Who has had good luck with buying a coop online?

[Handyhens]

I got a coop on CL for a great price from a person who was expanding his flock. A wood pallet on the nest box door fell off, but other than that, it was really great.

 

[Bean789]

I purchased a coop from CCOnly last May to use as a temporary coop for my, at the time, 8 week old chicks (8 of them) until the full size coop could be built at my new home. I gave it a good review at the time and stated that it needed to be painted to last longer. Well, due to the closing on my new home extending an additional 30 days and having to move to 2 temp rental homes waiting for the final paperwork, my CCOnly supposedly 'just for a few weeks' coop was moved 3 times and it did not stand up too well. I have had to replace some boards and the egg hatch roof is on permanent screw down for now. I spent $300 on it through a Mother's Day special and it has given me the peace of mind of being predator proof when the chicks were locked inside.

I finally got moved to my new home and then the contracted coop builder for my new coop quit after the first 2 days of work. Geesh!

I then purchased a used coop on CL, rather large, and spent days cleaning and disinfecting it and making it more sturdy and I added a fenced run to the area for them to get outside with a little more room. I don't want to say how much I paid for it because it is embarrassing in regards to the money I "threw away". But, I was afraid the girls were going to start laying and they certainly did not have the room in the CCOnly coop and they needed room to move around. I did not let them free range at the time.

Well, I found someone else to finish my coop and run and he did a fantastic job on it and it is now ready to paint and move the girls inside.

I now have 3 chicken coops on my property. Too many. All in all, I have spent around $2,800 on chicken coops including labor to move the used one, and the contractor to build the permanent coop and all the materials needed for completion.

My suggestion to anyone wanting to have a chicken coop is that you find the plans for one you like, that will allow more than enough room to house them (and especially allow for the chicken math syndrome) and plenty of room to roam either in a fenced run or free range with predator proof coop, and either build it yourself or have someone do it for you. The materials for building one will be more expensive (check construction sites for scraps also) but will also be more stable, long lasting, and you will have the options to vary the design if you wanted. My new coop is designed for up to 12 laying hens, so it is a very large coop and it is the Taj Mahal of chicken coops with the shingled roof 6 X 12 ft. run. (That is how my friends describe it). That is the larger portion of the money I have spent so far.

The used coop I purchased will eventually be taken apart (so I can reinforce a few places and build a platform base), raised up off the ground and rebuilt so as to accommodate 6 more chickens and 4 guineas (now 8 weeks old) that will need to be incorporated into the fold. It will then be connected to the opposite end of the run of the new coop. It will have features that the guineas will like also.

I think that if someone wanted to house 2-4 chickens, they could spend around $300 or maybe a little more depending on the run size and current lumber pricing. Well worth the money in the long run.

As or the CCOnly coop, it will be 're-vamped" one more time, painted with leftover paints, and sold on CL. It might fetch enough money for a couple of bags of feed and allow someone who really needs one to obtain one on the less expensive side. Do not get me wrong or misinterpret my experience with the CCOnly coop. It did serve its purpose for a longer time than expected (3 months of dragging and moving it around). If I had to do it again, and I only had 2 chickens, I would probably go with it but raise it off the ground, build large run around it with a human access door and revamp the back hatch for ease of cleaning.

 

[stamb]

Buyer Beware **Update**

DO NOT BUY A CHICKEN COOP FROM HORIZON STRUCTURES OF ATGLEN, PA!

Spoke with customer reps prior to purchasing who were knowledgeable and helpful. Very impressed by coop design, website and video tour. Was very excited to receive my coop. Received a coop that was finished very poorly and shoddy. The stain looks like it was put on any old way. There are drips everywhere and naked wood in numerous places where stain was not even applied. There are scrapes and gouges that are already lifting after the heavy rains we received yesterday. My concern is that winter is going to get in those exposed parts, cracks, scratches and gouges and really cause a problem. The latches on the top part of the run won't even lock. Spoke with the owner who is not very enthusiastic about standing behind warranty that is listed right on website as follows: When you purchase from HORIZON STRUCTURES you can rest assured that your product is produced and delivered with the highest craftsmanship through traditional value, honesty and integrity. HORIZON STRUCTURES is committed to your personal satisfaction!

The owner offered to send stain that I would have to apply to the structure myself, but that is not what I paid over $3000 for. A gallon of stain will not fix all of the drips, streaks, gouges, damaged wood, and 2 locking mechanisms that will not work. The owner didn't even apologize, thank me for my business or know when he would be able to rectify this. I am not satisfied and want a coop that is produced with the highest craftsmanship as advertised. Potential customers you need to be aware of this.

**Update**

After contacting Horizon Structures about issues with our replacement coop, we were told that our concerns are more “general maintenance” (even accused of creating the damage ourselves) and not defects that need to be fixed by them. The roof shingles are curling and breaking, the finish is deteriorating at an extremely rapid pace, the pullout floor is delaminating and disintegrating, and components of the run which are supposed to be sturdy to protect the chickens from predators is being broken by its own latches due to the way it is designed. Please note that these pictures are from a coop only 1 year old and has not even made it through its first full PA winter yet. I paid over $3000 for this piece of junk. Instead of standing behind their work and their warranty they give you the run around that somehow the poor quality for their product is your fault. To quote from their website when I purchased the coop – “When you purchase from HORIZON STRUCTURES you can rest assured that your product is produced and delivered with the highest craftsmanship through traditional value, honesty and integrity. HORIZON STRUCTURES is committed to your personal satisfaction!” (www.horizonstructures.com/warranty-info) I am not satisfied with my coop purchase and would like them to take their coop back and refund my money in full. Dave Zook the owner has stated right here that he will take the coop back and provide a full refund.

FUTURE CUSTOMER’S BEWARE, WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN (POSTED 2/28/17).

 

[Chickening101]

Its over 400 but its on sale now so its 319! hope this helps

 

[Chickening101]

Wow...do you think that would work for three hens? (Not bantams) if so, is there directions of how to build it?

 

[ChickaSquee]

Hi Everyone! We have purchased a coop online from Tractor Supply... I know, it would be better to build from scratch -- but this is what worked for us, until we figure out what the permanent one is going to be.

Here is a link to the coop: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/producers-pride-ranch-chicken-coop-8-chicken?cm_vc=-10005
We got it on sale (YAY!)
I stained all the pieces, looks really cute.

Then my husband and I got divorced about 15 times during the "only takes 90 minutes to assemble"

I know that we do not have enough ventilation. Looking for hints on how to add more, and how much. The back panel above the nesting boxes has a little plexi/plastic paned window. I was thinking about popping that out, and up-fitting it to hardware cloth.
Only other air space is a little fold down triangle at the top of the coop.

I would love some hints. We are going to sturdy it up, and mount it to a concrete slab.

I will post more pictures later of the coop assembled, so you can get a better idea of what it looks like.

Thanks for any help!!

 

[jbrianchamberli]

I haven't seen a single kit online that uses anything besides cheap wood. I was in TS the other day and their $400 coop looked like total crap. On the other hand, places slap the name Amish on a coop and the price jumps to $1900. I decided to just make one. Lots of info on here and whatever you do, listen to the advice of the people on here who have already done it.


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[abs45]

Due to my location, I'm limited on space, and budget. I researched/browsed for WEEKS online for small coops to order for my little starter babies. Everything I thought I liked had mostly terrible reviews for various reasons. I finally stumbled onto a link for an Aleko brand coop that seemed to fit my current needs. This is the ONLY coop I have researched where a reviewer said it was "bigger than I expected" once built. I know it may not be the highest quality premium materials, but for many people that just isn't possible. So, I look forward to getting this starter coop, and fully realize I will probably apply a non toxic water proofing sealer, maybe add ventilation(depending on what see upon construction), and reinforcing the small run with hardware cloth (which I already have). I'm building a larger run extension, and the kids can be in the yard when I'm home.

These pics are from a Walmart link(it had more info listed). I ordered mine through Amazon. I've seen the price range from $220 to $400+ depending on which site you order from.

 

[jbrianchamberli]

I'd be curious to see how something like this looks after a year. Good luck.


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[abs45]

I usually have pretty good luck, so I'm not too worried. Not like I'm investing in a Rolls Royce, so no unrealistic expectations. I prefer to go into the situation with positivity instead of starting out on a downer. That just takes too much energy.