Question on ready-made coops from tractor supply

[MandaRae]

Tell them $100...... if they agree, I think it's a good deal. Usually people are just looking to get rid of coops when they are done with chicken keeping, it takes up too much space.

Thanks for the advice!
The ad said they are moving and it's a 45min drive from us so i think thats reasonable too!

 

[thecreekhouse]

The main problem with pre-made coops from places like Tractor Supply (TSC) is that they wildly, almost bizarrely overestimate the number of chickens that can be humanely housed in them. In my naïveté I bought one rated for 6-8 chickens. What I found was the the run attached to the coop was literally only suitable for 2 chickens at most. Additionally, the wood used in building most of the wooden pre-fab coops is little more than thin strips of pasteboard. It’s not actually weatherproofed, sturdy 2x4s like you will want when building a real coop and run. I tried painting and weather proofing my pre-fab coop (from TSC) and it still began to buckle and warp in its second year. Last, these coops are extremely lightweight and there is no wire skirt extending out from the bottom perimeter. They’re so lightweight that a predator doesn’t even need to tunnel in: he can just push the whole coop and run over. I ended up buying a Rubbermaid shed for very little more than the TSC coop and retrofitting it to become a sturdy coop. I’m decidedly NOT handy but I found this to be an east project. Just search “Rubbermaid shed” within the BYC site and you’ll find instructions. Also, remember that for more than 1 or 2 chickens, you will need a run significantly, significantly larger than the attached runs that come with the TSC coops. So even if you can somehow weather and predator proof the small coop part of a TSC or similar coop, you’re still left with a run only approximately 2x2 feet in size. Chickens cannot live in this space. So you will have to create a run at further expense. If all you can afford right now is one of the TSC coops, I’d really caution you to research high quality coops and runs while you save your pennies.

 

[cottontail farm]

I have the coop you are considering. I love it - for bantam chickens - and will pick up a second one if I catch them on sale again. I have also owned ducks.
Yes, ducks will use a ramp (even my geese do) BUT the one that coop comes with is WAY to steep for a duck to navigate. Also the coop door at the top of the ramp us tiny - no way is a fat butt duck fitting through it.

The best house I've found for ducks was one we built - it looked just like a doghouse but with a ventilated, latched door and some more ventilation at the top.

If you still want that coop, put it on a treated wood base or bricks. I stapled a clear plastic drop cloth to part of mine for a windbreak this winter.

 

[Cryss]

That coop will not house 8 chickens. Like I said previously , I have that coop. They calculate by using the square footage of the henhouse (aka the coop), the nest area, and the run. Chickens need 4sqft/bird in the henhouse not including the nest area. This is because they might need to stay indoors during severe weather. Obviously this means it doesn't include the attached run because that is outdoors. So what you have is an enclosed henhouse roughly 3.5X3.5 which is 12.25sqft. Divide that by the 4sqft each bird needs and that's 3.06 chickens. But wait, there's more! The nest area is not ever meant to be considered part of the henhouse living space. This is why many coops have the nests hanging outside the building or they are 18 inches off the floor so as to not take up floor space. This coop has the nest on the same level as the main house floor which takes up exactly 50% of the coop. Now your 3.06 chickens are reduced to 1.35 chickens.
The only thing this coop is good for is as a broody hen coop, a hospital coop, or possibly an introduction coop.
For 1.35 birds.
I learned the hard way.

 

[aart]

I was wondering about the capacity. I felt it looked rather small to hold eight chickens. I found one used local they wanted 200 for it but I wasn't sure if it would be worth it.

Almost all pre-made coops, and others too, exaggerate the population capacity..
.....or rather they use factory farm numbers (1-2sqft per bird).
The dimensions they give are also misleading....Buyer Beware!

 

[cottontail farm]

I have the coop for bantams and love it, it would happily hold 8. However, my fatty pet rooster (a cochin/Brahma mix) probably couldn't fit through the upper door. Lol.

 

[Trux]

I was wondering about the capacity. I felt it looked rather small to hold eight chickens. I found one used local they wanted 200 for it but I wasn't sure if it would be worth it.

I paid 190 for mine at TSC brand new