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

[aart]

I think it's on TSC's end, because the link did work earlier yesterday. The OverEZ coop listing said they were sold out so I'm wondering if they removed the listing for the time being rather than have people stare at it and be unable to order it?

Thanks.
Have had trouble with TSC links for months now.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

These links working for anyone?
Just taking me to a search page on TSC.
@Nifty-Chicken ?
View attachment 2086314

Interesting! I wonder if the product got removed or changed, so they default to "similar item" search results?

Hmmm... I just checked and they don't even list the OverEZ coop I linked to anymore. I wonder if they are out of stock of them? Wouldn't be surprised since it was one of the nicer ones and people are buying up chickens and coops like crazy.

 

[RiverOtter]

For 300 you could just get this at Lowe's.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arrow-Comm...-7-5-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Storage-Shed/1115349

 

[aart]

For 300 you could just get this at Lowe's.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arrow-Comm...-7-5-ft-Galvanized-Steel-Storage-Shed/1115349

Big enough, a lot of work needed to make chicken habitable.
And there are issue with metal overheating and condensation.

 

[RiverOtter]

Big enough, a lot of work needed to make chicken habitable.
And there are issue with metal overheating and condensation.

Roosts, nestboxes and feeders. A chicken door is nice, but possibly not necessary depending on where you put your run.

Depending on your climate (and how many birds you're putting in it), you might need several vents, or you might be able to get by with leaving gaps where walls meet roof - I've put one together for my mom and it wasn't particularly air tight.

The metal heating would only be a problem in fairly hot climates, and with leaving the birds in it during the day. And having been given a TSC coop I'm not about to down on the walls of anything else. I'd be a lot more worried about birds freezing to death in a thin, little TSC coop than about them overheating in something with so much headspace. It's a lot easier to put in a vent or let the birds into a run during the day than to try to make a TSC coops walls thicker, sturdier or more wind-proof.

 

[RiverOtter]

Big enough, a lot of work needed to make chicken habitable.
And there are issue with metal overheating and condensation.

Roosts, nestboxes and feeders. A chicken door is nice, but possibly not necessary depending on where you put your run.

Depending on your climate (and how many birds you're putting in it), you might need several vents, or you might be able to get by with leaving gaps where walls meet roof - I've put one together for my mom and it wasn't particularly air tight.

The metal heating would only be a problem in fairly hot climates, and with leaving the birds in it during the day. And having been given a TSC coop I'm not about to down on the walls of anything else. I'd be a lot more worried about birds freezing to death in a thin, little TSC coop than about them overheating in something with so much headspace. It's a lot easier to put in a vent or let the birds into a run during the day than to try to make a TSC coops walls thicker, sturdier or more wind-proof.

 

[0die]

I've never seen a quality coop at TSC or any other vendor/seller. They are simply not strong enough for serious consideration. One size fits all just doesn't work. They usually use the lightest & cheapest materials. The "ebay" effect I guess. The only way I would recommend a TSC type coop was if you place it within a stronger containment area...like a chain link dog run.

 

[WthrLady]

These links working for anyone?
Just taking me to a search page on TSC.
@Nifty-Chicken ?
View attachment 2086314

I've actually climbed around in those. I loved them except for the useless space underneath, and the OSB inside that isn't sealed up. HERE moisture would pop that apart in a season. Otherwise I loved them, and considered one until I couldn't figure out how to get it home and placed where I want it.

 

[Double Yolked]

After a nightmare experience with a sturdy and not cheap home built chicken tractor I won't recommend any of them myself.
Unless you build a huge one and move it with a farm tractor the majority are just too small, difficult to clean out, too hard to inspect for mites or too easy for predators to tip or tear into.
I used a set of (I thought) better plans, something I could move myself.
Small isn't better. Turns out every single hidden spot in the tractor was a mite magnet. Even though I was using both diatomaceous earth and chemical repellent the tractor is too small for an average sized person to get in and do a good cleaning and inspection for mites. I had a flock of six 7 week old chicks housed in mine, with plenty of space. I noticed they, with in a week or two, were moving their nightly roost spot, nightly. They were even attempting to stay outside the coop underneath it. It required me to disassemble half the tractor to finally reach far enough inside to see what was wrong. I found 1000's of mites hiding underneath everywhere in the tiniest of cracks, even where the wheels attached. I had to burn the damn thing. In my full sized coop I can easily spot mites. I built to allow full access and inspection. Below is a tractor almost identical to what I built.

 

[pozees2]

Only coop I would buy from TSC is the Snap Lock, I just worry about the intense sun here making plastic degrade pretty quickly, but it can be completely cleaned and disinfected and seems it would resolve the issue of mite infestations. For about the same money I think you could get a shed and convert it or find a local shed builder to build one. Nice thing about a shed is most of them are built to walk into - HUGE advantage IMO.