Snap and Lock coop

[real_redhead]

Anyone used one of these and any thoughts on using one?

http://www.snaplockchickencoops.com/index.html

 

[Deviant]

too bad you have to call and ask the price lol might be big $$$$

 

[Cargo]

Well its small. Way too small for 3 nest boxes!
Would be ok for 2 hens or 3 Banties.
I would like a lot more ventilation for winter.

No pricing listed. That is scarey!
If it was $100 bucks I might think about it.
Really needs to be 4x4x4 with big windows to make it really usable.

Found a price: $427.49 + $75.00 Shipping
$502.49
I have built some nice coops for less than that.

http://www.thechickenhutch.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=167
http://longisland.craigslist.org/grd/2872626257.html (450 free shipping)

Some perspective: 1 chicken almost fills the coop. 2 would def be my max and I would pull out the divider for one of the nest boxes to give them more room.

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Apparently a lot of people who have never owned chickens like to design chicken coops. Wasn't last year that someone was peddling a snap together chicken coop made out of corrugated plastic that looked a lot like corrugated cardboard?

 

[Dukeofhawg]

I'd think that plastic would get hot as hell in the summer or really anytime the sun shined on it... Also, seems they'd get awful bored in the winter or rainy season. For $500 you should be able to build a nice coop and run for 6 birds that would give them adequate coop space and a nice 10X 6 run or better.

Mikecnorthwest - How much did your coop cost you approx. It's beautiful!

 

[mikecnorthwest]

Thanks.... I think it ended up in the $500 to $600 range. More than I had anticipated but I'm happy with how it turned out. My coop is one of the featured coops in the new book, Backyard Chickens Guide to Coops and Tractors.

 

[Imp]

For that price you could get a rubbermaid shed, much larger.

Imp

 

[frisbeeking]

I know this is an old thread, but I just had to comment. I have owned the small snap-lock for about 6 mos and also the large egglu cube. My reason for wanting plastic was ease of use and cleaning. I have 10 chickens and they all prefer the snap-lock to the egglu! I started with having 4 chickens (standard) in the snap lock and 6 in the egglu. Some nights the snap lock will have 6 standard hens in it as they prefer it. I live in an area that gets up to 107 degrees in the summer and the coops (both) stay fairly cool (they are under trees). I am thinking of getting the new larger snap lock coop this summer since my girls prefer it! It is funny though...they prefer to lay eggs in the egglu and sleep and roost in the snap lock.
Vicki

 

[CluckAcres]

You can usually build a really nice coop to how you want it cheaper than what you pay for one that is already built or the one you assemble. If you build your own also you can make it as big or small as you want it. Most coops you buy from places are small and made for just a few chickens. Just my opinion.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

I had one and sold it.

For starters, it wouldn't snap together all the way so it was never tight. Seemed like a predator could pop it open or easily chew through the plastic. And rats would nest under it. You can build a frame for it and get it up but I have arthritis so those tasks are more challenging for me.

Yes, it's small. But I had three BO's in there and it worked. Course, I'm in CA so they only went in to sleep and lay eggs. They never hung out in there nor did I put their food and water inside.

If you can put it inside a safe place such as a predator proof run or inside a safe garage, then it would work as a "maternity ward". I did use it for that once.

But seriously, for the money, you can do better. It killed me that it was the same price as my Amish built coop which is SOLID. Course, shipping was way less on the Snap Lock coop because it was so much lighter.

And it is SUPER small. If you don't or can't build your own coop, I'll bet you can spend the same $$ and have someone build you a much nicer one.