Prefab Chicken Coop Rip-Off?

[gtaus]

I have yet to see a prefab that I would even toy with the idea of buying.
Poor quality, too small, etc

Well, I agree. But we all know that some people, with limited knowledge, might consider these prefab coops as a viable option for their first time flock. I hope they hear loud and clear from the experienced members of the BYC community NOT to consider these prefab coops as an option.

 

[gtaus]

My prefabs work well for me, but apart from growout and cull pens, they don't hold as many birds as the box says they can.

Thank you for your brave response, knowing that most of us really do not like these prefab coops. To your point, I have read many stories of people who buy these prefab coops, quickly realize that they are oversold on the number of chickens they can hold, build their own bigger, better coop, and turn the prefab coop for a growout or cull pen like you mentioned. If I had invested $749 into a coop like that, you bet I would find some use for it even if I decided to build a bigger coop on my own.

I could not find any info on the number of chickens the manufacture recommended for their coop, but, I did measure this prefab coop itself and it was 3X3 feet. At 9 square feet, that's only about 2 chickens in my book.

FYI, I live in northern Minnesota, and my chickens basically live inside their coop for almost 6 months out of the year. I designed my coop with that in mind and I have 7 square feet per bird in my coop to give them mental space during our long, cold winters. Too many chickens in too tight spaces can quickly lead to too many problems.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Thank you for your brave response, knowing that most of us really do not like these prefab coops. To your point, I have read many stories of people who buy these prefab coops, quickly realize that they are oversold on the number of chickens they can hold, build their own bigger, better coop, and turn the prefab coop for a growout or cull pen like you mentioned. If I had invested $749 into a coop like that, you bet I would find some use for it even if I decided to build a bigger coop on my own.

I could not find any info on the number of chickens the manufacture recommended for their coop, but, I did measure this prefab coop itself and it was 3X3 feet. At 9 square feet, that's only about 2 chickens in my book.

FYI, I live in northern Minnesota, and my chickens basically live inside their coop for almost 6 months out of the year. I designed my coop with that in mind and I have 7 square feet per bird in my coop to give them mental space during our long, cold winters. Too many chickens in too tight spaces can quickly lead to too many problems.

Mine usually say 6 to 9. I think it was 8 for my little Grey one and 6 for the brown ones, which is funny because the Grey coop has the smallest coop space. The runs are only a few inches difference.

I wish they had more ventilation, since I have to leave the pop doors open 24/7/365 otherwise they have no air gaps.

 

[kurby22]

**Edited to add that I don’t believe your initial post was an issue OP—just some of the comments that get made in reply**

I will just say as a chicken owner in suburbia where space is a premium, the pre-fab coops are appealing and have utility when used right. I will also say, that threads like this are somewhat frustrating to me, because they essentially shame chicken owners who go this route. My first coop was a prefab I bought for $350. I didn’t know if I would like chicken ownership or if it would fit our lifestyle and I didn’t want to invest $1-$2 grand until I knew I was serious. It turns a lot of new chicken owners off immediately to feel so judged (sometimes rudely) for taking this option.

I personally believe that you can make your points about these coops without making others feel bad about their choice.

1 - Instead of saying “save your money and build your own” which many that are not handy, including myself, find to be a useless suggestion—I failed shop and I’m the handy one in the family. Try saying “spend that money from someone local who can build something for you”. This is a constructive suggestion that is helpful. There are tons of good coop designs and plans and if you have the supplies and find them for cheap—ask a local handyman to build it for you.

2 - suggest that if they can only afford or have room for a smaller prefab, that they secure it well and consider upgrading in the future to something more appropriate.

3 - consider asking first, how will you be using it before saying things like “only urban people who don’t really get how to raise chickens and will give them away”. I live somewhere where I can use the entire prefab as a coop. It’s hot 9 months a year, rarely rains, and never snows. While I have typical suburbia predators, mine is secured with plywood, cinder blocks and hardware cloth. I’ve had mine for over a year now and it has been a fantastic coop. It is cheaply made, the wood is crap, and it will eventually be replaced with something in the more near future than a solidly built coop, but it keeps good ventilation to them all summer (which is 9 months long) and now that I know I LOVE chickens and plan to have them forever—the investment for more is worth it to me. I let them into a huge run during the day so they have plenty of space otherwise.

4 - they make great breeding coops, nest box options, ICU, broodies with babies, and chick brooders. You don’t need Fort Knox to keep chicks for a couple months.

5 - and lastly, consider the location and environment you live in when selecting coops. If you live in the country and predators are a considerable concern—these are not good enough. But us urban folks that apparently don’t have it in us to “do it properly” we may be able to use them with little repercussion if secured properly.

I will most definitely agree that $750 for THAT coop is insane and if spending that much you can find better—but then offer useful suggestions without making them feel bad. And be careful how it’s presented and consider not lumping every prefab into this category. I am currently using my big prefab 4.5ft by 7 ft as a grow out coop for all my baby chicks and teen pullets with their surrogate mommas, the silkies.

I just think it’s more constructive to gain context before making comments or suggestions. Be helpful and guide them to the best selection for THEM. Many many prefabs are indeed garbage. But I have two and they have both been fantastic for the needs I’ve had. The really crappy one is the favorite for ALL my hens to lay in. They love it. They have 9 boxes to lay in and they all choose that one. So it will remain as a nesting box and chick brooder when the time comes.

 

[Alagirl]

Well, I agree. But we all know that some people, with limited knowledge, might consider these prefab coops as a viable option for their first time flock. I hope they hear loud and clear from the experienced members of the BYC community NOT to consider these prefab coops as an option.

one of the reasons I read the 1 star reviews vs the 5 star.
Having said that, I have a prefab in the backyard to be assembled - but it was a far cry from 750 bucks (plus shipping I guess) and my husband bought it, because, well, I can't build right now myself.

 

[Alagirl]

**Edited to add that I don’t believe your initial post was an issue OP—just some of the comments that get made in reply**

I will just say as a chicken owner in suburbia where space is a premium, the pre-fab coops are appealing and have utility when used right. I will also say, that threads like this are somewhat frustrating to me, because they essentially shame chicken owners who go this route. My first coop was a prefab I bought for $350. I didn’t know if I would like chicken ownership or if it would fit our lifestyle and I didn’t want to invest $1-$2 grand until I knew I was serious. It turns a lot of new chicken owners off immediately to feel so judged (sometimes rudely) for taking this option.

I personally believe that you can make your points about these coops without making others feel bad about their choice.

1 - Instead of saying “save your money and build your own” which many that are not handy, including myself, find to be a useless suggestion—I failed shop and I’m the handy one in the family. Try saying “spend that money from someone local who can build something for you”. This is a constructive suggestion that is helpful. There are tons of good coop designs and plans and if you have the supplies and find them for cheap—ask a local handyman to build it for you.

2 - suggest that if they can only afford or have room for a smaller prefab, that they secure it well and consider upgrading in the future to something more appropriate.

3 - consider asking first, how will you be using it before saying things like “only urban people who don’t really get how to raise chickens and will give them away”. I live somewhere where I can use the entire prefab as a coop. It’s hot 9 months a year, rarely rains, and never snows. While I have typical suburbia predators, mine is secured with plywood, cinder blocks and hardware cloth. I’ve had mine for over a year now and it has been a fantastic coop. It is cheaply made, the wood is crap, and it will eventually be replaced with something in the more near future than a solidly built coop, but it keeps good ventilation to them all summer (which is 9 months long) and now that I know I LOVE chickens and plan to have them forever—the investment for more is worth it to me. I let them into a huge run during the day so they have plenty of space otherwise.

4 - they make great breeding coops, nest box options, ICU, broodies with babies, and chick brooders. You don’t need Fort Knox to keep chicks for a couple months.

5 - and lastly, consider the location and environment you live in when selecting coops. If you live in the country and predators are a considerable concern—these are not good enough. But us urban folks that apparently don’t have it in us to “do it properly” we may be able to use them with little repercussion if secured properly.

I will most definitely agree that $750 for THAT coop is insane and if spending that much you can find better—but then offer useful suggestions without making them feel bad. And be careful how it’s presented and consider not lumping every prefab into this category. I am currently using my big prefab 4.5ft by 7 ft as a grow out coop for all my baby chicks and teen pullets with their surrogate mommas, the silkies.

I just think it’s more constructive to gain context before making comments or suggestions. Be helpful and guide them to the best selection for THEM. Many many prefabs are indeed garbage. But I have two and they have both been fantastic for the needs I’ve had. The really crappy one is the favorite for ALL my hens to lay in. They love it. They have 9 boxes to lay in and they all choose that one. So it will remain as a nesting box and chick brooder when the time comes.

The pricetag is the huge red flag and suggests the target audience more than anything.

You are right, of course, the beginner doesn't know what they don't know (wave) but one should have enough awareness to know when they are getting fleeced!
On the other hand, to some people, a thousand dollars are like a buck to the rest of the world. Not judging, at least they are spending the money.

The shame is really that these people are being taken advantage of.
They pay a premium for a substandard item. They won't have much fun with the product (they don't know about brooders and quarantine coops!). they won't be able to access the coop properly, the product will fail them at a bad time, or predators will rip it to shreds. Or the birds will fight and injure themselves, or otherwise fall ill due to the poor construction of the coop.

The companies are cashing in on the trend of urban farming.
and as always, some are more about their cash flow than customer satisfaction.

Hint: read the 1 star reviews. It convinced me not to buy prefab (but Hubby has a clearer view of what I can accomplish at this time)

 

[kurby22]

The pricetag is the huge red flag and suggests the target audience more than anything.

You are right, of course, the beginner doesn't know what they don't know (wave) but one should have enough awareness to know when they are getting fleeced!
On the other hand, to some people, a thousand dollars are like a buck to the rest of the world. Not judging, at least they are spending the money.

The shame is really that these people are being taken advantage of.
They pay a premium for a substandard item. They won't have much fun with the product (they don't know about brooders and quarantine coops!). they won't be able to access the coop properly, the product will fail them at a bad time, or predators will rip it to shreds. Or the birds will fight and injure themselves, or otherwise fall ill due to the poor construction of the coop.

The companies are cashing in on the trend of urban farming.
and as always, some are more about their cash flow than customer satisfaction.

Hint: read the 1 star reviews. It convinced me not to buy prefab (but Hubby has a clearer view of what I can accomplish at this time)

Yup, I agree on all accounts. I just think it’s counterproductive to make those of us that come here looking for advice and ideas and ARE new…to make us feel dumb about buying them…instead of constructive suggestions and useful ideas of how they can be used if they decide they want to buy one anyway.

The industry of cashing in on the new trend is disgusting and to be expected I suppose. I just want to see folks on here approaching the issue with consideration and a desire to steer folks in the right direction without making them feel stupid or foolish. Some people will get turned off and leave BYC and miss out on so much good, from one or two poor comments directed at their choices. When I first came on and read those comments it made me feel really bad and I worried constantly that I’d sentenced them to death because I can’t build things. :-( I don’t want others to feel that way too. We can have strong feelings and be 100% right without making others feel bad about a perhaps less than ideal decision. I’ve seen plenty of supportive and helpful threads here with folks that have prefabs, but the comments by some always ruin the good intentions.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

I have one of those hyper small coops. I use it as a chick brooder and as a place for a free range hen to get out of the weather with her bitties.

 

[cece_chickens]

I usually don't like to bad mouth any particular product, but as a backyard flock owner for many years, I just want to tell first time chicken owners to please stay away from the prefab chicken coop setups like the one currently being sold at our local Fleet store for $749.00.

View attachment 3098928

They call this their large coop option, but the actual coop is only about 3X3 feet, which is really not even enough room for 3 chickens if you follow the 4 square feet per bird. The wood that comes with the kit is very cheap, and I cannot imagine it standing up to time. There is a pull-out tray for cleaning the coop, but, IMHO, that is about the worse design for cleaning options. Those pull out trays are known for causing all kinds of problems. I really have nothing good to say about this coop.

If you are going to put together a prefab kit, just go the extra effort and build yourself a better coop from any of the legit designs for coop builds you can find here on the BYC forums and elsewhere. I think this prefab coop is nothing but a heartbreak to come, as you will soon find out that it is not up to the task for much of anything.

If someone has bought this type of coop, and you disagree with my warnings, then please let me know why the coop works for you. Maybe it is a great choice for some people.

If you bought this type of coop and now feel that you got burned, maybe +1 on this warning so newbies don't get fooled. I would love to hear your thoughts.

I don’t even like coops like that anyway. I would just buy a shed or make a coop because those types of coops always seem small and not very safe against predators

 

[Alagirl]

Yup, I agree on all accounts. I just think it’s counterproductive to make those of us that come here looking for advice and ideas and ARE new…to make us feel dumb about buying them…instead of constructive suggestions and useful ideas of how they can be used if they decide they want to buy one anyway.

The industry of cashing in on the new trend is disgusting and to be expected I suppose. I just want to see folks on here approaching the issue with consideration and a desire to steer folks in the right direction without making them feel stupid or foolish. Some people will get turned off and leave BYC and miss out on so much good, from one or two poor comments directed at their choices. When I first came on and read those comments it made me feel really bad and I worried constantly that I’d sentenced them to death because I can’t build things. :-( I don’t want others to feel that way too. We can have strong feelings and be 100% right without making others feel bad about a perhaps less than ideal decision. I’ve seen plenty of supportive and helpful threads here with folks that have prefabs, but the comments by some always ruin the good intentions.

Although, the BYC community is welcoming and generous with their expertise. I think most are also more upset with the product than with the customer.
(I have read one rude reply here so far, and a bunch of rebuttals from the locals, so there is hope for a newcomer!)