To anyone thinking of getting one of those cute little coops….

[JacinLarkwell]

3 of my 4 prefabs are the sentinel coops. Definitely a small step up in material and size, but the roosts and human door to the pen are not as nice as my older grey one.

2 of the sentinels have birds (grow outs in one and my ketwa trio in the other) and the grey one has a quintet of bantams. Snow Definitely is an issue for the sentinels, especially the door, which has a bad habit of getting snow in the frame and not being able to open or close all the way.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Also the hinges on the sentinel nest area are something to be aware of. I've sliced myself several times when not paying attention

 

[alinas2010]

While I agree that, we should’ve put a bit more time and research into owning chickens before buying them, the reality is that it’s also got to be quality research, too. There are a lot of conflicting things out there about raising chickens and as I’ve said before, so many people chicken keep differently. You talk to your neighbors who’ve raised them for 30+ years and they insist chickens only need X amount of room, but something you read online says X. The farm store tells you something completely different all together. It takes a lot to decipher some of that and decide what’s right for your flock.

Everyone really does start somewhere, and there is no shame in making some mistakes along the way. Going in with pure ignorance sucks, people come here for help, though, and to correct the mistakes they’ve made. I don’t think it’s right to shame someone for those mistakes or make them feel bad for not doing quite enough research. I think it can be similar to raising a child, in that no matter how much research you do, nothing really prepares you for that experience quite like just living it. Putting this coop out there for the internet to see in the winter is hopefully going to add to someone’s research.

 

[alinas2010]

This is true up to a point.

But when companies engage in deliberately deceptive marketing -- such as the use of toy chickens in the ad photos -- that's immoral. They are intending to create a false impression and then take advantage of it.

An honest manufacturer/seller/designer of plans wouldn't be afraid to take photos of the coop in question with the number of adult chickens of common dual purpose breeds they claim it can hold actually in it.

I have to say, I think this is the bottom line on these coops. Whether a person does research or not, thus knowing whether to buy these or not, they’re still advertised falsely. No amount of research will ever change the advertising, only help people see that it’s wrong.

 

[alinas2010]

Hi alinas2010,

Looks like the "Sentinel chicken coop". Advertised for 6 birds, with 3 nesting boxes, but, as you note, really only suitable for 2 or 3. The specifications do not seem to say how big the inside area is but i'm guessing maybe 30"x 40"= 8 square feet. (Plus 3 more sq. ft. in the nest area.) The site has lots of pictures but only a few interior ones (including a few with a cat inside it!) One picture shows an animal that appears to be a fox lurking outside!

What to do with it? You could still keep it and use it as an auxiliary coop – a chicken "quarantine ward" for newly acquired birds, a brooding pen for half-grown ones or broody hen with chicks, and/or a chicken "hospital" for a sick or injured bird. It might be handy or those purposes. Maybe add more ventilation holes -- the wall underneath the roofed--over run might be a good place for that.

Regarding the snow problem, one solution would be to put polyethylene sheeting all around the wire. One way to attach this would be to sew it on with a large curved upholstery needle. (PM me for details.) That would make the run into almost a kind of mini-greenhouse. However, it is important that there still be large ventilation openings --- you want the run maybe 85-90% enclosed, not 100% enclosed.

Thank you, I am quite sure your suggestions will help someone along the way. We really don’t use it for much more than a safe space for the girls to run to and food/water shelter while they’re roaming the back yard. I’ve considered wrapping it for a little wind break for them, and i still may, I just don’t know that they’re in there enough for it to not be a waste of my time. Their new coop and run is right outside of the fence, so I just open their gate and the yard gate and they waddle over when the weather is suitable. We really thought about doing so many modifications to this to make it work, everything from turning the whole thing into a coop, to rebuilding it with plywood. In the end we decided we were long term chicken keepers and may get more in the future. So this would better serve as a grow out unit or isolation ward.

 

[NagemTX]

I'm seriously thinking of getting two of the ones I posted so I can get my cockerells split up.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm seriously thinking of getting two of the ones I posted so I can get my cockerells split up.

I used one if the sentinels for a processing bachelor pad last summer. Kept 4 cockerels in there at a time and would take out 2-3 at a time and replace them. Did pretty good, hardest part was catching them because of the run layout and my inability to flex like a gymnast

 

[Rurumo]

This site is great for promoting easy DIY alternatives that are actually doable by construction novices, like the cattle panel runs, so even if someone spends money on a TSC coop, they might be able to salvage it by connecting it to a proper covered run. If you use 2x4s or t posts, the cattle panel runs don't cost all that much in materials.

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm seriously thinking of getting two of the ones I posted so I can get my cockerells split up.

Have you seen my Camp Cockerel?

Camp Cockerel

 

[CaliforniaMountainChicks]

You can also build something a lot larger and better quality for not much more or for around the same price as those prefabs. I built a 25’x25’ 6’ tall run covered on the top, sides and an apron in black pvc coated hardware cloth for around $1,000. It cost me around $350 to build my 6’x8’x7’ tall coop (this is also in Southern California where material costs and sales tax is higher). At first it sounds like a lot but then you see the tiniest of prefabs starting at $400, and some of the “larger” producers pride ones I’ve seen are around $1,000-$1,400! Just their 8’x8’ pen costs $700 which for $300 more I got a 625sq ft run vs 64sq ft

Also working on this 25’x 33’ extension, however this historic snow storm has obviously halted my project lol.