Prefab Chicken Coop Rip-Off?

[Weeg]

They work for chick brooders, and grow out pens within a predator proof coop, but beyond that, they are a load of garbage. Most expensive prefabs I see only have enough room for 1 chicken. You can't just have 1 chicken, so truly the space is not big enough for any chickens.

 

[gtaus]

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.

Thank you for the push back. It was certainly not my intention to shame anybody. I hope that is not what people take away from this thread. My intention was to warn first time chicken owners that paying $749 for the small prefab coop I saw on display at our local Fleet store was not worth the money. I don't often start a thread on a negative note, but indeed, I know that this thread could easily be taken that way.

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.

Yes, I thought the prefab coop I am talking about and posted the picture should have been in that $350 range. But it was $749. For that much money, you could build yourself a much better coop, or you could probably have someone build one for you and still come out ahead on a budget of $749.

I truly understand the concept of not knowing if chickens would fit into your lifestyle, and not wanting to spend $1,000-$2,000 on an initial coop. I can buy a dozen large chicken eggs for less than $1 per dozen where I live. So, why would I even want to spend any money on a backyard flock? No such thing as free eggs.

In my case, I built my own coop with lots of leftover and scrap lumber I had remaining from previous projects. I spent about $700 - out of pocket - for a build that was worth maybe $2,000.

I have been building housing for small animals for over 45 years, so it is my shortcomings in not considering not everyone has similar skills. Also, I don't live in town, and don't have space limits that others may have to deal with. So, your points are well taken. Again, it was not my intention to shame anyone.

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

I tried. At least in my initial post I stated:

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.

I am glad to hear your prefab coop choice was the right one for you and that you were brave enough to post your thoughts.

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.

A large part of my enjoyment of having a backyard flock is doing all these things myself. But, point taken, not everyone has such skills or desire for a DIY approach. Again, I thank you for your perspective.

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.

You know, it was the $749 tag that upset me to no end. All I could think about was some first time chicken owner buying a dozen baby chicks and cramming them into this small coop and run. I was only thinking about how bad they would feel a few months down the road when they realized that their coop was way too small for the number of chickens they thought would fit into that setup.

Many many prefabs are indeed garbage. But I have two and they have both been fantastic for the needs I’ve had.

I appreciate your feedback and your satisfaction with your purchase. Yes, indeed, not all prefabs are built the same and some, I am sure, are better than others.

FWIW, I just posted a number of positive comments on another thread where some guy got a prefab coop from a friend of his who no longer wanted his chickens. It sounds like one of those situations where the first time chicken owner bought too many chickens for the size of his prefab coop, the chickens ripped up all the grass in the small run, and the run was a stinky, muddy, poopy smelling mess. Yuck! Who would want chickens in that setup? Anyway, the guy was asking for help given what he had to work with. The BYC community is offering lots of suggestions to help him, and I don't think anyone was trying to shame him for his setup.

 

[gtaus]

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.

Yep, I was mainly upset about the $749 price tag for this particular small prefab. But I also know that the manufactures tell people they can have 2X-3X as many chickens in their small coop as what I think most people here on the BYC community would consider as a healthy number.

 

[3KillerBs]

I didn’t know if I would like chicken ownership

One of the problems with the companies deceiving people into buying undersized, unventilated coops is that they set up the conditions for people to NOT enjoy their chickens by fostering behavioral problems due to over-crowding and making them do so much extra work cleaning -- only to have the coop stink anyway due to lack of ventilation and insufficient depth of bedding.

The shame is really that these people are being taken advantage of.

Exactly.

 

[gtaus]

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.

Well said. Exactly my many concerns with this product. I am not into shaming people, but I am trying to ask people to think twice about this as a purchase option. Like I said, all I see is heartbreak for someone thinking they can raise a big backyard flock in that small setup.

 

[kurby22]

Thank you for the push back. It was certainly not my intention to shame anybody. I hope that is not what people take away from this thread. My intention was to warn first time chicken owners that paying $749 for the small prefab coop I saw on display at our local Fleet store was not worth the money. I don't often start a thread on a negative note, but indeed, I know that this thread could easily be taken that way.



Yes, I thought the prefab coop I am talking about and posted the picture should have been in that $350 range. But it was $749. For that much money, you could build yourself a much better coop, or you could probably have someone build one for you and still come out ahead on a budget of $749.

I truly understand the concept of not knowing if chickens would fit into your lifestyle, and not wanting to spend $1,000-$2,000 on an initial coop. I can buy a dozen large chicken eggs for less than $1 per dozen where I live. So, why would I even want to spend any money on a backyard flock? No such thing as free eggs.

In my case, I built my own coop with lots of leftover and scrap lumber I had remaining from previous projects. I spent about $700 - out of pocket - for a build that was worth maybe $2,000.

I have been building housing for small animals for over 45 years, so it is my shortcomings in not considering not everyone has similar skills. Also, I don't live in town, and don't have space limits that others may have to deal with. So, your points are well taken. Again, it was not my intention to shame anyone.


I tried. At least in my initial post I stated:



I am glad to hear your prefab coop choice was the right one for you and that you were brave enough to post your thoughts.



A large part of my enjoyment of having a backyard flock is doing all these things myself. But, point taken, not everyone has such skills or desire for a DIY approach. Again, I thank you for your perspective.



You know, it was the $749 tag that upset me to no end. All I could think about was some first time chicken owner buying a dozen baby chicks and cramming them into this small coop and run. I was only thinking about how bad they would feel a few months down the road when they realized that their coop was way too small for the number of chickens they thought would fit into that setup.



I appreciate your feedback and your satisfaction with your purchase. Yes, indeed, not all prefabs are built the same and some, I am sure, are better than others.

FWIW, I just posted a number of positive comments on another thread where some guy got a prefab coop from a friend of his who no longer wanted his chickens. It sounds like one of those situations where the first time chicken owner bought too many chickens for the size of his prefab coop, the chickens ripped up all the grass in the small run, and the run was a stinky, muddy, poopy smelling mess. Yuck! Who would want chickens in that setup? Anyway, the guy was asking for help given what he had to work with. The BYC community is offering lots of suggestions to help him, and I don't think anyone was trying to shame him for his setup.

Totally get it! Your post was fine, it was really directed at the way people comment—things like “I hate all prefabs” or “I’d never consider one EVER” etc. that’s all fine, I just find them counter productive to the points you were making. I too take great offense to the $750 price tags. It’s highway robbery and should be called out as such! I just wanted to make sure folks keep in mind those of us that suck at building things and live in suburbia but LOVE their chickens Your post was totally fine to me Thanks for allowing for productive discussion

 

[kurby22]

One of the problems with the companies deceiving people into buying undersized, unventilated coops is that they set up the conditions for people to NOT enjoy their chickens by fostering behavioral problems due to over-crowding and making them do so much extra work cleaning -- only to have the coop stink anyway due to lack of ventilation and insufficient depth of bedding.





Exactly.

Yes, I completely agree! And if said in that way, I think it’s entirely appropriate and necessary! Not everyone is as in tune with animal behavior as I might be, but I also believe explanation with kindness and understanding and educating well are all perfectly welcome ways to help others it’s very sad when people give up on chickens because they don’t really understand the issues, and I hate thinking about sad and miserable chickens!

 

[gtaus]

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.

I think most posts here on BYC forums are meant to be helpful. In the 3 years I have been a member of this community, I have received lots of helpful advice.

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.

Well, never my intention to make anyone feel bad. We all have different skills and talents, but that does not mean there is not a way to have and enjoy a backyard flock with whatever talents we have, or not.

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.

I have also joined a number of threads trying to help people who have prefabs and want to make changes to their setup. But, it's not just prefab setups. I built my own coop and run and I have posted a number of threads asking for advice on improvements on my setup. As do others. So, it's not just people with prefabs that want to make changes. I don't know of anyone who has bought, or built, a coop and run and has not decided later that a change or two would be better. I find the BYC community to be most helpful.

 

[gtaus]

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

I built my own wooden coop and run, but with the current prices of wood, I have been lately suggesting maybe a metal garden shed to coop conversion would be an option I would try today. As much as I like my chicken coop build, it will only be good for chickens. If/when I ever stop having chickens, there is not much I can do with my coop. If I had a metal garden shed conversion, at least I could convert it back into a garden shed.

 

[gtaus]

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.

Certainly my intention was on the product, not being negative on the customers.