Tractor Supply Co. Chicken Coop Reviews Thoughts Feedback - Why and Why Not ?

[jspeese]

That's the feeling I get too. I've read the reviews and the bad ones seem to outweigh the good ones. Most of them look like they are made of cheap building materials like particle board, and none of them to me anyway look like they'd house the number of birds that they claim.

 

[rayrose]

Home Depot has a number of really nice quality sheds that they'll construct on your lot.They come with windows, fully floored and asphalt shingles. You can add roosts and nest boxes from Tractor Supply.

 

[julieetroy]

I mentioned in another response on this thread, the OverEZ coops are very well built. BUT.. you can buy directly from the company and save on the TSC mark up & shipping. Go to OverEZchickencoop.com directly to by-pass TSC. I was replacing a homemade coop and bought the large -- says up to 15 chickens. I have 11 & they are quite comfy on the roosting bars.

 

[BDutch]

I bought a coop similar (or the same) as this Trixie coop :
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/trixie-pet-products-chicken-coop-with-outdoor-run

Bought this Trixie coop at Welkoop in the Netherlands wich must be something like you're TS.
I wonder where they make these coops? Somewhere in Asia?

I believe my experience with this coop would have been comparable with a lot of the easy to build and cheap prefab coops from TS or other sellers.

Bought this Trixie coop 8 -9 years ago for 2 rabbits and still use it for bantam chickens. 6 years now. But made a lot of adjustments. And now its main benefits are that it has 2 laying nests and some space early mornings before the automatic pop door to the run opens.

Cons: very small, not enough ventilation.
This coop was okay for 3 tiny bantams (Dutch bantams approx 500 grams) if I left the pop door open for ventilation with an extra run for more space during the day.

Con: poor quality.
I repaired some leaks (new roofing) and added more space for more chickens.

Con or pro? : lightweight
Easy to replace on snother spot.
You need to put tiles or an hwc apron around the bottom. There are no big predators around here and for foxes it is safe enough that way.

Pro: wooden construction.
Good thing with these wooden constructions is : they are easy to expand or alter things.

Pro: no insulation. We have a mild climate in NL and here you should NOT have insulation in the coop because of (bloody) bird mites. No way you.ever get rid of bird mite after they get inside an insulated coop.

Pro: it was very cheap in a discount action.

P.s: I cant add a reaction in the TS online shop cause I’m not a subscriber.

 

[jspeese]

If I wanted something pre-fab (and to customize for chickens), I too would consider a shed from Home Depot or Lowes. We bought a big one 4 years ago because we needed a place to store things like lawnmowers, chainsaws, other tools and equipment, not to mention bulky seasonal things like Christmas lights and decorations. It seems well-built, and I often thought that it could be repurposed as a chicken house. It has a roof peak vent, and the windows open but aren't very big. I think I'd want to have more and/or bigger windows installed if I were going to use it for chickens. I'd also consider the Amish coops I've seen at the State Fair. They too look pretty nice. I like a solid floor for chickens because they scratch and I think it provides better predator protection since nothing can dig under it. But for waterfowl, which nest and brood on the ground, I think I'd prefer a dirt floor as long as I could get it/locate it so it didn't get wet during a prolonged rain spell.

 

[texsuze]

With all the great coop building plans and ideas shared on BYC, IMHO you'd get your ideal coop with custom features by tapping into the experience shared by others and building your own. Or find a good handyman and provide explicit construction plans. Sometimes, you just need to outlay the $$ up front to save costs later.

 

[jspeese]

That's what I ended up doing. Our son-in-law's dad and older brother were/are both contractors, so he grew up learning this stuff and helped me built my present 8 x 8 coop. I was able to finish the 320 square foot run with a top myself. I've raised chickens (and other poultry) all my life so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted in a coop if I built it myself, in addition to the absolute essentials of being well-ventilated and predator-proof. Cold is not really a problem in North Augusta, SC. It's certainly not as fancy as some of the beautiful coops I've seen pictures of on this site but it does the job. One feature I chose was a dropping pit-like roost. Most of the droppings fall in the pit beneath at night; a quick scrape or brush knocks the rest in. I simply open a door I made in the back, scrape them out, and throw them on the manure pile. I typically do it every day but it could certainly go for a lot longer time. Rarely do I ever find droppings in the rest of the coop, and when I do it is never many. I give the run a rake once in a while to remove any that don't break down.

 

[DaisyG2317]

My husband, bless his heart, knew how badly I have wanted chickens and surprised me with a coop from Coastal (a local TSC type farm and feed store) called the Rugged Ranch Pueblo Grande. It claimed it can hold something like 12 chickens but there is no way it will hold more than 3 grown up chickens. WAY overpriced for what it is. It is not terrible quality but it definitely will not survive one wet Fall and Winter season in the PNW. It is made of cheap Chinese pressboard "fir". Had to add hasps to make sure predators can't open it and added a secondary hardware cloth layer around the "run" and a hardware cloth apron. Surrounded the perimeter with those 1x1 concrete squares from lowes.

It will be fine for now, our girls are 4/5 weeks old and they love it. I told my husband, however, that there is no way they can live there as grown hens. Had an issue with a dubious builder for a new coop and now the big girl coop will be built by a different coop builder in about 7 weeks due to his backlog. By then they will probably be on the verge of being too big for the prefab. It will make a great transition coop for future flocks too so it wasn't a total waste of money.

All in all, i would totally advise against the TSC type coops unless they will be transitional coop, sick bay, time out coop, ect.

 

[jspeese]

I agree with you, Daisy. Such a coop may be OK for the purposes you mentioned, or maybe a bachelor coop for roosters or, if the mother and babies can get in and out of it (i.e., no ladder that would leave the babies stranded), as a coop for a broody hen and chicks. But I wouldn't want anything made of press board; like you said it falls apart. Quite honestly, I wouldn't intentionally buy anything made in China if I could help it.

 

[centrarchid]

I have personally constructed 7 of the TSC type coops. One has been moved repeatedly across the state of Missouri and still after 6 years is moved around the yard like a chicken tractor. They need to be protected from wind to prevent rolling. Anchoring them is real smart. Currently I have mine in shade to prevent heat stress to a broody hen. Be certain to apply finish to prevent rotting. Some inner components will fail after time owing to humidity. Hings and latches lighter duty than I prefer. The "hardware cloth" on sides is lighter than optimal to keep dogs out. They hold only about half as many birds as indicated on label when you want birds in good feather.

I have a perimeter around them that excludes most predators.


I made a sled for each to move them about. It is still a lot of work as college students will affirm.


I strongly advocate using locally produced coops, because they are locally produced, but they are typically much heavier and harder to move even when equipped with wheels.

For those with limited woodworking ability / tools, the coops are good choice.

I make make assessment based on actually using them, not second hand.