Prefab Chicken Coop Rip-Off?

[Smo1]

Its disgraceful that the "farm stores" sell these pieces of junk. Our starter coop yrs ago was a junk pre-fab. Terrible! The one we later built from scratch is all about easy cleaning- removable nest boxes & Floor lined with FRP

 

[3KillerBs]

I was just looking at pre-fabs online for the first time a few days ago. I was surprised by how tiny, expensive and poorly constructed they all were. I wanted something for 4 birds and in 2 hours I didn't find anything for under $900 that I thought would comfortably fit that amount.

I've settled on converting an old plastic kid's playhouse and putting it under a stand alone run from wayfair or something. $300 max and it would actually be able to comfortably fit some adult chickens.

Here's a good article on working with a plastic structure: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-scoop-on-a-rubbermaid-big-max-coop.76444/

And this coop was specifically designed to meet all the minimums for 4 hens so you can see what the guideline numbers look like translated into a structure: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

 

[froggyphore]

Here's a good article on working with a plastic structure: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-scoop-on-a-rubbermaid-big-max-coop.76444/

And this coop was specifically designed to meet all the minimums for 4 hens so you can see what the guideline numbers look like translated into a structure: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

Thanks!

 

[ldahanson]

I actually have this prefab coop that is working well for us. (Internet photo) I’d love to have built a custom coop, but I don’t have the tools or know how. So, this was an easy solution for me.

I have 4 chickens. We keep the door to the run open all the time so they wander in and out as they please. All four prefer the same nesting box. And, everyone puts themselves to bed at night- all snuggled up next to one another on the same roosting bar even though they have several feet of roost they could spread out onto.

Modifications: We replaced the roosting. Are with 2x4s, and raised one of them to be higher than the other. I added a solar fan to one of the ventilation windows, and punched out some additional vents under the eaves. And I added some curtains to the nesting boxes.

I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough ventilation, but we haven’t had any problems so far. I live in Utah and we have a very dry climate, so we don’t have too worry much about humidity building up. The coop does get cleaned regularly.

 

[gtaus]

We bought one when we were newbies 7y ago and use it for a broody nursery with her chicks. We have also used it for a jail when there is a misbehavior issue, or a last night location for a rooster that is to become soup the next day.

What I read into your post is that you ended up getting a different chicken coop for your main flock? I hear this a lot.

Those prefab chicken coops that people have invested money into become broody nurseries, chicken jail, etc... while the owner had to build a bigger coop for their flock.

I am not knocking anyone, I just wanted to warn enthusiastic first-time chicken owners that many of these prefab coops oversell how many chickens will live comfortably in their coops, they tend to be much more expensive than a coop you could build yourself (if you have the skills), and usually the wood is of inferior quality - from the prefabs that are sold where I live.

 

[gtaus]

My SIL and daughter bought a prefab and a bear destroyed it within 6 mo. Bear just picked it up and twisted the netting boxes off.

I like to tell everyone that I have a Fort Knox coop. Well, I know that a hungry bear would have no problem ripping it apart. We once had a mountain lion come on to our property, before I had chickens, but I'm sure my Fort Knox coop would not stand up to a mountain lion either.

Point is, the prefab that is currently selling at our local Fleet store uses wood that is so lightweight that I don't think it could stand up to our average winter snow load. And I certainly would not expect that wood to last very many years. But, I live in a harsh winter environment and I know not everybody has our snow load, and extreme weather concerns.

 

[gtaus]

I actually have this prefab coop that is working well for us. (Internet photo) I’d love to have built a custom coop, but I don’t have the tools or know how. So, this was an easy solution for me.

I have 4 chickens. We keep the door to the run open all the time so they wander in and out as they please. All four prefer the same nesting box. And, everyone puts themselves to bed at night- all snuggled up next to one another on the same roosting bar even though they have several feet of roost they could spread out onto.

Modifications: We replaced the roosting. Are with 2x4s, and raised one of them to be higher than the other. I added a solar fan to one of the ventilation windows, and punched out some additional vents under the eaves. And I added some curtains to the nesting boxes.

I was worried that we wouldn’t have enough ventilation, but we haven’t had any problems so far. I live in Utah and we have a very dry climate, so we don’t have too worry much about humidity building up. The coop does get cleaned regularly.

Well, I am glad to hear that some people are happy with their purchase of a prefab coop. And it's great that you mentioned some upgrades to your setup. I think for 4 chickens, you have a very nice setup. I know not everyone has the skill to build their own coop, and/or maybe they don't want to build a custom coop. I believe owning a backyard flock should be fun, and nothing wrong with finding an "easy" way to have chickens if it works for you.

FWIW, many years ago when first got poultry, I was cleaning out the coop maybe twice a week. It was a lot of hard work, but I was much younger and it did not matter to me. This time around, I am much older, and learned about deep bedding and deep litter systems. Now I only clean out the coop twice a year! How easy is that? Additionally, I have a 3 gallon waterer and 5 gallon bucket PVC feeder. I only have to refill them once every 7-10 days. How easy is that? It truly takes me less than 5 minutes per day to take care of my chickens. That's less time than it took to take care of our dogs! As you can see, I'm all into whatever makes having a backyard flock easier for me.

 

[gtaus]

We are first time chicken owners. Our chickens are 7-weeks old. A year ago, Our neighbors bought a prefab coop at the local Tractor Supply & I was sold on getting it because it was so cute! Until I watched it fall apart. It looked great for a few weeks and then I watched it fall apart. I am glad we waited a year to start or we would have wasted $300.

Yep, the prefab at our local Fleet store was basically a one season setup. I don't think it would survive our winter. I am not saying all prefabs are bad, just wanted to warn people about the junk being sold out there. I'm sure they get people hooked on the "cute" aspect of these prefabs coops, but it will be a heartbreaker in no time. Thanks for your response.

 

[gtaus]

View attachment 3106979
This is working well for me. 1st coop. 1 Silky and 4 Frizzles.

Love it. Glad your setup is working for you. Thanks for your feedback.

 

[gtaus]

I got one from someone on Marketplace for $50.

Well, you really can't build much of anything for $50 can you? Sounds like you got a good deal and you know what you wanted it for. That's great. I am just concerned that some first time chicken owners will cram 10 day old chicks into a small prefab coop and later find out that it really is only good for 3 to 4 adult chickens max.