Thoughts On This Coop From TSC

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks for all the comments.

In addition to the 13 sf, it does have the 6 nesting boxes. I don't know if chickens bed down in them for the night or not - new to this chicken thing???

I could spend about double on a coop if anyone has better suggestions as well. The one for $999 isn't bad, but not too aesthetically appealing for the neighborhood (sounds silly I know, but some wouldn't be happy with it).

Realistically you'll need 2, maybe 3 nesting boxes at most, as chickens share nestboxes. You don't want chickens sleeping in them, as they'll poop all night in the bedding which the eggs will then sit on.

For 9 birds you'll want approx 9 feet of roosting space. It doesn't have to be a single bar, you can do it ladder style, just don't have the bars directly over one another or too close to being over one another as the birds on top will poop onto the ones below.

A nice garden shed would be a better bet for your money, and likely give you a more sound structure to work with. Aim for around 36 sq ft or more for the coop.

 

[aart]

Thanks for all the comments.

In addition to the 13 sf, it does have the 6 nesting boxes. I don't know if chickens bed down in them for the night or not - new to this chicken thing???

I could spend about double on a coop if anyone has better suggestions as well. The one for $999 isn't bad, but not too aesthetically appealing for the neighborhood (sounds silly I know, but some wouldn't be happy with it).

Welcome to BYC!

For $1000 bucks go buy a shed from the big box store and trick it out for chickens....
....or build a shed(better actually as you can do decent roof overhangs for ventilation).

Ample coop space is important, especially in a cold climate...and it'll make everything easier.
Here's great article on Space:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

 

[DaveTheDamaja]

Here is the coop I just built. It took me about a week to finish and it cost around $1000. Inside dimensions are 36 ft.², The high side stands nearly 8 feet tall from the floor to the ceiling. Plenty of room for getting in there to clean out and to pimp it out with all kinds of perches for the ladies. Also has four nesting boxes roughly 1' x 18" in addition to the 36 ft.².

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/596294/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here/16410#post_18095946

 

[peeper89]

Can u biuld one. That would be good

 

[thisjed]

I really appreciate everyone's input - it's been really beneficial. I'll likely purchase this coop and give it a shot. If it's crowded, my neighbor has a much larger coop and I'll move a few hens his way. After talking with my wife, here's my main reasoning - we'll likely be moving in a couple years, so I only need something to last those years - then, I'll build something more substantial at the new place. I'd hate to drop $1,000 plus into something now to only have it stay behind without any true value for resale.

I'll let everyone know how it goes...might be eating these words when I find myself building a coop later this year at my current home, lol.

 

[JenniferCNY]

I'm going through my first winter with my 8 pullets. I am in central New York so winter here is the real deal with snow and low temps. I would not recommend that you get that coop from TSC. It is way too small for 9 chickens. My girls have 4 square feet each in their coop, plus nests and roosts and food/water. And the covered run gives them 12 square feet each. I wish everything was bigger just for my 8. They do free range too when the snow goes down. That pen looks too small and flimsy for adequate protection and space.

 

[3riverschick]

Hi all. I'm completely new to chickens - like about 4 days new, lol. I have 9 baby chicks in my brooder at home and they're the best. I'm in the market for a coop since it won't be long and they'll be ready to move out (6 plus weeks away).

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...n-walk-in-coop-up-to-15-chickens?cm_vc=-10005

It's seems like a good fit for 9 chickens

Hi,

The run is 56.1 sq. ft. so that is enough for 5 or 6 birds.

chicken math says 4 sq.. ft.. per adult large fowl in the coop and 10 sq. ft. per adult large fowl in the run.
so you have enough coop in the coop for 6 fowl @ 3.1 sq. ft. or5 adult fowl at about 3..7 sq. ft. per bird. Do not include square area of nesting boxes when computing sq. ft. in coop.

I think you are going to run short of space for 9 birds. what you could do is mate another smaller 3 or 4 chicken house and run to one of the wire sides of this structure. that would give you two runs and coops to house the 9 birds situated at right angeles to each other. I also saw someone's set up where they had mated the runs end to end. It was real nice. They had just taken out both end panels and had a nice long run with coops at each end.
Best,
Karen
Lose the 3 leghorns and you will be good to go. They are a flighty breed anyway and the other breeds should be friendlier. Give the Leghorns to your neighbor. or put in 2 of these coops and keep them. Yes, you should install a chicken wire "apron" around the run bottom. Use an 18 inch wide strip of chicken wire and dig a narrow trench around the run. affix the chicken wire to the bottom of the run edges and lay it down n the trench 18 inches deep. Then refill the trench. Also, I don't know how severe winds you get. But I would use big tent stakes put in at an angle and tied to the run. I think 6 would be enough. 1 at each corner and one on each side of the run 1/2 way down the length of the run.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Hopefully you won't be eating those words, but just be prepared to make alterations, especially if the chickens start attacking each other. Even if it's a simple fix like tacking some plywood on a few sides to make the whole thing a coop and then just using wire fencing to enclose a patch outside the door as a run, that should be enough to get by for a couple of years.

I also have a prefab coop because my mind set was, "Well we're just starting out, this just has to last a few years" but I've already had to make alterations on mine.

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks for all the comments.

In addition to the 13 sf, it does have the 6 nesting boxes. I don't know if chickens bed down in them for the night or not - new to this chicken thing???

I could spend about double on a coop if anyone has better suggestions as well. The one for $999 isn't bad, but not too aesthetically appealing for the neighborhood (sounds silly I know, but some wouldn't be happy with it).

I really appreciate everyone's input - it's been really beneficial. I'll likely purchase this coop and give it a shot. If it's crowded, my neighbor has a much larger coop and I'll move a few hens his way. After talking with my wife, here's my main reasoning - we'll likely be moving in a couple years, so I only need something to last those years - then, I'll build something more substantial at the new place. I'd hate to drop $1,000 plus into something now to only have it stay behind without any true value for resale.

I'll let everyone know how it goes...might be eating these words when I find myself building a coop later this year at my current home, lol.

I'm curious...every post responding to this thread was pretty much negative about the coop in question being able to fit your number of birds, last longer than a season, etc. but you still decided to go with that coop. What brought you to the decision to go ahead and purchase it when experienced poultry keepers told you it wouldn't be a good investment? Were you really wanting to know if it was or were you just looking for validation on a decision you had already made? I'm always wondering at the motivation behind these kinds of posts, as we get them quite often here and it's always a puzzlement.

My two cents: The better suggestion for your situation and for your flock of birds was to buy a storage shed and fit it out for chickens, which is so easy a child could do it. Then, when you sell your home the new owners have a storage shed, which increases the sale value or you can sell it as a storage shed or coop, your choice.

A general rule of thumb for anyone contemplating prefab coops and how many birds they will hold. If the coop measurements are shown in inches, no matter how many that is, they are trying to confuse the buyer into thinking there is more room there than there really is and doubly so if they tell you how many it will "fit"..they don't know if you are keeping bantams or large fowl, so they can't even tell you how many it will fit. Any coop sold with the dimensions in inches is pretty much only fit for 2 birds of any size max, some not even that many.

 

[Mr Pink]

Out of curiosity thisjed why would you get chickens before you had a coop ready ?