4 scheduled but delayed delivery appts by the SAIA shipping company. There was over 700 lbs of pieces on the wooden construction crate (a large 8-ft CRATE - not a dinky pallet) and it took the driver, my DH, and myself (3 people!) to unload the coop pieces one at a time off the truck. My DH tin-snipped the metal straps and he and the driver moved each piece from the crate to the liftgate to dollies to get them into our garage. The coop walls and dog kennel wire panels were especially heavy but will be wonderfully sturdy once assembled. Whew! Lots of damaged and missing pieces and now to go through a claim process for lost/missing pieces. Wish us luck!

As I suspected the outside shed material is sturdy on the coop but the inside lining is particle board so we've got a lot of sealing/painting to do before we can assemble the parts which should be easy once we receive the replacement pieces. Both flimsy chicken ramps arrived broken and unuseable, 7@ roosting bars were not in the crate, one wire kennel panel was dented like a section had been boot-kicked hard, one out of 4 sliding tray support bar hooks was dented, and one Predator Eyes Light is missing. The 2@ chicken treadle feeders are in good condition and we can't wait to train the old hens to adjust to new feeders. Training them to nipple valve waterers took a little over a week so it will be interesting to see how long the treadle feeders take.

Considering the crate came from Colorado and SAIA drove around 4 days with our shipment before finally delivering I guess some damage was expected. Most people who have assembled DIY kits from coop or shed companies all seem to get some pieces damaged or missing so I'm just glad the main coop walls are in good shape. The missing pieces on the other hand will delay our final coop assembly.

I finally got a chance to go to this manufacturers site to see what you got. Those are pretty setups for sure. I like powder coating. I have a show cart I built for my horse and I sent the metal seat and basket parts to a dune buggy place for powdercoating. Even now after twelve years I need to re finish the wood but that powder coating is as shiny and pretty as the day it came back from the painter.

I share the same concerns as @bruceha2000 though with regard to the quality of the shipping and the quality of the packing.

You did your homework as to square footage... but I am afraid the company is misrepresenting its product in its advertising.

I cant wait to see pictures of you process.

deb

 

[WthrLady]

Oh I love it.  ...  CoopPouri...?      inquiring minds want to know.

deb

i make a blend of 16 chicken safe herbs and dried flowers for the coop and nest box. I do sell it. Smells yummy.

Sand in the front as i can get wet and acts as an indoor run when they dont want to go out. Mulch in the back treated as indoor dlm. Moved to the overdoor run which is also dlm, every 4 months.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Oooh I looked at your website...

.... I take it you dont sell your CoopPouri there?

deb

 

[Sylvester017]

I hate to disagree with you Sylvester but I consider that amount of damage and the number of missing pieces to be wholly unacceptable. There is no reason the coop parts couldn't have been packed in such a way as to not get damaged and there just isn't any excuse for missing parts, especially something as big as a roosting bar. And if "most people" who get DIY kits have such issues, the sellers are not being taken to task.

THAT'S WHY I GAVE THE SELLERS (COVE PRODUCTS) WHAT-FOR ON THEIR METHOD OF WRAPPING, CUSHIONING, PACKAGING, AND SHODDY SHIPPING COMPANY SELECTED. THEY'VE RECEIVED ABOUT 20 EMAILS BACK AND FORTH FROM ME AND ARE DEALING W/ THE SHIPPING COMPANY AND WILL BE SENDING ME THE REPLACEMENT PARTS SO MY COOP BUILD ISN'T DELAYED BECAUSE OF THE CLAIM FILING. I MENTIONED THAT SOME OF THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS DEFINITELY ON COVE'S SHIPPING DEPT AND SOME RESPONSIBILITY WAS DEFINITELY SAIA SHIPPING - BUT MOSTLY COVE DROPPED THE BALL TO IDENTIFY "THIS END UP" AND TO NEGLECT BLANKET-WRAPPING FOR THE LARGEST PIECES - I BELIEVE MOST MOVING/SHIPPING COMPANIES PROVIDE BLANKETS FOR SHIPPING. ANYWAY THE COOP IS REALLY AESTHETICALLY ATTRACTIVE IN SPITE OF THE ISSUES I WENT THRU.

Were I to rate that company, they would get 1 star, 2 max. If they marked the box "This Side Up" and the shipping company didn't follow that or didn't secure it properly, the shipping company also gets 1 star. If the box wasn't marked, the coop company gets 1/2 star and the shipper goes up to 5 given all the assistance the driver gave you.

A DRIVER FINALLY DELIVERED AFTER THE SHIPPING COMPANY FAILED TO MAKE THEIR APPTS ON 3 OTHER DAYS! THE DRIVER DID HELP TO DISMANTLE THE ORDER AND HELPED TO TAKE THE STUFF OFF THE VAN AND HE TRIED TO BE NICE BUT HIS SUPERVISING TERMINAL KEPT RUSHING HIM TO CONTINUE ON THE ROUTE DESPITE THE FACT THAT WE WERE REMOVING 745 LBS OF PRODUCT OFF THE LIFTGATE ONE PIECE AT A TIME! I GAVE COVE'S CUSTOMER SERVICE ALL INFO & PHOTOS OF DAMAGED ITEMS PLUS HOW I FELT AS A CUSTOMER ABOUT THE BAD EXPERIENCE. IF COMPANIES DON'T HEAR BACK FROM THEIR CUSTOMERS THEY WON'T KNOW THEY'RE DOING ANYTHING WRONG. IT WAS BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS CUSTOMERS THAT COVE BEGAN TO IMPROVE THEIR PROTO-TYPE COOPS. THE PRODUCT IS NICE EXCEPT FOR THE PARTICLE BOARD INTERIOR WALLS WHICH I EXPLAINED TO THEM WHY IT IS INEFFICIENT FOR POULTRY USE. COVE HAS BEEN REFINING AND IMPROVING THEIR COOP BUILDS THIS PAST YEAR WHICH ARE STURDY SAFE AND ATTRACTIVE DESIGNS BUT TOLD THEM TO REFINE THE KIND OF INTERIOR MATERIALS AND FLIMSY LADDER MATERIALS THEY USE FOR THEIR COOPS. EVERYTHING ELSE IS SPOT-ON GREAT.

I couldn't find any mobile coops bigger than a 4x4 on their site Sylvester. No way is that big enough for 15 chickens (which *I* know that YOU know). Heck, even the new regs for battery hen cages demand more square footage per bird. I think your 5 would be max.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS FOR POSTING YOUR COMMENTS ON COVE'S WEBSITE ABOUT THE ROOSTING BARS AND THE CHICKEN NUMBERS SO I DON'T HAVE TO BE THE ONLY ONE TO GET THEM ONBOARD WITH FACTUAL INFORMATION (I AM NOT PLANNING TO USE ALL TOP TIERS OF ROOSTS BECAUSE OF POOPING ANGLES AND AM CONSTRUCTING A 2X4 PLANK TO SECURE ACROSS THE BOTTOM ROOSTS (COVE ROOSTS ARE 2X3 WITH THE 2" SIDE UP - I DIDN'T GET PICKY W/ COVE ABOUT THE 2X3" ROOSTS SINCE I WAS PLANNING TO BUILD MY OWN PLANKS - I HAVE YET TO FIND A DIY COOP THAT OFFERS FLAT PERCHES! EVEN THE AMISH-BUILT COOPS NEED SPECIAL-ORDER ROOSTS BUILT FLAT OTHERWISE THEY COME STANDARD NARROW SIDES UP. COVE'S INITIAL SPECIALIZATION WAS DOG KENNELS AND THEY RECENTLY EXPANDED TO CHICKEN COOPS SO I AM BEING PATIENT W/ THEM SINCE THEY HAVE BEEN IMPROVING THEIR PROTO-TYPE MODELS THIS PAST YEAR. (ACTUALLY THE 4X4 BARN COOP WE ORDERED IS LIKE A ROOMY PALACE FOR OUR 3 HENS - SOON TO BE 5 HENS NEXT WEEK - I WOULDN'T PUT MORE THAN 8 HENS YET IT WOULD STILL BE VERY COMFORTABLE FOR 8). THE NESTBOX ADDS ANOTHER EXTRA FOOT TO THE WIDTH. THE FACT THAT THERE IS A 4X4 RUN AREA UNDERNEATH THE COOP W/ AN ADDED 4X4 KENNEL ATTACHMENT, WILL GIVE OUR 5 HENS PLENTY OF ROOM TO MOVE ABOUT IN THE EARLY HOURS BEFORE WE RELEASE THEM FOR THEIR DAILY FREE-RANGE. I DON'T LIKE PENNING UP CHICKENS AT ALL BUT FOR TIMES WHEN WE NEED TO KEEP THEM OUT OF THE YARD THEY HAVE A TOTAL OF 4X8 TO TOODLE AROUND PLUS A 4X4 BARN COOP OVER THE RUN. A 4X4 MOBILE COOP IS PLENTY BIG AND HEAVY ENOUGH WHEN A RUN IS ATTACHED - IN FACT WE CUSTOM ORDERED A SMALLER 4X4 WIRE RUN ATTACHMENT BECAUSE WE SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE SPACE OR STRENGTH FOR MOVING THE LONG MOBILE RUN PICTURED ON COVE'S WEBSITE. ON A ROOMY ACREAGE A LONG KENNEL RUN IS PERFECT BUT WE HAVE A SMALL CITY BACKYARD SO ORDERED A SMALLER RUN. WE ORDERED A NORMAL SLIDE-OUT TRAY AS WELL AS A 2ND WIRE MESH-BOTTOM TRAY (FOR VENTILATION DURING THE HOT HUMID SUMMERS). WE ARE CONTRACTING A NEW BLOCK WALL FENCE, REPLACING AN OLD CRACKED PATIO SLAB, AND HOPEFULLY A PATIO ROOF BUILT OVER THE NEW COOP. THIS NEW BARN COOP IS MUCH LARGER AND STANDS A COUPLE FEET TALLER THAN OUR OLD OSB COOP.



I looked at their site again, it says 16 chickens in a 4x4. I just posted this on their "contact us" page:

I saw a reference on BYC that your 4x4 coop can hold 15 chickens. I see on your site that you claim it will comfortably house SIXTEEN!
Sorry but you are WAY WAY WAY off. A single full grown large fowl chicken will take up a full square foot standing cheek by jowl with the others.

Your FAQ says:
" A chicken coop should be large enough for the chickens to walk comfortably without being overcrowded by the other chickens."
Do you not see the oxymoron in "Not enough space to move" and "walk comfortably without being overcrowded"?

Regarding the 20' of roosts in the 4x4 barn coop: The chickens on the top 2 will poop on the ones on the 3 lower roosts. The roosts are too close together and they can peck those on the other roosts. I also note that the roosts are 2x2. A chicken's feet are not meant for perching but standing, thus a 2x4 on the flat is appropriate, 1 1/2" is NOT a comfortable roost for a chicken.

PLEASE do not misinform your customers. A 4x4 coop is big enough for 4, maybe 5, birds at best. You might be able to squeak a few more in if they are NEVER confined to the coop when they are awake.

 

[Sylvester017]

I agree Bruce. Missing parts are the responsibility of the manufacturer. Broken or abused parts are the responsibility of the shipper. Usually there is a specific amount of time for you to file a complaint to the shipper.

With the amount of birds @Sylvester017 has the coop should be enough... But the company is definitely misrepresenting its product.

I have perused this companies site before. I passed because of the price. got some good ideas though. It concerns me that they use particle board on the inside.

deb

Hi Perchie - the parts replacement is being resolved on the company's part and will be shipping replacements before they finish their claim resolution with the shippers. The time w/ this particular shipping company to file a claim is within 6 months - I called to verify. If you ever receive "iffy" goods shipments always sign w/ an Exception number assigned by the driver and note damage on the consignee copy. We didn't refuse shipment to avoid the 15% restocking fee just in case we were dealing with flakes - but happily they are taking responsibility so far.

This Cove Products Chicken Condos IS PRICEY but so is Eggstreme Fiberglass Coops, Tuff Shed Coops, Amish-Built Coops, etc. We chose Cove Products Chicken Condos because of how much easier it is to assemble - two hinges/two connecting pins per each wall connection and the run has sturdy dog kennel wire - just pull out the pins of the attached kennel run if all you want to tractor is the Barn Coop by itself. The Cove website shows one person assembling a 4x6 Barn Coop but really 2 people was necessary for us "old folks" to assemble the 4x4 Barn.

You're correct about the 4x4 Barn Coop being more than adequate for our flock. We are expecting a shipment of 2 more pullets next month and 5 hens total will still look sparse in the large 4x4 with additional 1-foot of external nestboxes (plus 2-ft taller roofline) which really makes it a 4x5 ground footprint. So-o-o-o glad I didn't go nuts and order the 4x6 coop! Cove Products adjusted the price lower on our Mobile Barn Coop/Run package because we got the smaller run.

As I stated in another post to bruceha2000 Cove has been informed about the flimsy particle board interior walls and flimsy shed wall ladders that flake badly and have exposed insulation. The chickens will have fun pecking at all that cardboard wall interior and shed insulation ladders if not sealed/painted! Cove has taken steps to improve design/materials but aren't 100% there yet. Still their Barn Coop had all the design features to meet our needs.

 

[WthrLady]

I started my website, but haven't added the coopouri yet. As soon as I get my run finished I plan to sit down and get my blog going.

 

[TJordan]

Ok everyone... I'm about to post a picture so DONT FAINT!!!

e

Rip van winkle got moving...
Last weekend with the dumpster and the hubby finally decides to start the coop... We also went and got the sproutlings for the garden and two fruit trees to began our spring with a fling..