Producer’s Pride Defender Coop

[ChristmasChick_NY]

Hi All. Soon to be new chicken mama here and need some help with the coop I purchased, Producer’s Pride Defender Coop —>
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-defender-chicken-coop

I saw some older posts on this coop, but they didn’t address my questions. Since I live in NY And I will not be heating the coop, I’d like to insulate it. I have this coop now but it is not assembled. Once it gets warmer I will get it all assembled- and figured that’s a good time to insulate it. Does anyone have this coop? Any feedback?
How do you all insulate a coop? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Silkies for life]

Welcome to BYC! I do not have experience with this coop, but it looks like a good choice!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

I (like many other chicken people) am not a fan of Pre-fab coops, but ventilation is a first priority.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

How many hens are you wanting? There is NO WAY that is fitting 14 hens (Pre-fab coops are famous for having ridiculous capacity recommendations) round roosting bars are a big no-no, I would replace with 2x4s, also your hens will fight for the highest roost. The run is much too small.

 

[cmom]

I'm not sure about that coop. We built all of our coops from no kits. One coop I did attempt to insulate somewhat but not to keep the coop warm but to keep it cooler in the summer months by putting an internal wall around the bottom of the coop and a ceiling in with foam above the ceiling. The rats chewed holes on the wood and built nests in-between the inner wall panel and the outer wall and in the ceiling. Needless to say I had a rat infestation. I renovated the coop and got rid of the rats. I agree that good ventilation with no draft is better. Good luck and have fun...

 

[ChristmasChick_NY]

How many hens are you wanting? There is NO WAY that is fitting 14 hens (Pre-fab coops are famous for having ridiculous capacity recommendations) round roosting bars are a big no-no, I would replace with 2x4s, also your hens will fight for the highest roost. The run is much too small.

7 hens is all we are planning. I can definitely replace the roosting bars that’s a great idea TY!!

 

[123RedBeard]

I wouldn't bother with insulation ... and that is from experience of keeping chickens in Vermont.

Do the windows open?

I would try to put either another window, or vents above the chicken door.

The actual coop looks tiny, and like it might be 3'X5' ... so maybe 3-5 chickens depending on what size you get, what breed of chickens are you planning on getting?

Is their a people door to the run area?

 

[aart]

To be blunt....if you can return it, do so...and build a coop.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

7 hens is all we are planning. I can definitely replace the roosting bars that’s a great idea TY!!

glad I could help!

 

[quackenboss]

As a new chicken-mom, I bought the Defender coop in fall of 2017 and really wish I had bought a shed-style coop instead. As others have mentioned, it won’t hold as many birds as advertised - they only like to perch on the upper bars. We added roosts out in the run and covered the top and sides with tarps, and most of the birds prefer to roost there.

Building the coop was a pain... twice we discovered there were missing parts. The first time we had to wait until the part was literally shipped on a slow boat from China and it took weeks. The second time, our Tractor Supply store had another unit in stock and “robbed” the missing part from it, fortunately.

There are several design issues that should be addressed. There is a ramp for the chickens to climb to get into the coop proper and it is much too steep. I had to prop up the bottom with a concrete block. Even so, I can’t let a chicken set a nest inside for fear the chicks will fall out of the (elevated) coop and be injured.

The sides and top of the run are too easy for predators to get in or reach through. The first thing we did was to wrap the bottom of the run in hardware cloth, including the area around the door. It still isn’t that secure, but we don’t have predators such as minks or weasels... I would be more concerned about rats but that hasn’t been a problem so far.

The coop door slides open sideways, making the use of an automatic opener impossible. I leave the door open and added a flap made of thick plastic to keep out the wind. Fortunately, even the girls who roost in the run will go in the coop to lay.

There are doors on all sides of the coop for easy access, but they have slide latches that a raccoon could possibly get open, so I made wire clips to secure them. The coop floor has two removable litter trays that collect condensation underneath for some reason.

There is just one vent in the coop and a sliding door so it can be closed, but when open, rain can blow in even though there are louvered slats over it.

I could go on, but bottom line is that I would not recommend this coop. Take your $1300 and build or buy a shed-style coop.