Who has had good luck with buying a coop online?

[farmgirl7]

We bought a Paw Hut on sale for $199, complete with run. It has two nesting boxes on one end and some slit-like opening on the other. I was warned when I bought the chickens (brown leghorns) that I should buy more than I wanted, because a few usually didn't make it. I wanted four, so I got six.....guess who still has six healthy chickens! We are already considering expansion, even though they are not even I the coop yet. And I'm concerned about air flow... I think I need a window in one side with a sliding door that I can adjust, since I live in southern Oklahoma and it will be getting hot. They will be four weeks old on the 23rd. Here are some pictures Yeah, the lawn needs mowed! The coop has a metal floor that slides out. Any suggestions about what to put on the floor that would be easy to clean? Sand, perhaps? BTW, It didn't leak when it rained last week!

 

[jbrianchamberli]

Just watched the build video on Youtube for CC-79 and I've gotta say, it looks a little cheap.

 

[rnchick74]

Just watched the build video on Youtube for CC-79 and I've gotta say, it looks a little cheap.

That one does not say made of solid fir. Since it is one of the lower lines, I'm betting it is a little cheaper made. The CC-18 clearly states on the description made of solid fir.

 

[wermnmnmnm]

They are all made of fir according to their process video and it does say it is made of fir. It is really the biggest bang for our buck, considering we have only 4 hens, there will be plenty of room, ours has to be elevated for our county, and we are trying to be frugal... I have read the reviews and none are very negative. I am not expecting Fort Knox... I will water seal for weather and calk the joints to prevent buggaboos from living inside... I live in MD, so our climate is pretty temperate and our trees in our yard block a lot of wind from storms... I am quite hopeful this will be just right for us. Cannot afford the big heavy duty ones and would worry more about elevating those. Thanks for the concern... I will keep everyone updated.

 

[BB3]

I got the CC-32 last year i painted it the door hinges are in thin wood so they gave me problems, my chickens survived the bad winter with bellow 0 weather, mine said 12 to 18 chickens and I have 7 and its a lot for the room in it. I plan on reinforcing it with good boards.

 

[wermnmnmnm]

Thanks BB3... I will check into doing that too. Is that a Dominique, or Barred in your picture? we have 2 Dominiques.

 

[rnchick74]

They are all made of fir according to their process video and it does say it is made of fir. It is really the biggest bang for our buck, considering we have only 4 hens, there will be plenty of room, ours has to be elevated for our county, and we are trying to be frugal... I have read the reviews and none are very negative. I am not expecting Fort Knox... I will water seal for weather and calk the joints to prevent buggaboos from living inside... I live in MD, so our climate is pretty temperate and our trees in our yard block a lot of wind from storms... I am quite hopeful this will be just right for us. Cannot afford the big heavy duty ones and would worry more about elevating those. Thanks for the concern... I will keep everyone updated.

I apologize - I did dig a little further & you are correct about it being fir. I was looking at the specs listed below and on all the others it clearly lists the wood as fir but on this model it didn't. No idea why, but on their "how we make our coop video" it says all of their coops are made of fir. I will look forward to your review once you get yours. Fir is a pretty solid wood & is a condense wood, so maybe that's why it doesn't look as "heavy" as others? Their prices really can't be beat for the amount of square footage you get. I'm sure you can make any slight modifications you need to make it work on your location!

ETA - it's really hard to judge based on the reviews on the website, since they are only going to put the positive reviews on there! I don't know of anyone who had bought one of these in real life....this has got to be the most nerve wracking part of all of this!

 

[rnchick74]

I got the CC-32 last year i painted it the door hinges are in thin wood so they gave me problems, my chickens survived the bad winter with bellow 0 weather, mine said 12 to 18 chickens and I have 7 and its a lot for the room in it. I plan on reinforcing it with good boards.

Is the wood overall low quality, or just they skimped in certain places? How was the assembly process? Is the hardware good quality? Would you buy it again or go with something else?

 

[rnchick74]

I've been doing some more research on the cconly coops - here are the reviews I've found that are not on their website: http://www.amazon.com/CC-ONLY-CC-18...s/B0075X9CV8/ref=dpx_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1

What concerns me is the lightweight harware cloth that is stapled; concerns about strong wind gusts; and joining the multiple runs together!

 

[Bean789]

Well, the coop is put together but plans for waterproofing/painting etc, are on the shelf for a day or two. The www.cconlystore.com coop I ordered does look a little flimsy, yet it seems sturdy enough. I will reinforce as needed to be sure it stays together and is stronger where it needs to be stronger. A few pieces of 2X2s for bracing mostly. The 2 center roosts fall out easily and will need to be screwed to the outside boards to stay in place thus making them a little more difficult to clean and not easily removed. I have to reinforce the hardware cloth, change the 'latches' on every door/window/access as any raccoon could promptly open them, and one piece of finishing trim was broken/split on arrival. It was probably attached/glued like the other side and was damaged in shipping, but can be replaced and will not show when the coop is painted. I am basically building a strong base and attaching the coop and run to it to get it up of the ground by at least 18"-24" and to keep predators out. I expected this additional expense but as I stated before, I needed a coop right now and it will serve its purpose. It will still be easily transported to the new house on a utility trailer, once dismantled into 2 pieces. When all is said and done, I will probably have around $400 in this little coop and run and that is if I use some of the extra wood I have in the garage. My only qualms about this coop is that it is supposed to be designed for at least 8 chickens and I just can't see them as all full grown in there. I know chicks like company but I think it is still small. 2 of my larger girls, at 6 weeks, barely fit in one nesting box.