REVIEW of Precision Superior Construction Chicken Coop - Tractor Supply Co
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2022
- We needed a larger chicken coop and went with the Precision Superior Construction Chicken Coop from Tractor Supply Co. See a detailed overview including a timelapse of construction and my thoughts about how to build, what errors we made and what is good and not good about the coop. It looks nice and we're excited to start adding to our flock soon!
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Had this coop for 2 years now and I will say prepare to make some DIY adjustments and repairs. Over time, the wood just does not hold up. My chickens are not very heavy and made the bottom part of the nest box sink over time. We have to use a pole to hold up the nest box floor now. The bottom part of the run touching the soil has bent and broke out of shape. For the first two years though, it was an awesome coop. Just wish it was a bit stronger to last as long as my chickens do!
Thanks for letting me know, I wish I had painted all the parts before assembling it, probably will have issues sooner than later. I am noticing a bit of sag already but it's not too bad yet. I'll see if i can get ahead of the issues. I will have to do a follow-up video sharing those issues with everyone.
Predictably, we just had to replace the nesting boxes floor as the original got soggy and fell apart.
@@HappyCamperDeals Mine is getting close to kicking the curb soon I heard plastic coops are really durable and last a long time, might be something you wanna look into as well!
Great advice, I'll look into it, hopefully I get a least another season out of this one. My smaller coop is made of metal and it's holding up much better, so that's another kind to consider.@@chikenshiken8361
Nice place, end of the road, nice extra slab.
Thank you! Yes, it's our little corner of the world :). We love it here.
The ramp is very slippery and my hens slip off and fall. They are scared to go up the ramp. It’s steep! We cut the end off the ramp so we can lift it onto a box, and added anti slip mat to it. Poor things don’t know how to roast on the bars and sleep in the nest boxes. I think we have handicapped chickens.
Yes, I would say it's poor design the way that ramp is, our hens use it but it's not their favorite thing to do.
We’ve had this coop almost 2 years now. We added additional bars to the ramp because the ramp was too steep for our chicks and it didn’t have enough steps for them. I also mounted ours on pressure treated skids so it doesn’t sit directly on the ground. The outdoor roost bar falls out easily so I screwed it in place. We also had to reinforce the nesting box floor since it’s kinda weak. We stained and sealed it and so far it’s as solid as it was when we bought it. Not a bad inexpensive coop. I hope you get good use out of it.
I was thinking of having the ramp turn and go towards the door, it's strange how the ramp goes straight into the mesh. I wish I'd though of keeping the coop above ground. I need to find a way to replace the flooring and maybe add some reinforced cross beams to prevent the sagging that's already starting. You did a better job preparing it for the outdoors, at this rate, I'll be lucky to get another year out of it.
We have the same coop got it three weeks ago.. we have made some adjustments to be able to work with my litter system.. we added 5 inch privacy fence boards around the inside floor of the coop so that I could use sand for their litter
That's a good idea! Thank you for sharing!
Looks like a good review and walk through.
I've been learning how to leave better reviews, probably the biggest thing I've learned is to use the product for a while and take notes on details that I think everyone will want to know. Thank you for your encouragement, I'm looking towards doing some new reviews soon :).
I just bought this one today, & am currently using one like your other one.
That's interesting, we're two years into owning ours now and we are going to have to find another solution (we're eyeing going to 200 hens next). You should know, the tray for cleaning poop will rust completely through in about 18 months, we've had to build a new bottom for it. The nesting boxes where they lay eggs will rot and fall down (I've replaced it with new thicker pieces of wood). The doors will warp and it will be hard to open/close (I've adjusted the hinges multiple times for a better fit). And somehow, no matter how much I sealed it with silicone sealant it will leak moisture when it rains and the chickens will get wet - also part of why the wood flooring rotted and the tray rusted. It was a great solution when we needed something in a day... and it's affording us time to plan and build something better and for more hens. Good luck with yours!
You should put some pine shavings in the coop so when the sit on the perches the poop will fall on shavings instead of the floor. Cleaning out shavings would be easier than scraping poop off the floor. Another thing I noticed about this coop and nobody questions it. Why is the ramp so steep and why does it go into the wall. I feel bad for the hen coming down that ramp and hitting a wall. The ramp in my coop is only one foot tall and my hens can comfortably walk up and down, I don't think they could navigate that steep ramp. I do love the idea of attaching the coop to that huge run, your chickens are going to be very happy.
Thanks for all the great feedback! Agreed, it's a but strange how the ramp goes into the wall. Right now, or chickens aren't having any trouble hopping off the side but perhaps a rework can improve that in the future. I'll definitely have to add pine shavings to the tray, makes a lot of sense!
I bought that coop and stained all of it before putting it together, it was a pain though. Also I built a 2x6 base with wheels and set it on it and screwed it to that which raised the coop by 6 inches. We have 6 chickens it it but its pretty much almost not large enough for them and they only use it to sleep and lay eggs. The larger metal cage tractor supply sells is a better buy and much larger but you have to add sides and roosting poles which is not that big of a deal. We moved ours into that.
I'm learning as I go, and I agree, either I will need to make some modifications or move into another one. Thanks for the insights!
We had some of the same issues as you with the latches. We sanded the doors down to get the latches and doors to open and close. I had 8 heritage birds in it. It was too much and we ended up getting a bigger coop.
Interesting, I was hoping to have 8-10 in here, I'll have to reconsider how it will work. We have 4 Silkies and 1 Road Island Red. Once it's all said and done, I wanted to have 8 Roadies, but after what your saying I'll have to see how it's going to work out. Thanks for the insights!
Wife here that had no problem sliding the box from truck bed to ground then sliding it standing up right into garage by myself. Maybe if you had to carry it 2 people would be needed. But honestly i moved this box around pretty easily.
My skinny noodle arms could barely handle it. I'm certain it's me that's weak. Lol.
For $500 I would try to make one. It is more beneficial for me. First, I won't spend $500 into it. Second, I will have a new tools from the $500 that would be my tools for a long time. Third, Even if its not like the pro made at least it's my work and lastly Experience in getting it done. I can see your place around you. I would be hands on.
Such a good suggestion, we're definitely looking at building our next BIGGER coop!
The coop seem so much bigger when you doing the arial shot until you stand next to it. Lol.
Those darn dramatic camera angles, 8 don't know that I would cram 14 chickens in there, we have 4 now and will add 2 more soon, then I would maybe add 4 more. Any more than that and it would be pretty cramped!
Very thorough and well-done review! Did you paint it as planned? Did you use a stain?
We're in the process of painting now, if we don't finish this week, we'll be done next weekend for sure!
Famous last words, we've gotten sucked into other projects around the property and haven't gotten around to finishing painting. We're about 40% done.
I find mine to small for all my chickens in the nesting area. I bought the XL I want to add more space indoors so the can all roost at night. Tight on a budget and cannot but another. Mine came with a lot of issues but it’s nice enough. Any ideas on how to expand I have 10 gals. They have been sleeping together since day one I don’t think they will sleep separately.
That's good to know regarding it being cramped with 10 gals. I'm not sure what could be done... maybe adding a tray up top so a few more chickens can roost? Also the main area is very tall and perhaps could house some additional boxes, I'm just not sure how they would be secured. Unfortunately I'm not very crafty so not too sure what you could do. Let me know if you come up with a good solution!
I'm not sure the measurements of the coop or run itself, but that size coop or run is not big enough for 8-10 chickens even if the bix says so. They definitely need more room than that for both.
I agree, we have 5 in there now and I wouldn't want to add too many more. It's a big unit, but the roosting area is not as big as I thought it would be.
I have the same coop, for one year and it’s falling apart. We’ve reinforced it, some of the latches broke, and the nesting boxes floor needs to be reinforced again. I have 6 chickens
Totally agree! We're up to around 40 chickens and we have another coop (made of metal) and we made separate nesting boxes as well. Either way you're right, we've had to reinforce and rebuild different parts of this coop because it keeps falling apart. We're planning on building something BIG to try and grow up to 200 chickens!
Did you make any modifications? I have the same chicken coop but I live in Massachusetts and I am worried about the winter please and thank you kindly.
I had to replace the floor board in the nesting boxes as the leaky roof got it wet and it rotted until it fell apart. I used thicker wood pieces. Also because it was always wet inside the metal tray for poop rusted completely through and I had to replace that as well. Now I always put a tarp on the coop when it's raining because despite trying to seal with silicone sealant it just somehow kept leaking! We're planning on building a custom one next so we won't need this one for much longer.
I have the same coop. We stained ours just because paint would show on the hardware cloth. I wish this coop Would have at least been stained or painted so all I would do is put a water sealant on it. I do love the coop for two reasons the chickens can’t perch on top of the roof and I love having the human door access. My chickens sleep I. The nesting boxes too ☹️
Thanks for sharing Debbie, I agree, it should have at least been stained. I love the human sized door too, I just added a kitchen cabinet handle to make it easier to open. Chickens will make themselves a spot to sleep wherever they like! Sometimes my sleep huddled by the human door. LOL.
nice
Thanks so much Conrado FM!
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Thanks!
New Subscriber my friend.
Thank you so much!
H Sam! We have the same coop and had some questions maybe you could help me with?!
1. We have had our chickens for two days, six of them. Three should be laying and three are still too young. They have been sleeping in the nesting boxes, as evidenced by their poop in there. Have you had this difficulty? I was considering adding a nesting box underneath for them? We had one egg laid down there yesterday.
2. Also , the roosting bars are very close to the tray which I filled with shavings to keep the smell down, but I am worried their poop is going to get stuck on their backsides because it is up to the bar. Unfortunately it has begun to smell in there after two nights! I noticed you had no shavings in there. Is that how you continue to do it? How often do you clean out the tray then? Maybe less shavings?
3. Do you completely lock them in the little house part every night, closing the door and window? or do you let them roam the coop part for water and food?
4. We have tried the water cups on a bucket for water but even with bribery of mealworms I am worried they are not getting enough water. I saw your video of the water container with blue legs. I think I will try that system instead.
Thank you for taking the time to help! I appreciated your videos! :)
Hi Julie ;), thanks for reaching out. I'm happy to help where I can. Kudos to you for jumping in with 6 hens at once! We started with 1 and have been getting more and more since then. We're up to 14!!! But that's because we had 2 roosters (which we now have 5 of!)
1. When the chickens are in a new environment, they can slow down or stop egg production for a while. Make sure you spend time with them, make them comfortable and let them adjust to their new home. Another 'trick' we learned is to play rooster sounds on our smartphones (UA-cam has some good ones). This perks up the chickens and gets them motivated to lay. Also, make sure you have a good way to keep your chickens hydrated, this can affect egg production as well.
2. Those rooster bars are really low, we haven't had too much of a problem with the poop getting stuck except for one lazy chicken who refuses to spread her feathers when pooping. She's got a stinky booty and we've just accepted it. The bar is low but for some reason that has not caused issues. We are putting a thinner layer of bedding than I would want, but it's been working so far. As for cleaning the tray, we can let it go for as long as 3 weeks, but should be doing it weekly. Letting it build it too much is unpleasant smelling for us and can get the chickens sick. None of our chickens have gotten really sick so we've been a bit relaxed on our cleaning schedules. We also have an extra large chicken run (26 foot x 10 foot) and that really helps because they can wander around a poop other places too.
3. Because the chicken run is so big, we let them roam around the top part, bottom part and the chicken run 24/7. Really it's about keeping them safe if a rodent gets in. The top part seals really well and if you have a concern with a rat or snake getting in, that top part can really keep them safe. I've done all I can to ensure our coop/chicken run is dig proof and doesn't have any holes, so hopefully letting them roam all the time won't be bad. If you do keep them locked up, don't forget to let them out early every day. They are early risers and need food and water constantly.
4. Don't worry, chickens are very resourceful. If you're providing water in some way, they'll find it and persist until they can get some. If you need a quick solution, an old bowl or even a pan will do just fine until you get something better. Bowls and pans require constant attention and the 'blue' solution we can go 3-7 days (5 chickens) before it needs to be refilled. Keep in mind, if you do go a week before refilling, you should check for slime and mildew buildup. I don't wash with soap because if I miss some suds it could make the chickens sick. I just use an old sponge and brush with plenty of fresh water to get it cleaned up. They also tend to poop on the watering solution so I spend some time 'de-pooping' the unit overall. Lastly, if you do get the blue hydration solution, make sure it's as flat as possible, if not, all the water can just leak out and their area will be muddy plus they won't have water. I'm surprised how much water chickens drink!
Thanks so much for watching my videos! I've been enjoying making them. I will be reviewing my chicken run and another smaller chicken coop soon so stay tuned! Please let me know if you have any additional questions, I'm happy to help anyway I can.
@@HappyCamperDeals Thanks Sam!! I appreciate your answers!! I will keep persisting and watch "chicken TV", keeping them company. I look forward to your videos! :)
@@juliebovenkamp5433 Awesome, so excited to hear about your journey :). Enjoy, I think your new pets will bring you as much joy as our hens and roosters have! Thanks again so much for your encouraging words, it keeps me pushing forward!
About how long did it take to build this chicken coop?
Under 2 hours with the help of my wife. Minimal tools required, but some modifications were required because I was off by about 1.5 inches in some areas. I recommend ensuring the area is very flat before beginning construction.
Can you smuggle some eggs over to another state from the chickens you have? During these times, those eggs are golden!!
I know right! Maybe I can overnight them or something. Lol.
I’ve seen videos where full grown raccoons get in 1 and 1/2 inch gaps
That is so scary! Definately something to be concerned about! We plan on patching the gap and reinforcing the bottom too!
The lower roof on your run is gonna flood your coop in a storm then drain off and wash out your run
Thanks for letting me know, any advice for what could be done to prevent this? I'm going to be working on the setup this weekend. Ultimately we decided to put the tarp like that to allow the run to drip straight down instead of inside the run. Maybe if I stretch the tarp over the roof of the coop or make the tarp shorter on that end so it drips inside the run?
Don't be concerned with mice, those raptors will eat them right up.
Indeed your right, we've had no issues with mice, rats or even snakes! The coop however isn't holding up as well as we expected after 3 winters. Gonna need another solution by next year. Oh well we want to go bigger anyway.
Do you live where there is any snow?
Yes, we have had this coop through 2 winters, each with a little snow (1 to 3 inches a few times) and plenty of below zero days. It's been mostly ok except the floor of the nesting boxes got soggy and fell apart. I cut inch thick slabs and rebuilt it much sturdier for the next cold season, we'll see how it holds up.
Thank you so much. Could you show us a video of the modifications that you made? That’s the one area of concern that I have is the draw tray.
I took the pieces out of the box one at a time.v
That's a great way to do it! In our case, we needed to keep it in the box for a few weeks but definitely a good way to move it rather than all at once. Thanks for the tip!
It's super soft wood and 100% not worth the money to me. I have 8 chickens. I'm 6'1" the door is painfully small. I painted it before assembling and after 3 yrs it's still falling apart. I've replaced the sleeper floor several times even with shaving the thin galvanized floor has rotted thru 3x which is expensive to replace. The box dividers never stayed and I had to screw them into place. The nesting box door swells all summer long and wont open or close without sanding. The litter gets in the hinge point and it wont close. The vent doors swell and wont open or close.
For what these cost now just look up plans and build a coop that will last. 100% the worst thing I've ever bought.
Thanks for the long term review, I've only had mine for a few months and am already seeing some of the wear you're talking about. I'll do what I can to make this last and then I think I'll follow your advice and build something more substantial.
@@HappyCamperDeals same. When it full breaks I'm building one.
These fall apart very easily
I have discovered the same thing. We're in the process of fixing up parts that are failing far too quickly. I'll have to do a follow-up video detailing the long term results. Too bad, I was initially very excited about the coop.