Shipping a coop?

[Msbear]

Im very excited to get our first order for a coop that needs to be shipped. I've been thinking of contacting UPS freight to price things out but, til now, never really got motivated. If I can keep the size down to 5' long and under 150 lbs. it can go ground. (3 of those feet is just a run so that may be possible) If it is over 150, it has to go freight... most of my coops will have to go this way. I can drive them to the facility and they head down the road from there.

How should I package them? Tape everything together and wrap with cardboard then tie to a skid? make a lightwieght crate around it while it's on the skid? I guess I'll get to googling but any help on that would be much appreciated. The coops Im selling are here

http://designercoops.blogspot.com/2009/10/coop-designs.html The one I need to ship is the "cottage coop" ..please, no complaining about my prices. I've slowly raised them to what they are as we've been realizing how much time and effort my husband puts into them. The basic construction does not take much time but all the little stuff takes two entire days to complete. ...nesting boxes, trap door, run, roofing, staining/painting, stapeling hardware cloth, auto-feeders, TRIM, restoring old windows, etc. One coop can take 36+ hours to build. And, the materials alone for the cart coop is $350

 

[Chieftain]

First, a 16 square foot coop will hold 4 chooks inside, but outside those same chooks need at least 40 square feet, or ten feet apiece in the run. It also looks like the run is made from braided chickenwire instead of welded hardware cloth, and that is also a problem. The inside is not finished nor is it insulated. Looks like lots of nooks and crannies for roost mites in there too.

I think you could probably do as good or better yourselves if you built one from scratch with your own materials. If you think you can put the kit together, then building from scratch is not too much more of a stretch. I just don't like to see folks buy these redi-made coops when they are probably not going to be something you are satisfied with for the long run...

 

[Msbear]

I guess I didn't make my post clear. Im not buying them, Im selling them. And, I have 6 banties in my cart coop right now. (like 4 standards) and they are just peachy. They spend most of their time pooing in the run or outside if they freerange. The back barn door can be left open for freeranging. I have sold many of these and everyone has been totally satisfied. I think many people get hung up on exact sq. footage and all the details without taking into consideration, IT IS A CHICKEN COOP

I have no pecking and everyone is clean and healthy.

Since when do chickens need insulation or a "finished" inside... finished like how? like drywall, trim, and a ceiling fan?

We have insulated some for folks who request it but, it is not necessary. And, my chickens don't mind the unfinished inside.

These coops take lots of time to build. And, not anyone can do it. It takes tools and talent. We rip down boards on a table saw, miter ends on a miter saw, cut with a circular saw, staple chicken wire (the stuff you use for chickens) w/ air compressed nailers. These tools are very expensive.

As for the chicken wire, these runs are meant for day use. At night, when the majority of predators are out, they are locked up tight in the coop. The only thing that could possibly get in there during the day would be a stray dog that would dig under neath... so, it wouldn't matter what it was made from. If folks do prefer welded wire, we do it... it just excalates the cost.

Again, my question, has anyone shipped something this big and awkward? Any pointers? Thanks so much!

 

[san415]

Hi
I think they look great!!! I also have worked at ups for 25 years and my Husband drives a tanker truck so I will try to give you some shipping hints. If you can get the coop broke down into 2 or 3 boxes then ups ground would maybe work. Try to get boxes for free some where, cut up boxes to put a cardboard layer in between the wood layers to keep scratches down. Also make sure you package everything TIGHT. Dont leave any airspace for things to bounce around. No movement no damage. Get an estimate at ups.com and make sure you charge enough shipping. Shipping prices are very high now days.

Ok if you cant use the ups package company and need a freight company you can check the price for that online also upsfreight.com In that case I would strap it to a wood pallet. If the roof isnt sturdy enough then make a frame around it with the cheapest narrow wood that you can. Dont make a solid box, just a frame. Make sure the people at the other end will be home and make sure they know the driver at freight companies wont be going any farther than the driveway unless its paid for him or her to do so.
Hope this helps.
Sandra

 

[Msbear]

Thanks! I was at Home Depot earlier today and saw all the new lawmowers that were shipped in.. Spring is sooo close ... and they were crated w/ cheap pine framing and a few braces and packed on skids so,Ii know what you mean.

I may be able to make the run a bit bigger, slide the roof inside of it, pack tight then package that as one. ...leaving me wth the main part which is square and would probably fit in a large box. I'll start scouring furniture companies for boxes!! Thanks again

 

[bad_coffee]

Ship it Ikea Style. Shipping a 4'cube is pretty expensive. Shipping a bunch of flat boxes will be about half price. I'd make the panels no bigger than 2' wide, by however tall they need to be. Keep them under 70# each to avoid paying for 'heavy' boxes.

Have the customer do a little assembly, it will save you trouble and them shipping cost.

 

[CityChook]

MS, I have no idea about shipping/packing/costs, but I wanted to say that I never get tired of looking at your sweet little coops. And knowing whatmy own coop cost to build, and the hours and hours that go into it, I do not think that your prices are unreasonable at all. Kudos to you and good luck in your venture.

 

[Msbear]

Thanks, Citychook. Most folks are super happy to come across us after searching amish coops and other sites. But, still, I get a few... "why are they charging that much? I can get all the materials for less than 50 bucks and do it myself"

Those are the same people who have their chickens living in dog crates with tarps for runs.. . no offense to those that do,

It's just that our business is serving those people who want cute coops for their backyard. They may have close neighbors or live in a high end neighborhood and anything less would be uncivilized

Badcoffee, I've been thinking of doing that. We could probably break it down to a few boxes, predrill holes, number them and include screws so that the builder would only need a screwdriver

I guess it all depends on what the buyer wants... we could probably do both.

 

[CityChook]

Quote:
If they could get the materials for $50 and do it themselves, then maybe that's exactly what they should do.... At least that's what my DH likes to tell folks to scoff at the prices he charges to fix their cars - they're welcome to source the parts themselves and do it in their garage. Have fun with that.

Heck, I would have been pleased as punch to build my coop for $50... but alas, that didn't happen.