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

[Chicken Heel]

I saw one of these at TSC, last year I think, definitely better materials.
Design was a bit better too, IIRC, better ventilation and roosts were up off floor.
Still pretty darn small tho.

The two TSC coops that I mentioned earlier in this thread were made with the 200% better materials. One was natural wood and the other one had a thin coat of stain. I painted them with a quality red stain and attached them to treated 4' x 4' posts as their bases. I also replaced the original hardware which was far too flimsy. I had also purchased a 7' x 13' pen from TSC a couple of years ago that contain my bantam hens. Once again, the wood was painted with a gray sealant and the pen was attached to 4' x 4' posts as its base. The pen is also mounted to an 8' x 10' Leonard Buildings coop for additional support. So far there have been no issues but I do shut the coop's pop door up at night for additional predator protection.

 

[scollier]

I let a friend use our TSC cheap ($200) coop for her new small flock, and a coyote busted into it and got the chickens I didn't think that could happen! I felt horrible.

We bought a TSC rabbit house and put wire on the bottom to use as a grow out pen. Snakes ate all our chicks by going through the wiring on the sides. We have since put hardware cloth ALL over it, and only use it for the weeks between feathering and moving to the adult coop. We also use it as our solitary confinement area for adult chickens who need to heal or be separated. It is on our porch. I would not trust it out in the wide open, because it is still cheaply made.

The best coop we have had so far is the one I built. For the amount of money it costs to buy a "good" TSC coop, you could pay someone to build one for you, imo.

 

[xenorph]

I've got 2x4 welded wire on the outside of the run and I put 1/2 inch hardware fabric on the inside. A couple of the chickens used to like sleeping outside with their heads through the fencing. That ended up with them getting their heads bitten off and the bodies pulled through the 2x4 welded wire.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

I've got 2x4 welded wire on the outside of the run and I put 1/2 inch hardware fabric on the inside. A couple of the chickens used to like sleeping outside with their heads through the fencing. That ended up with them getting their heads bitten off and the bodies pulled through the 2x4 welded wire.

Yeah, as a kid I heard stories about coons reaching through welded-wire to grab bunnies, chickens, etc.

So, I go with really small hardware cloth to avoid that and to also keep rats from getting in and accessing any treats, etc. that might have been left out in the run, etc.

 

[bethgsd]

You all are giving me a lot of ideas for expanding my Amazon coop with run. How do you source hardware cloth during stay in place orders?

 

[pozees2]

You all are giving me a lot of ideas for expanding my Amazon coop with run. How do you source hardware cloth during stay in place orders?

I think the big box DIY stores will ship, and a few other sellers will as well, do a search on hardware cloth and you get lots of hits.

 

[paintedChix]

You all are giving me a lot of ideas for expanding my Amazon coop with run. How do you source hardware cloth during stay in place orders?

Amazon!

TSC, Lowe's and Home Depot - in our area - all carry HC of some sort. Many different styles and types available. Prices are higher than from Amazon and right now, we seem to be just out of delivery range for all 3 companies.
Though for a very large lumber order 3 years ago, Lowe's did deliver then.

Edited to add - for the OP. I've looked at the different TSC coops (and some others carried by other feed stores in our area). We did ultimately purchase 2 rabbit hutches but knew right from the start that they weren't good for outdoors, in the open containment. But under our carports, right up by our house, they have worked. They have both housed rabbits and chickens and the larger one has housed ducks. They have slowly deteriorated over the past 7 years, but are still in use. Have to upgrade the one - this morning the single male rabbit in the pen with his "hutch" had it turned over with the pull out tray no longer in it... I turned it upright, but had other things to get to so didn't even really "catalog" what needed to be done to repair it or upgrade it/make it work better. The larger hutch sits so that it opens into a pen made from puppy X-pen and the smaller one sits within a partial puppy X-pen and part of a chain link dog panel w/ a walk-thru gate. We've never housed the number of rabbits in the "hutches" that were recommended and the ones that have been have always had some type of pen to come out into. I think the only reason we've avoided predator issues is our frequently entered vehicles are parked just on the other side of these pens and the barn/feral cats have their feeding station on top of the larger hutch. There is just enough room to have some space between the stairs leading to our laundry/mud room for feed. Across from the pens, still on the red brick section, is a single chair with a small table. Usually only have feed stacked on the chair these days.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures right now that are "internet ready" and since I don't know when I've taken those pics (year/month) - going to find them is/would be difficult. I'll work on that. Currently we have 2 rabbits in the one pen attached to the larger hutch - and they are on occasion joined by chickens that scratch in their pen & drink from their waterer (2 ltr bottle w/ drinker nozzle) and the one in the smaller pen/hutch. Again, the free range bantams often drop into his pen to scratch and share his 2ltr drinker as well. The floor of this area is red bricks - and I clean it out several times a year to use the leavings on our garden areas.

I did attach pics of the first two rabbits. These are the parents of the 3 rabbits we currently own. Just found & did two pictures of the larger hutch w/ some other rabbits we had. These two hutches would never have lasted out in the weather and we've never had anything shut up in them completely. Just too small for that.

I can tell you that I HATE building my own rabbit cages - and when I need some more later this summer, will be purchasing them. Working with HC for that is just not my thing, even if it is much cheaper. But that will be cages out in our pasture. Not sure if they will hang inside of a CP hoop or be set up in a wood rack with a roof... For the most part - having rabbits loose in a pen - especially out in our pony pastures, does not work (rabbit tractors for grow outs do). Rabbits dig as much as predators do & they managed to tunnel under building walls and containment fencing with buried 2' of wire... Having the few up in the carport, on the bricks, has worked. The first one was our youngest daughters' pet... He sired some decent freezer camp rabbits for us before he passed in 2019.

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

What gauge hardware cloth do you peeps use?

This one actually seemed like a great option, even compared to HomeDepot prices:
https://www.amazon.com/YARDGARD-308238B-Height-36-Inches-Length-50/dp/B0009GVN4W/
(right now on sale for $72 for 50 feet!

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

OOOhhh... or this: https://www.amazon.com/36inx50ft-19gauge-Hardware-Galvanized-Raccoons/dp/B015PD9JX0/

 

[rosemarythyme]

What gauge hardware cloth do you peeps use?

19 gauge 1/2" for me. 1/4" is too much of a pain to work with, and the 23 gauge is too thin.