What do you think of this for the price?

[speckledegg]

I have 5 hens and we currently use a tractor and let them free range during the day in our fenced backyard. 3 are our babies and are 8 weeks old. The other 2 are in 'quarantine' since I only got them 3 weeks ago. They are roughly 16 weeks.

I'm thinking of getting something for the big girls and just not ever having them in the same coop as our babies. What do you think of this for the price and size?

http://cgi.ebay.com/LARGE-CHICKEN-C...469?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae1be632d

 

[Hawkeye95]

I think that looks like a heck of a deal!! You could always expand the run later on if you needed to. But with 5 hens, you might just be fine- especially since you free range. I've already spent over $300 and I don't have much to show for it! Looks good to me. If you needed to, you could also insulate the inside with the thin silver foil insulation and cover with plywood- that is, if you discovered it was too drafty in the winter, but even at that- that seems like a very reasonable price. Don't think I could build it for that amount of $$.

 

[AZBootsie]

I don't know. Yes, it is adorable. But, the coop part looks to be only 29" by 34". That's around 6 sf or so?? Barely standing room only for 5 hens. Maybe if you could draw the foot print on the sidewalk in chalk....or just plot it out in the dirt... you could get a better image of what you are buying. I am thinking it is about the right size for 2 chickens??

 

[speckledegg]

I don't think I would put all 5 of them in there. Just the 2 older girls. We already have a nice tractor for our 3 young ones. The tractor would fit all 5 but I'm worried about the older girls pecking too much. Our BSL seems to be a pecker. She already likes to pick at her RSL 'friend'. lol

 

[hcppam]

I actually was going to buy that (before I built mine) the actual inside floor space is what you have to look at per chicken. out of all of the eBay ones I liked it the best, but they are mad of thin wood, not trying to be a downer but I researched these things for 2 months.

 

[Keltara]

It actually looks mighty small to me. Here's a link that someone else posted and you can see the actual size of it in relation to some raccoon's that are trying to infiltrate it. In the first photo, you can see a gallon milk jug leaning against the run. Honestly, it's REALLY small for that kind of money.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=549515

 

[CarolynF]

Quote:
Hi,
I saw one of these at our local feed store. I wasn't impressed. The metal handle was very flimsy. It's quite small -- those pictures make it look much larger than it really is. The perches are very narrow wood which isn't good and they're only a couple inches off the ground. They say it's easy to clean... do they mean by opening the roof? That's not going to be easy at all, and the small door on the side won't make it easy either. There isn't enough ventilation, the slatted floor doesn't really count (and those slats are going to rot out pretty fast); the one ventilation door near the roof isn't enough and it doesn't look like it's covered with hardware cloth like it should be.

I see you're in W. Wash. I've seen several on Craigslist that I think are much better and you might be able to pick up and save the shipping.

There's also a free coop floorplan discussed on this thread that's 4' x 4'. It doesn't need 3 nest boxes, but that's an easy change.

 

[cpwhip]

I made the same expensive mistake on an Ebay seller selling these type of coops
here's the one I bought not only is it much smaller in person I know it will not be good enough this winter
and in order for me to clean this coop I have to crawl around on my hands and knees lol do that in a foot or two of snow. they said it was big enough for 12 bantams or 8 standard chickens and there's just no way this coop would hold that many, maybe 3 tops.
here it is its cute but not functional.

here is what I replaced it with this coop is much much better not only can I stand up in it
I can easily clean it as well and I know its build well so winter will be no problem. it also has a ridge vent
4 windows and 2 doors with 6 nesting boxes and 2 roosts. I will keep the Ebay coop for emergency but I plan to raise it
higher off the ground so maintenance wont be such a pain.

 

[zippity27]

I actually bought almost that exact one. Actually I bought 2 lol. One for my rabbits also. The picture makes them look a lot bigger than they really are. They are also pretty flimsy. We picked one up to move it and the sides came undone. I'm currently working designing/building my own.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

It is cute, but that's it. The hardware cloth is attached on the inside, so easily pushed on until it gives and the predator is inside. The outside door has 1 latch, the top could be pulled at by a coon until they could slip in. I don't see latches on the hinged roof, the roof opens from the middle making that a useless feature. Unless you are into climbing a ladder to look inside from the top. The hand is cute, but not secure in the least. Coons could pull on it easily. It is very tiny, you could build something stronger yourself.

Cute, yes. Functional, no.



Shellie