Prefab coops that (mostly) don't suck under $1000

[arizona_chicken_noob]

I don't have personal experience with purchased coops but I just wanted to say that I am very attracted to #3 because the lumber looks to be significantly thicker.

At the beginning of my chicken journey I did a bit of looking on Craigslist to see how prefab coops age, and what I saw was "not too well". The thinness of the materials appeared to be the weak point. All of the CL prefab coops needed repairs.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Candidate 1
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/precision-xl-superior-construction-annex-coop-37077d

Pros:
-It has 40 sq ft of run space.
-I estimate it has ~20 sq ft of coop space
-My kids would have a blast painting it

I have that one. It's an extremely popular coop in my area. I am happy with it although I did largely know what I was getting into with it. For me it was basically a pre-built base to start with and then modify over time to improve and suit my needs. It's wood, so modifications and additions are easy to do. Some things to be aware of with it:

• Both sliding doors will get stuck in humidity - it surprised me at the time so I had to do a frantic trip to the hardware store so I could put my chickens to bed safely. I had to mod the pop door to first be hinged and then later did an auto door.
• Indoor roosting bars are low. That is ok for me because I have a hen with depth perception issues who has to step onto her perch, not jump. Otherwise they'd need to be raised somehow.
• The side window should always remain open for ventilation but needs an extra flap to keep rain and snow out if there's no other protection from it.
• You can't do deep litter in the indoor portion. I clean that area daily. It's hard to pull the bottom tray out; I clean with a long handled scoop via the side door. I'm short so that works out.
• My second surprise from the coop: if you get a lot of snow, the gap in front of the big door MUST be protected with something (I used an upturned tub), otherwise it will almost certainly get jammed or even iced shut. I came out one morning and had to use a heat gun all around the bottom of the door just to get in. I'm actually planning later this year on making a new door with a higher threshold and bigger gap specifically to handle that situation. Many other coops I've seen would have this exact same problem due to the doors being low and tight fitting.
• It needs a predator skirt of course and extra hardware cloth either over the top before putting the roof on or strips to cover all ventilation gaps. Also needs some extra latches/locks on all doors for racoon-proofing if you have to worry about those.

 

[ChickenOfSpades]

I have that one. It's an extremely popular coop in my area. I am happy with it although I did largely know what I was getting into with it. For me it was basically a pre-built base to start with and then modify over time to improve and suit my needs. It's wood, so modifications and additions are easy to do. Some things to be aware of with it:

• Both sliding doors will get stuck in humidity - it surprised me at the time so I had to do a frantic trip to the hardware store so I could put my chickens to bed safely. I had to mod the pop door to first be hinged and then later did an auto door.
• Indoor roosting bars are low. That is ok for me because I have a hen with depth perception issues who has to step onto her perch, not jump. Otherwise they'd need to be raised somehow.
• The side window should always remain open for ventilation but needs an extra flap to keep rain and snow out if there's no other protection from it.
• You can't do deep litter in the indoor portion. I clean that area daily. It's hard to pull the bottom tray out; I clean with a long handled scoop via the side door. I'm short so that works out.
• My second surprise from the coop: if you get a lot of snow, the gap in front of the big door MUST be protected with something (I used an upturned tub), otherwise it will almost certainly get jammed or even iced shut. I came out one morning and had to use a heat gun all around the bottom of the door just to get in. I'm actually planning later this year on making a new door with a higher threshold and bigger gap specifically to handle that situation. Many other coops I've seen would have this exact same problem due to the doors being low and tight fitting.
• It needs a predator skirt of course and extra hardware cloth either over the top before putting the roof on or strips to cover all ventilation gaps. Also needs some extra latches/locks on all doors for racoon-proofing if you have to worry about those.

Thanks, this is good feedback. It's uber dry here in the desert, so humidity won't be a problem.

Is there enough headroom to move the roosts higher or replace them with something better?

My backyard is fenced in with vinyl privacy fence, so I shouldn't be getting things like raccoons...plus there are easier backyards than mine to get into along the river, so I rarely see them. Same for the foxes. The snakes of chicken eating size aren't generally in my part of the valley and I'm far enough away from rattlesnake territory. Mink can sometimes be a problem.

 

[NatJ]

My backyard is fenced in with vinyl privacy fence, so I shouldn't be getting things like raccoons

Why not? Do you think that kind of fence is going to stop them? I'm pretty sure they climb well enough to go over just about anything.

Some people on this forum have game cameras showing lots of predators in their yards, that they would otherwise never know about. (The ones posting about it usually have no trouble because their coops are sufficiently secure against predators of those kinds.)

plus there are easier backyards than mine to get into along the river, so I rarely see them. Same for the foxes.

The other yards may be easier to get into, but chickens might make your yard attractive enough to be worth the effort.

I cannot be sure you will have predator trouble, but I also cannot be sure you won't. So I'm just pointing it out for you to think about.

If you have a game camera, you could point it at your yard and see what is already coming in, which would at least tell you some of the animals that will be testing your coop.

 

[3KillerBs]

My backyard is fenced in with vinyl privacy fence, so I shouldn't be getting things like raccoons...plus there are easier backyards than mine to get into along the river, so I rarely see them. Same for the foxes.

I'm sorry, but a raccoon would laugh at that fence. They're incredible climbers, terrifyingly strong, and frighteningly clever.

Coyotes are also clever about getting over, under, or through fences.

Could you expect to leave an uncovered can of food trash in your backyard for several days without anything getting into it?

If you wouldn't want to risk that then you don't want to risk your chickens.

 

[3KillerBs]

If you have a game camera, you could point it at your yard and see what is already coming in, which would at least tell you some of the animals that will be testing your coop.

An excellent idea.

We got game cameras for Christmas but had to set them up for house/shed security after a spate of break-ins nearby. It's amazing what we see passing through between the two houses on this property -- right up within a few feet of my SIL's house.

 

[JesusisGod]

I'll eventually build something awesome, but can't right now for various reasons. Realistically it may be a year or two before I build a big permanent coop, I would love some recommendations on decent prefab coops under $1k. Here are some criteria I'm looking for:

• Coop+run big enough for 4 chickens.
• All 4 were brooded together, if that matters. All 4 are relatively docile breeds.
• It will never have more than 4 chickens living in it.
• They may live in there mostly full time. They'll be let out when possible, but I want enough space in case it's needed.
• Something that will hold up pretty well to the high desert hot summers and cold winters of the intermountain west (at least for a few years)
• Ideally under $1000
• I've seen lots of great creative ideas for converting sheds and such. Those are cool, but for now I'm just shopping for prefabs.

I know pefabs are generally too small for their listed capacity, so I'm going on size rather than advertised capacity. Here are a handful of candidates I found already. I'd love additional recommendations and comments about these options.

Candidate 1
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/precision-xl-superior-construction-annex-coop-37077d

Pros:
-It has 40 sq ft of run space.
-I estimate it has ~20 sq ft of coop space
-My kids would have a blast painting it

Cons:
-It looks like half of the run space is crawlspace under the coop.

Candidate 2:
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...bhouse-Coop-w-Run-up-to-4-chickens-p1167.aspx

Pros:
-Seems to meet the space per chicken rule of thumb
-Wire mesh floor included to help with rodents and predators
-Can add additional prefab runs if wanted.
-Seems to have and well thought out features

Cons:
-Not sure how the wood roof will hold up in my climate

Candidate 3:
https://www.urbannorthern.com/collections/coops/products/the-farmhouse-limited

Pros:
-Space and height
-I like this style of coop
-Big access door

Cons:
Shipping isn't included in price, which puts it right at over over the $1000 mark.

my wooden prefab coop has thousands of mites. Get steel so can clean and spray better

 

[JesusisGod]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3118397...6uP0PrNtK8mS76q72/JhaRsU9W4H|tkp:BFBMlraPmZFg


Do something like this and spend rest of money on wire to make it fox proof by putting skirt around outside dig proof and pavers. Can put tarps around it make it rain wind proof or tie wire plastic tablecloth to it, or weld colorbond sheets idk be creative. I turned this thing into an outdoor clothes drying area and animals food storage container place. The rats kill the quails in it so deemed unusable unless i put smaller diameter mesh.

 

[3KillerBs]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/311839711539?_trkparms=ispr=1&hash=item489b186133:g:nY0AAOSw1LJdv9hv&amdata=enc:AQAGAAAA4HJ3izvwzijU1SvbEP6/m/ZxYheI6E521Xi3fzruWj6R8jAmFap0fxKM8YJU1u+Qk0BMrFYVp1OkrdGHEqR4e6l5MV8JcIsekZWsxaippcOz8UVjLuLWHhCui7x/BtBJNjiFKcwU/U3Q1YPJ7RO7nsRxyhYAtckPP2QuGEJ4QHB4bB80IjXGrubqL+NJ6LZrygvjAUskzCDX3aVrMy0s+DtZgSUekZqRuHLqlMtjzd2dYTBRbASLaNW0JKOjImCQYjQJ6BUe7csnuhXE6uP0PrNtK8mS76q72/JhaRsU9W4H|tkp:BFBMlraPmZFg


Do something like this and spend rest of money on wire to make it fox proof by putting skirt around outside dig proof and pavers. Can put tarps around it make it rain wind proof or tie wire plastic tablecloth to it, or weld colorbond sheets idk be creative. I turned this thing into an outdoor clothes drying area and animals food storage container place. The rats kill the quails in it so deemed unusable unless i put smaller diameter mesh.

Those frames vary wildly in sturdiness so anyone buying them needs to be careful to get a good one.

I say "frame" because the chicken wire they come with has to be either replaced or covered with hardware cloth to make them predator-proof.

 

[ChickenOfSpades]

I'm sorry, but a raccoon would laugh at that fence. They're incredible climbers, terrifyingly strong, and frighteningly clever.

Coyotes are also clever about getting over, under, or through fences.

Could you expect to leave an uncovered can of food trash in your backyard for several days without anything getting into it?

If you wouldn't want to risk that then you don't want to risk your chickens.

Yep, I certainly could ...and it happened accidentally last summer when the kids were supposed to take the kitchen trash out, lol. They got the trash about halfway around the house before they got distracted playing and left it uncovered outside for several days (this was even before we closed off the last side of the fence). I found it a few days later working in the yard...it was extra stinky but otherwise undisturbed by critters. That said, I still plan on predator proofing things to be safe.

There are a few hawks that hang around and they snatch the occasional wild dove from my yard...so they're probably the most immediate concern.