Thoughts On This Coop From TSC

[Knoble Chickens]

That would be ME that suggested it BTW............ And I belive the coop is 5'x3'.........barely enough room for 4 cacklers, forget 9.......

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I think it is important to remember that no one is obligated to take the advice they receive when asking a question - it can be frustrating, to be sure, when you know from years of experience that someone is likely headed down a road of disaster for themselves/their flock - but even in those times I try my best to just remember I had given my input and wish them the best......and hope that they are the one that gets to come back a year later and show me how wrong my prediction had been and that they were the case where all went well (or at least that they did learn the hard way but not at too much of an expense to their birds or themselves).

 

[Percheron chick]

If you go with a hoop coop and decide down the road that you want a more traditional coop, you can use it as their run.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

If you go with a hoop coop and decide down the road that you want a more traditional coop, you can use it as their run.

X 2 - they make excellent runs. At our last place I had a hoop run and loved it -- it was attached to a fixed coop structure (I took over the tack/feed room of our horse barn and DH converted it to a coop for me), so I never used it as the "coop" part but an attest to the usefulness as a run.

 

[3riverschick]

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.

This info above is so very true! Or the manufacturers use a commercial quote of 2 sq.. ft.. per bird which isn't enough for these dual purpose or heritage breeds people buy for backyard flocks. Now if you had bantams, this coop from tractor supply would do very nicely for 10 birds. 1/2 all the numbers I posted earlier if you have bantams. They lay nice eggs too and many come in the same breeds you like. If you have ordered the large breeds and change your mind, just sell them on craigslist and use the money to buy bantams instead. bantams are extremely popular in the USA right now.
Best,
Karen

 

[3riverschick]

I'm not trying to disregard everyone's input.
I so wish I could find a large pre made coop for $700 to $800. I'd seriously buy it - but I don't think they exist - which I didn't know either before buying the chickens.
If anyone knows a better pre made solution I can get up and running in an afternoon (counting buying material, etc.) for $750 or less, I'm all ears.


Thanks!

check craigslist. Sometimes you can find a huge wooden shipping crate or a used coop for not much. as long as the people with the use coop didn't have sick chickens. If you have fosters, the bantams make wonderful pets for kids. Just as here which are the best bantam breeds or kids. There are a bunch. And all you would be out is the price of some birds. maybe even not that if you sold the large fowl and got the bantams. That's a lot cheaper than figuring on a bigger run.
Best,
Karen
If you decide not to go the bantam route, frankly, I think your best bet is to just down size the flock by getting rid of the Leghorns. They are a flighty breed and don't make good pets. Will stir up the anxiety in the flock every time you come to the coop by their nervousness. All the other breeds you picked are real good layers. I don't think you will miss the Leghorns. The Sexlinks are specifically bred to lay.

 

[thisjed]

Sounds good. I'm leaning towards giving away the leghorns. I offered them to my neighbor - but he said his flock killed birds he tried introducing last time around. I have another friend with 70 free range chickens. I'll ask him next. If he says no, I have another friend with a few hundred free range chickens. He'd likely say yes. Thx!

 

[DaveTheDamaja]

I'm not trying to disregard everyone's input. The one thing I left out was a recent vehicle repair expense of $2,500. So, the old bank account isn't game for spending $1,000 plus on a larger coop. I could get a shed for maybe $500, but would still need to outfit it and then construct a large run which is additional money and time.

The other component is we're foster parents and I desperately need to finish a bedroom build out in our unfinished attic - need the additional bedroom to accommodate the foster situation. This project is a considerable cost - but more than anything is occupying all my spare time for the next several months - doing the work myself.

I bought the chickens thinking I have 6 weeks to get a coop figured out. Thought it was simply buying a pre made one somewhere and putting it together in a few hours.

But, realized the number of chickens a coop specifies is usually incorrect AFTER buying my chickens. I did quick research before and saw several for 10 to 15 and figured I'd be good with 9.

Due to my limited time, I was really banking on the pre made coop solution.

I so wish I could find a large pre made coop for $700 to $800. I'd seriously buy it - but I don't think they exist - which I didn't know either before buying the chickens.

So - to meet my time crunch - I'm left with the coop from TSC. It's the largest one I found coming in at 9' long. I realize I'll likely need a different solution come winter, but will cross that bridge when I get there.

I was hoping someone had something positive to say about the coop or point me to a better pre made solution. If anyone knows a better pre made solution I can get up and running in an afternoon (counting buying material, etc.) for $750 or less, I'm all ears.

Maybe someone should make one - seems to be a market void.

Again, worse case, I'll give away some of my hens.

Thanks!

I'm new to chickens also @thisjed I find myself doing things backwards all the time. I am grateful for those contributing to these forums though to help me get through this.

 

[Zoomie]

That would be ME that suggested it BTW............ And I belive the coop is 5'x3'.........barely enough room for 4 cacklers, forget 9.......

I've seen that coop in person. I agree with your numbers here. The one I have was supposed to hold 9!!!

I started out with TWO. I very cautiously added a third. I doubt I would go higher than that. However... the run on that coop that you linked is really nice and has a cover. I thought it was a nice start on a run. I would still bury wire around it and would probably even cover it with a finer wire mesh, but it's nice and sturdy and it does have the cover. The coop? It's flimsy, like all these pre-fabs are. Has goofy perches etc. and a kind of strange design IMO.

To the OP, it sounds like you'll be able to work something out so that both you and the hens will be happy so that is great. It will probably do the children a world of good to see their own chickens. Sounds like it will be fun for everyone after a few tweaks and changes to the plan.

A note on the hoop structures: One of my chicken coops was built this way, but I covered the whole hoop structure with the type of "chicken wire" that is used for doing adobe and plaster work. It's heavier than normal chicken wire. Then on top of that I put a tarp. However. A raccoon came and actually ripped holes in that wire, climbed in at night and killed all the chickens. If I create another hoop house, I will not use normal cattle panels but will invest in the type of panel that has much tighter mesh, holes no smaller than 2"X4", but will then proceed as I did before.

 

[aart]

That would be ME that suggested it BTW............ And I belive the coop is 5'x3'.........barely enough room for 4 cacklers, forget 9.......

If the run is 10 x 10...the coop is about 2 x 10, then the extra foot of nests and storage.