Store Bought/Online Coops

[Lynzi777]

Thanks for the input. I'm glad I ordered it without paying until shipped out end of April. I contacted a few people who build them to see if they have anything in my price range. Thanks again.

 

[SacCityChickens]

$350 on craigslist

Bought this 4x8 coop made from recycled materials from craigslist. Came complete with nesting boxes & roosts.
Picked it up in the morning & had chickens in it that night!
Got to love craigslist!

SCC

 

[Leavingegypt]

I went thru the same thing. Surfin' EBAY, Craigslist etc. The real drawback to EBAY is that in a photo you can make a cardboard box look good- not to mention a size 1 look like a 7. Craigslist is better, in that you will get to see and examine the coop before you buy it. The best, in my opinion is to make it yourself or do as I have done, commision someone to build it for you. There are many wood crafters and out of work builders out there and a project of this size is a piece of cake for them. With cut plans (available for free on-line or for a small fee) the builder could tell you how much it would cost instantly. I wanted some custom features in mine, so going with a custom build worked great.
Also, on the EBAY coops, some require assembly. If you're not handy that could be a real pain.

 

[claudicles]

That coop might hold 12 bantams but that doesn't mean it will comfortably house 12 bantams. The more crowded it is the more conflict you will have between your chickens. I wouldn't put more than 3 standard fowl in there.

 

[Lynzi777]

Oh no , I didn't mean I would go out and get 12 bantams. I dont plan on raising more than 5-6 at the MOST! I still think I will stick to the 2 silkies and maybe 2 of another small breed and thats it. I just liked the idea that it said it could hold 12, so I know at least my 4 should be comfortable. KWIM?

 

[mcjessen]

AtholCoop is right - no offense to what you ordered but I don't think you are going to be happy with it. I looked at something like that at our local farm store and it's cheaply made and not nearly big enough - especially the run area. It said it could house 4 large fowl. Two maybe - tops, but not 4. One of the biggest complaints about the current coop we have is that I can stand straight up in the run or coop. No offense to anyone here but I can't see the draw to something that low to the ground. Everybody is different but for us, we get snow deeper than that coop and those ground coops would literally disappear in the winter. LOL!

Personally I'd do a little more searching. If you're getting baby Silkies, you have a little while until they can go out into the coop anyway. Keep looking on CL for something local. Hopefully the people you contacted can do something in your price range. We had a local college student build our new (2nd) coop and it was a great deal. 4x6x6 for about $400

 

[Lynzi777]

OMG, I didn't even THINK of that! - The snow! It will definitely come up past the top of the coup if we get a bad winter. However, we do have a shed in the yard that is completely empty and if worse comes to worse we can always move that part of the coup indoors into the shed. UGH, back to square one! Thanks everyone for your input. I really appreciate it.

 

[AtholCoop]

Snow is the number one reason why I recommend putting small coops on legs. One less thing to dig out every day. Once a week isn't such a big deal, but every day? No thanks.

 

[RonC]

What about converting the shed into a coop? How big is it?

 

[Lynzi777]

It's a pretty big shed, but I am not ready for something that large. I think I'm going to be the first on this forum that says Chicken Math will not get the best of me - and actually mean it! LOL I decided last night I am still going with this coop and in the winter/snowy months I'm going to take the house and move it to the shed. I do need to store some stuff in my shed so I don't want to have to worry about them dirtying anything in there. I still need it for some storage, just not a lot. I'll keep the run outside of the shed and maybe throw a tarp over it so snow doesn't destroy it and I can place the chickens out in it for a little bit on the colder days just to get them out for a bit. I really plan on keeping no more than 5-6 chickens. We are starting with 2 this weekend and I'll be surprised to see how fast I rush into another 2-3.