We still prefer the coops we made from scratch, but we totally understand that not everyone has the skill level, time, or money to put into custom coops. We believe that chicken keeping should be accessible for EVERYONE, so for those who have wondered putting together a prefab coop might entail, this one is for you!
I have this exact same coop. Exact same. I’ve had mine for 5-6 years and the plastic sheeting on top deteriorated and became very brittle. I now have hardware cloth over the top. My pull out tray became very rusted and a big hole formed through it with sharp metal everywhere, I replaced it with a piece of wall sheeting with linoleum flooring on top of the wood.
i have an earlier version of this coop. air46. it was easy to assemble (im a 73yo woman & did this in an hour) & the build, the hardware, the accomodation is pretty nice for 4 chickens in a suburban setting. the snap-locks are predator proof & i added a mesh screen bottom to further deter predators (but i only contend with skunks, opposum & racoons). so, for casual back yard chicken keeping, its a nice coop.
We have the tractor supply coop for our 3 hens that looks almost identical to this one but it is reinforced with steel. We have a raccoon that comes to see the chickens every night and he hasn’t been able to get in thank goodness. But good job on building that all on your own! Building ours was a PAIN, and I had my husband helping me. Wishing you the best with the baby, you’ve got the cutest little bump!
Yes, got a prefab Producer’s Pride-Sentinel Chicken Coop from tractor supply, it said it holds up to 6 chickens, young chickens maybe, because there is not enough roost room for 6 full grown standard size chickens. There was no vents, and no windows, so it was really dark inside. The chickens slept all day in there until I added windows to the doors, to let in light. it was not meant to be moved, so I put it up on blocks to make it more manageable, then predator proofed it.
I tried a prefab too. 8 weeks later and I’m build a new coop. And I’m incorporating many of your design ideas. Btw, I tried your grub recall method. OMG. Works so well.
We bought a prefab chicken coop and 3 years later it’s falling apart from water damage. Just rotting away especially the roof. I replaced and patched what I could but this summer I’ll be building one with real solid wood. I built an add on to the current coop that might have a year left standing and that was done two years ago. Nothing has rotted on that build. Real treated wood that I sealed with outdoor paint. So as soon as it gets warm out I’m knocking down the prefab and building a new house. I think prefabs are great to start your experience with chickens but if you have the time anyone can build a chicken coop. You can use pallet wood, scrap wood all free if you look for it too so you don’t have to spend a lot of money if you don’t wish too. Being resourceful is part of the fun of owning chickens. The best part of chickens is you will never go hungry.
I’m currently building a similar coop from the same company that I purchased from Amazon. I’m glad to see it goes together easily. Before construction, I painted it and removed the wire and replaced it with hardware cloth. I’m planning to mount it to a small deck in my backyard and maybe later add a supplemental run to it. I’m worried it won’t be large enough for my flock of four, but they free range, so they only need a place to sleep, lay their eggs and hide during rain storms.
Hi there again! I think I subscribed on your UA-cam homesteading page. I am sure glad you are covering the very item that I am searching Walmart and Amazon for. In the past, I have built two coops (nothing fancy, I'm a senior widow, so it's what I can do with the strength I have when I get outside) but since I got my girls, however, I am relocating the girls to another part of the property, and I cannot move this last coop that is located near the house, so, that is why I am searching for a prefab chicken coop. However, I wanted to see what others were doing with the prefab and here you are! Thanks for the video, it certainly does help me see someone assemble a prefab from start to finish. Thank you for the great video. I pray that you and hubby had a healthy delivery! God bless!
For special chicks such as your silkies and Polish this is great. I started about 3 years ago raising chickens (on my own, previously had chicks as a kid) and I got a pre-fab coop. Loved it for about 8 months, spring to winter, and realized it was not really great for my buffs as they were crowded and due to the small size the roosts were on the same level as the nesting boxes so they would tend to hang out in the nesting boxes and poo on the eggs. Long story short I finally built my own which I have been meaning to showcase on my channel.
As someone who has had one of these pre-fab coops, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is the warping. I live in Washington and we have hot humid summers and lots of rain in the winter and it does a number on the wood. Second is that the window with the slide doors get bedding stuck in them and they become very hard to open and close. But for people that are handy at building or just want 2-3 hens it’s totally fine. I would consider keeping it under a tree canopy or having a secondary roof to keep the rain out of the run area... it can get quite wet and mucky with such a small space and those vent windows will let rain in and soak the bedding. There was a lot of trial and error with it. We have upgraded to a full coop shed and keep the pre-fab one as a hospital or nursery.
We had one built from scratch, but chicken math being what it is, we quickly outgrew it. So we purchased a Dirkson Shed and modified it to fit our chickens. It is preditor-proof because we bought a metal chicken door that operates on a screw drive and can't be pushed up by a predator. We had to build roosts for the girls as well. We purchased feeders from Duncan Poultry and 8 nest box units from them as well. We did put linoleum on the floor to keep it from getting smelly and keep it dry. We added special shed windows for chickens that have a grill to keep predators out.
Nice video. I purchased a coop very similar to that one but for more security and chicken safety I placed it inside a large chicken fence cage. My silkies are free to walk outside their coop and run during the day while still being securely locked inside fence. The fence also has a cover so the chicken coop and run never gets wet. At night I lock them inside the coop and also lock the cage that the coop is inside of. Your silkies are so cute. Thanks for sharing, u did a great job putting it together alone. I helped my husband and then got tired so he finished it alone. I wasn’t much help anyway Lol
(Pam here….). One thing I do is get the online PDF version of the directions and often by putting in reverse contrast….you can pick out the tiny details of the directions a little better. I thoroughly read all the directions imagining how to handle and do each step. Then I unbox every thing.
We are just now thinking of getting some chickens for our backyard. We are technically 'city' limits on a 1/3 acre. Our backdoor neighbors are 'county' (lucky them). Even though chickens are not allowed in the city we are thinking of trying with a small breed like the silkies so we can hopefully keep them anyway without disturbing the neighbors. I think we will go with a prefab coop although my husband is already looking at coop plans online! lol Thanks for your videos! I just found your channel last night so I'm looking forward to watching more!
That looks so nice! I can't wait to get mine in this coming week!! Thank you for all of your content it has really helped and retaught me a few things I had forgotten since childhood on granny's farm
I ordered one from Amazon the other day. Last night I stumbled upon your video. I can't wait until mine arrives. Thanks for taking the time to show it being built. I have other things to buy and will use your links to do so. God bless, James
If your husband is ever up for it, have him try to build Justin Rhodes' Chickshaw. I built mine with my extended family and it is awesome! We modified our design to accommodate the Omlet automatic door.
That’s awesome! We will probably be building something very similar when we move onto the new property - love that you worked the automatic door into the design!
I started with something similar and converted it for quail. I've since built several pens. I almost used it for chickens but it doesn't weather well outside. I ended up buying a garden shed from Walmart that is steel siding that is being converted into a 5 chicken coop. It sits inside a 13x20 run for extra security at night. I also used cement for the floor to prevent any predators who breach the run from digging under the coop. Love your videos!
I just got and put together the almost EXACT thing yesterday all by myself. Got it off of Amazon. Both of us messed up on the same peace (your first one). I think it is because the instructions showed it the way we installed it. LOL! I had a friend who said, "Hey! I need to get rid of these chicks and roosters NOW!" I didn't have time to design and make one. So, I have 1 6m rooster (who had free range of my house until last night)...2 baby chicks and 2 baby quail in a tub brooder together. The roo has ladies coming this week. Planning on extending this cage with our own design, surrounding our tortoise preserve. The quail will have their own set up. But, anyways...I was thinking that maybe I made a mistake buying this since it does seem quite small and delicate (yet, sturdy). I was shocked to see this video last night cuz I thought I had already seen all of yours. Anyways, our roo (Buckshot...his prior owner tried killing him with a pellet gun and he still has a pellet in his head, but acts and crows fine) loves his new place. We live in the desert in Cali, so I installed a mister fan. It is the hottest time of our day right now (4 pm) and he's chillin' eating watermelon in his cabana.
Just recently assembled a slightly larger stationary coop from the same company for 4-6 girls. Had it for two weeks now and like it so far. Also constructing a larger turnout with a gate to allow them more “free range” and to add an extra layer of protection from predators. The test of time will furnish the final judgement.
Good luck with your new baby, could be any day now. You take as much time off as you need and don't even think about us in the mean time, it's your family that must be your main focus 👍 all the best for when the time comes
Thanks for this video! I was in the process of creating a chicken coop from scrap wood I found for free. I had to tear out all the nails and I just couldn’t find the time to do so as a mom of two and full time working mom. This is also not our forever home. With the cost of wood prices this was why I was trying to go with free wood. We aren’t entirely sure if we will even be in this house next year so having a homemade chicken coop we would have to figure out the logistics of getting it moved to the new place. I was hoping for 6 chickens, but since our life is up in the air right now I’m going to look into one of these coops as a temporary solution to get us started with a small flock and I think I will pair down to two chickens until we get in a more permanent location. I was trying to avoid a prefab coop because I know they will eventually fall apart, but maybe sometime it’s okay to take this solution. So thank you for the video!
I have almost "exactly" that coop (mine has the larger run)..., and after 2 years I can truthfully say it is a load of rubbish. It started to fall apart the first winter (about 8 months old), the join on the slide steel rusted and broke, the water started leaking in through the "pitch" type roof and the hatch to the nesting box just totally fell apart about 2 weeks ago. It is probably now about just over 2 years old and I am already looking at having to replace it. (I did not buy it from this seller, mine was from a shop here in Australia).
That is what I’ve heard about pretty much every prefab coop unfortunately. We have 15 chicks that are two weeks old right now and are desperately looking for a coop for them (having chicks to keep wasn’t planned but now we are wanting to do the very best we can for them). Thankfully my husband does have carpentry skills so I’m thinking we are just going to end up building something from scratch.
@@OakAbode I actually can't remember who the manufacturer was. The first trouble was the screw holes in the pine swelled and the small screws fell out causing me to get larger screws and re-screw it together, the second thing was the tar type roof..., it started to leak after a few weeks (and now the roof has come away completely from the wood, so water goes under it everytime it rains..., the job for this weekend..., build a new roof till I can get around to building a new coop). It is pretty much just holding together now and for the price (especially here in Australia) I wouldn't recommend them to anybody.
Thanks for this. I was about to buy this one which looks really similar: www.mychickencoop.com.au/villa-plus-chicken-coop But considering the price it doesn't seem worth it :-/
I just bought a coop similar to yours, but without the run. I have a metal frame for shelving I’m considering converting to a run frame. Also considering something grander involving my back fence. We’ll see where it goes. Don’t want a job, just a hobby.
Great video enjoyed seeing how easy prefab chicken coops go together. for myself I think I'm going to build my own and make it a little more sturdy. had one comment on cordless drills near the Chuck where the drill bit goes into the drill there's a dial with numbers on it to set the clutch to put a certain amount of pressure on a screw so you don't over tighten it in to the wood. When it reaches the set torque it'll stops. but if you don't want to set the torque look for a little symbol of a drill bit on the dial that's just for drilling that's full torque but beware you can sync your screw all the way into your wood if you're not careful.
I just put together a similar kit by the same company. It is a great design, but in shipping one part got dammaged. Later I noticed a few others had some minor dammage, but I was able to glue them and still use them. Some of the screws that were already screwed in broke. The broken screws made the door start to fall apart. I have put a lot of kits together so was frustrated with this. They did work with me and gave me a credit instead of sending out the new part. It is small and lightweight, which is what we wanted. Mine is pine too and makes screwing the screws in easier. Same with the screening, it is more like plastic, so I am going to have to put heavier duty wire over it. If you don't have wild critters, you will not have to worry about it. It is sufficient for a starter coop to see if you even want to mess with chickens.
Hey, that is a pretty good looking coup. Looks much more solid than the "premium" coup I bought online from a Chinese company. I checked the site and they are not expensive. I think this model was $299. That is a good value! I would probably add extra staples to affix the mesh to the frame (but I am pretty retentive by nature).
I have my silkies in the smaller version of this tractor, but they hardly ever go in the coop at night. They prefer to huddle on the ground. Maybe this winter if it gets colder here in Florida, they may finally go up for warmth. Also, they are still juvenile so haven't started laying yet. Maybe they be more likely to go in when that starts. In two months there have been no predator problems, but my yard is totally fenced so haven't had any ground predators at all. There are a few hawks that have been around eyeing them though.
I was going to order this coop which is much cheaper on amazon. Until I read the feedback on amazon, so many commented that they fall apart and did not last long. Now I'm going to build my own.If i would have ordered a pre fab I surely would paint it first and put heavier wire on it. I actually think it is way to small.
So they make a solar fan for cars that looks like it would fit that top coupe ventilation window perfectly if you just put a loop for it to hang on. So how do you feel about quail with this? I've watched a few videos on the specific coupe and I wondered if you thought it would be adequate for courtournix quail? How did it hold up after the season
I think that is a really cute coop. The only thing I would worry about is, raccoons and some other animals have little hands that can figure out how to open latches and get in the coop at the chickens.
I've always had large chicken pens with a couple of dozen hens but now as seniors they are too much work for my wife and I to deal with. I tore out the large pen and bought the largest prefab model I could find. It's supposed to accommodate up to six birds But I put eight in ours and they still have plenty of room. It has a triple set of nest boxes on both sides. I put a hasp on each and a pin through it so it's not easy for wildlife to open. I ran an electric fence around the outside of the pen and across the top of the mesh sections. Feeder and waterer are in front of the door and easy to service. Dripper waterer so easy to fill and keep clean. The entire pen and hutch are under my barn shed out of the weather and with a light above that's on at night. I've missed the fresh eggs while the chicks were growing but they are starting to lay now. If you plan on moving the coop you have I'd reinforce the base to keep it from falling apart and the reviews I've read say that most aren't really designed to be out in the weather most of the time. Ergo why mine is under the shed. The hens get lots of weeds from my garden to make up for lack of grazing. To be honest I could have built a better larger hutch and coop but I kind of like being able to assemble one in a couple of hours and avoid all that work and likely I would have spent more on the materials.
I bought a prefab. A strong wind will take it away. It ended up in my room with my bantams. I use wood pellets. Straw will make way too much dust. They want out bad because I'm sitting at my desk and they want to be on my lap. I'll be making some diapers this weekend. House flock.
Now that it has been 9 months and been through the winter weather, what is your feedback? How is it holding up? Has there been warping? Did it keep them warm enough?
This looks nice with those safety ideas in mind. We made an enclosed hoop coop yet, Ive changed it up inside several times now. 🤷🏼♀️ it’s about them & their comfort. I like the idea of the expanding run. Im a late chick mom- I went on the -Oh, they’re cute run! 11 chickens & 2 guinea fowl & they are our girls. Just beginning to get eggs. 🐓 happy the stray cats don’t bother them. Giving Praise 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼 2 guinea & 2 chicken eggs 2date. 🥰
Would you recommend this for housing chickens in harsh winter weather? Trying to find one to try that will keep the chickens comfy in all seasons. Thanks!!
I looked at some of these pre fabs at our local ranch store, they had 3 different ones outside on display, the wind had completely ruined one just sitting there and they wanted like 700.00 for it..lol.. no way, the thing was so cheap
My family is starting our chicken journey. We bought two prefab coops. They aren't this model, but they have the pull out tray as well. Would it be possible to use a deep litter method in a coop like this? With the tray would just cleaning it out regularly be better/easier? I've watched several of your videos and am very interested in the deep litter method for the natural health benefits and the compost. We want to get into gardening as well, so a good amount of compost to help us start a garden next year would be amazing.
Thanks for doing this on your own. Im a single person and have to do everything myself which means - a lot of things get neglected because I can’t repair it. I’m looking into getting chickens and trying to gain knowledge. I’m uncomfortable with freeranging in my yard but wonder if it’s humane to keep them in the coop all day 24/7
Would you feel comfortable housing 2/3 hens in this style, during the Winter? I plan on surrounding the open bottom areas with heavy plastic, for temp control & to keep drier.
I have this brand but slightly different style for coop. I think this is great for smaller chicks like silkies and for people like myself who live in the suburbs where predators are not as big of an issue.
We have a prefab one that we didn’t like for chickens so it is now a rabbit hutch/run for our mini lop! Homemade is much better quality and cheaper in my option. We live in WI too and winters are bad!
We started with some of these pre-built coops. I made them into tractors with wheels, but later went to cutting PVC pipesin half and securing them to the bottom of the runs and they slide so much eaasier than trying to use wheels. We also made 8 foot extensssion runs that attatced to our free range door areas and they love the room to run. Dont make them too tall . My first one I did for multi layerwd perches, but the rarely use them and made it hard to rech in with the service gate up top. They last a while but after 2-3 years in Iowa weather, they are shhowing wear signs, and mostly use them as chicken quarantine incase of injuries until they can heal. They get agressive...little raptors ya know.
I purchased a prefab from a Canadian site. Same slide out tray-looks adorable BUT the chicken math got to me befo.re seeing how small the prefab was. I am working on it now and it needs addition,expansion of the run and coop, door latches, higher roost bar (mine is like yours down where the cleanin tray is). So far it's costing more money and adjustments. The wood is very soft fir and not even 1x2s. Feeling some regret but my pullets aren't due till August so at least I have time.
I have a version of that coop for 5 birds, 4 hens and a roo. Its not held well from the massive amount of rain in the last 2 years and the bottom of the door is disintegrating. Fyi
Total newbie here. Just discovered your channel yesterday and wondering… since this has a tray that can’t be used for deep bedding, do you still put the waste in your garden and let it break down there or throw it away? (That’s one of the reasons I wanted chickens.) Just bought a ‘coop in a box’ yesterday and getting our first chickens shortly. Thanks!
I just got mine, but the smell is super super strong, must be toxic, I got a ruge headache when putting it together, I got concerned with the asfalt roof coming off in my hands. Im now scare to put my baby chickens inside. I will repaint it with good quality paint to see if gets better and also to help it less a bit longer, also going to replace the alsfalt roof.
I will say this wire is definitely small fox and racoon-proof or at least very resistant. We've caught a few at night and our coop is about 2 years old. As far as coyotes, no idea. My guess is not resistant to them.
Nice to hear your thoughts on this coop. We have a slightly larger one with our 5 hens and a rooster. The run on ours is just wire mesh. I had a tarp over it but, got some poly corrugated roof panels for a bigger run that fit well. Only issue is I need to make a roof over the run to shed snow. We're at 5,600 ft elevation in eastern Arizona. Thank you for all your videos, they are helping us as new chicken owners.
I wouldn't worry about predators busting thru that wire. If your predator problem is that bad, they're are more likely to dig under the frame. In that case don't go with the tractor type coop and instead build something permanent and more secure. That little punk chicken is pretty cute.
This is a REALLY good point. You’re very right - I think either moveable electric poultry netting to maintain the mobile function or a more permanent setup with the perimeter dug underground would be more effective. 😂😂 “punk” chicken, I love it!
I have a coop very similar to this one that houses 6 ladies. I find the tray to be difficult to clean and have to clean fairly often. What material do you suggest to put in the metal tray under the roost bars? I have been using pine shavings and they make quite a mess. I may be using to much as well. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!
You could build your own coop. At age 75 with no building expenses I built my own. 4X4 with a 12X6 run. Since then I have built 3 more. I got over 2000 likes on a chicken form. UA-cam and only my husband showing me how to use each tool I did the builds myself. My entire life I did office work no experience with tools.
I am BEYOND disappointed with the coop we got from Aivituvin!! After only a few weeks after putting it together and putting out chicks in, the wood started warping and as time has gone on the wood is chipping off, the coop door isn't matching matching up and won't close, the metal on the tray is bending. It's HORRIBLE. Biggest waste of money ever.
We still prefer the coops we made from scratch, but we totally understand that not everyone has the skill level, time, or money to put into custom coops. We believe that chicken keeping should be accessible for EVERYONE, so for those who have wondered putting together a prefab coop might entail, this one is for you!
How’s your coop holding up after several months?
And at a year?!
Would love to hear an update about the prefab coop
I have this exact same coop. Exact same. I’ve had mine for 5-6 years and the plastic sheeting on top deteriorated and became very brittle. I now have hardware cloth over the top. My pull out tray became very rusted and a big hole formed through it with sharp metal everywhere, I replaced it with a piece of wall sheeting with linoleum flooring on top of the wood.
i have an earlier version of this coop. air46. it was easy to assemble (im a 73yo woman & did this in an hour) & the build, the hardware, the accomodation is pretty nice for 4 chickens in a suburban setting. the snap-locks are predator proof & i added a mesh screen bottom to further deter predators (but i only contend with skunks, opposum & racoons). so, for casual back yard chicken keeping, its a nice coop.
We have the tractor supply coop for our 3 hens that looks almost identical to this one but it is reinforced with steel. We have a raccoon that comes to see the chickens every night and he hasn’t been able to get in thank goodness.
But good job on building that all on your own! Building ours was a PAIN, and I had my husband helping me.
Wishing you the best with the baby, you’ve got the cutest little bump!
How is your coop holding up ?
Was it big enough?
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who installs things backwards. Seriously. Thank you for making me feel like I'm in good company. ;-)
I built your solid chicken coop, bought the plans, I could not be more happy, I LOVE it! And for 6 chickens so far a palace..
I was looking at buying their plans as well. How much in materials did it cost to build?
The fact you were able to do it with Momheimer brain makes it even more attractive to me. 😆🥰
That Polish is very cute. Your belly is so tiny. You look great. You did a great job putting that together all by yourself.
Thank you! ❤️ We have such a soft spot for that little Polish too!
I’d think a raccoon could easily fig out the lever to open the door n a quick dig under n it’s a buffet
Yes, got a prefab Producer’s Pride-Sentinel Chicken Coop from tractor supply, it said it holds up to 6 chickens, young chickens maybe, because there is not enough roost room for 6 full grown standard size chickens. There was no vents, and no windows, so it was really dark inside. The chickens slept all day in there until I added windows to the doors, to let in light. it was not meant to be moved, so I put it up on blocks to make it more manageable, then predator proofed it.
I tried a prefab too. 8 weeks later and I’m build a new coop. And I’m incorporating many of your design ideas. Btw, I tried your grub recall method. OMG. Works so well.
We bought a prefab chicken coop and 3 years later it’s falling apart from water damage. Just rotting away especially the roof. I replaced and patched what I could but this summer I’ll be building one with real solid wood. I built an add on to the current coop that might have a year left standing and that was done two years ago. Nothing has rotted on that build. Real treated wood that I sealed with outdoor paint. So as soon as it gets warm out I’m knocking down the prefab and building a new house. I think prefabs are great to start your experience with chickens but if you have the time anyone can build a chicken coop. You can use pallet wood, scrap wood all free if you look for it too so you don’t have to spend a lot of money if you don’t wish too. Being resourceful is part of the fun of owning chickens. The best part of chickens is you will never go hungry.
When we had Polish hens we actually “trimmed” their feathers like bangs so they could see and free-range. Sounds strange, but it worked ☺️
I've read other chickenfolk who recommend giving your Polish chickens a trim to allow them to see.
Idk y but the: “It’s a chicken coop I’m not trying to make any statements”, made me laugh super hard 😂
I’m currently building a similar coop from the same company that I purchased from Amazon. I’m glad to see it goes together easily. Before construction, I painted it and removed the wire and replaced it with hardware cloth. I’m planning to mount it to a small deck in my backyard and maybe later add a supplemental run to it. I’m worried it won’t be large enough for my flock of four, but they free range, so they only need a place to sleep, lay their eggs and hide during rain storms.
Hi there again! I think I subscribed on your UA-cam homesteading page. I am sure glad you are covering the very item that I am searching Walmart and Amazon for. In the past, I have built two coops (nothing fancy, I'm a senior widow, so it's what I can do with the strength I have when I get outside) but since I got my girls, however, I am relocating the girls to another part of the property, and I cannot move this last coop that is located near the house, so, that is why I am searching for a prefab chicken coop. However, I wanted to see what others were doing with the prefab and here you are! Thanks for the video, it certainly does help me see someone assemble a prefab from start to finish. Thank you for the great video. I pray that you and hubby had a healthy delivery! God bless!
For special chicks such as your silkies and Polish this is great. I started about 3 years ago raising chickens (on my own, previously had chicks as a kid) and I got a pre-fab coop. Loved it for about 8 months, spring to winter, and realized it was not really great for my buffs as they were crowded and due to the small size the roosts were on the same level as the nesting boxes so they would tend to hang out in the nesting boxes and poo on the eggs. Long story short I finally built my own which I have been meaning to showcase on my channel.
As someone who has had one of these pre-fab coops, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is the warping. I live in Washington and we have hot humid summers and lots of rain in the winter and it does a number on the wood. Second is that the window with the slide doors get bedding stuck in them and they become very hard to open and close. But for people that are handy at building or just want 2-3 hens it’s totally fine. I would consider keeping it under a tree canopy or having a secondary roof to keep the rain out of the run area... it can get quite wet and mucky with such a small space and those vent windows will let rain in and soak the bedding. There was a lot of trial and error with it. We have upgraded to a full coop shed and keep the pre-fab one as a hospital or nursery.
We had one built from scratch, but chicken math being what it is, we quickly outgrew it. So we purchased a Dirkson Shed and modified it to fit our chickens. It is preditor-proof because we bought a metal chicken door that operates on a screw drive and can't be pushed up by a predator. We had to build roosts for the girls as well. We purchased feeders from Duncan Poultry and 8 nest box units from them as well. We did put linoleum on the floor to keep it from getting smelly and keep it dry. We added special shed windows for chickens that have a grill to keep predators out.
Nice video. I purchased a coop very similar to that one but for more security and chicken safety I placed it inside a large chicken fence cage. My silkies are free to walk outside their coop and run during the day while still being securely locked inside fence. The fence also has a cover so the chicken coop and run never gets wet. At night I lock them inside the coop and also lock the cage that the coop is inside of. Your silkies are so cute. Thanks for sharing, u did a great job putting it together alone. I helped my husband and then got tired so he finished it alone. I wasn’t much help anyway Lol
I have the same coop. It took me 3 hours to do by myself but I’m 75.
(Pam here….). One thing I do is get the online PDF version of the directions and often by putting in reverse contrast….you can pick out the tiny details of the directions a little better. I thoroughly read all the directions imagining how to handle and do each step.
Then I unbox every thing.
We are just now thinking of getting some chickens for our backyard. We are technically 'city' limits on a 1/3 acre. Our backdoor neighbors are 'county' (lucky them). Even though chickens are not allowed in the city we are thinking of trying with a small breed like the silkies so we can hopefully keep them anyway without disturbing the neighbors. I think we will go with a prefab coop although my husband is already looking at coop plans online! lol
Thanks for your videos! I just found your channel last night so I'm looking forward to watching more!
Wonderful video--so helpful! I've been looking at pre-fab coops... Thank you!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
That looks so nice! I can't wait to get mine in this coming week!! Thank you for all of your content it has really helped and retaught me a few things I had forgotten since childhood on granny's farm
the wheels are on upside down 😏
I ordered one from Amazon the other day. Last night I stumbled upon your video. I can't wait until mine arrives. Thanks for taking the time to show it being built. I have other things to buy and will use your links to do so. God bless, James
If your husband is ever up for it, have him try to build Justin Rhodes' Chickshaw. I built mine with my extended family and it is awesome! We modified our design to accommodate the Omlet automatic door.
That’s awesome! We will probably be building something very similar when we move onto the new property - love that you worked the automatic door into the design!
Omg We love Justin Rhodes channel!
How much did I cost you? I have his chickshaw plans and he priced it out as $800
I started with something similar and converted it for quail. I've since built several pens. I almost used it for chickens but it doesn't weather well outside. I ended up buying a garden shed from Walmart that is steel siding that is being converted into a 5 chicken coop. It sits inside a 13x20 run for extra security at night. I also used cement for the floor to prevent any predators who breach the run from digging under the coop. Love your videos!
I just got and put together the almost EXACT thing yesterday all by myself. Got it off of Amazon. Both of us messed up on the same peace (your first one). I think it is because the instructions showed it the way we installed it. LOL! I had a friend who said, "Hey! I need to get rid of these chicks and roosters NOW!" I didn't have time to design and make one. So, I have 1 6m rooster (who had free range of my house until last night)...2 baby chicks and 2 baby quail in a tub brooder together. The roo has ladies coming this week. Planning on extending this cage with our own design, surrounding our tortoise preserve. The quail will have their own set up. But, anyways...I was thinking that maybe I made a mistake buying this since it does seem quite small and delicate (yet, sturdy). I was shocked to see this video last night cuz I thought I had already seen all of yours. Anyways, our roo (Buckshot...his prior owner tried killing him with a pellet gun and he still has a pellet in his head, but acts and crows fine) loves his new place. We live in the desert in Cali, so I installed a mister fan. It is the hottest time of our day right now (4 pm) and he's chillin' eating watermelon in his cabana.
Just recently assembled a slightly larger stationary coop from the same company for 4-6 girls. Had it for two weeks now and like it so far. Also constructing a larger turnout with a gate to allow them more “free range” and to add an extra layer of protection from predators. The test of time will furnish the final judgement.
We have this same coop. We just painted it with house paint before moving it to the yard. The factory paint is an excellent primer.
Good luck with your new baby, could be any day now. You take as much time off as you need and don't even think about us in the mean time, it's your family that must be your main focus 👍 all the best for when the time comes
😊 this coop is amazing 🎉🎉
Thanks for this video! I was in the process of creating a chicken coop from scrap wood I found for free. I had to tear out all the nails and I just couldn’t find the time to do so as a mom of two and full time working mom. This is also not our forever home. With the cost of wood prices this was why I was trying to go with free wood. We aren’t entirely sure if we will even be in this house next year so having a homemade chicken coop we would have to figure out the logistics of getting it moved to the new place. I was hoping for 6 chickens, but since our life is up in the air right now I’m going to look into one of these coops as a temporary solution to get us started with a small flock and I think I will pair down to two chickens until we get in a more permanent location. I was trying to avoid a prefab coop because I know they will eventually fall apart, but maybe sometime it’s okay to take this solution. So thank you for the video!
I have almost "exactly" that coop (mine has the larger run)..., and after 2 years I can truthfully say it is a load of rubbish. It started to fall apart the first winter (about 8 months old), the join on the slide steel rusted and broke, the water started leaking in through the "pitch" type roof and the hatch to the nesting box just totally fell apart about 2 weeks ago. It is probably now about just over 2 years old and I am already looking at having to replace it. (I did not buy it from this seller, mine was from a shop here in Australia).
Aw, what a bummer! Which manufacturer made yours?
We’ll have to keep everyone posted if we experience anything similar!
That is what I’ve heard about pretty much every prefab coop unfortunately. We have 15 chicks that are two weeks old right now and are desperately looking for a coop for them (having chicks to keep wasn’t planned but now we are wanting to do the very best we can for them). Thankfully my husband does have carpentry skills so I’m thinking we are just going to end up building something from scratch.
@@OakAbode I actually can't remember who the manufacturer was. The first trouble was the screw holes in the pine swelled and the small screws fell out causing me to get larger screws and re-screw it together, the second thing was the tar type roof..., it started to leak after a few weeks (and now the roof has come away completely from the wood, so water goes under it everytime it rains..., the job for this weekend..., build a new roof till I can get around to building a new coop). It is pretty much just holding together now and for the price (especially here in Australia) I wouldn't recommend them to anybody.
Thanks for this. I was about to buy this one which looks really similar:
www.mychickencoop.com.au/villa-plus-chicken-coop
But considering the price it doesn't seem worth it :-/
Thank u for your honest opinion and I like the advantages in this one…stay blessed
can the feathers be trimmed around the polish chickens eyes so they can see better. great channel ..peace out
Another nice video, we're going to go with the DIY model and I would like to hear about what other updates you did to your first video. Thank you
I just bought a coop similar to yours, but without the run. I have a metal frame for shelving I’m considering converting to a run frame. Also considering something grander involving my back fence. We’ll see where it goes. Don’t want a job, just a hobby.
This would make a cute brooder/grow out coop. When we have a hen go broody we always wish we had a second, smaller coop for her and her chicks.
I love this!! wish I could buy it in Australia.
be careful what you wish for..., read my comments above.
Great video enjoyed seeing how easy prefab chicken coops go together. for myself I think I'm going to build my own and make it a little more sturdy. had one comment on cordless drills near the Chuck where the drill bit goes into the drill there's a dial with numbers on it to set the clutch to put a certain amount of pressure on a screw so you don't over tighten it in to the wood. When it reaches the set torque it'll stops. but if you don't want to set the torque look for a little symbol of a drill bit on the dial that's just for drilling that's full torque but beware you can sync your screw all the way into your wood if you're not careful.
I just put together a similar kit by the same company. It is a great design, but in shipping one part got dammaged. Later I noticed a few others had some minor dammage, but I was able to glue them and still use them. Some of the screws that were already screwed in broke. The broken screws made the door start to fall apart. I have put a lot of kits together so was frustrated with this. They did work with me and gave me a credit instead of sending out the new part. It is small and lightweight, which is what we wanted. Mine is pine too and makes screwing the screws in easier. Same with the screening, it is more like plastic, so I am going to have to put heavier duty wire over it. If you don't have wild critters, you will not have to worry about it. It is sufficient for a starter coop to see if you even want to mess with chickens.
Hey, that is a pretty good looking coup. Looks much more solid than the "premium" coup I bought online from a Chinese company. I checked the site and they are not expensive. I think this model was $299. That is a good value! I would probably add extra staples to affix the mesh to the frame (but I am pretty retentive by nature).
I have my silkies in the smaller version of this tractor, but they hardly ever go in the coop at night. They prefer to huddle on the ground. Maybe this winter if it gets colder here in Florida, they may finally go up for warmth. Also, they are still juvenile so haven't started laying yet. Maybe they be more likely to go in when that starts.
In two months there have been no predator problems, but my yard is totally fenced so haven't had any ground predators at all. There are a few hawks that have been around eyeing them though.
I was going to order this coop which is much cheaper on amazon. Until I read the feedback on amazon, so many commented that they fall apart and did not last long. Now I'm going to build my own.If i would have ordered a pre fab I surely would paint it first and put heavier wire on it. I actually think it is way to small.
So they make a solar fan for cars that looks like it would fit that top coupe ventilation window perfectly if you just put a loop for it to hang on.
So how do you feel about quail with this? I've watched a few videos on the specific coupe and I wondered if you thought it would be adequate for courtournix quail?
How did it hold up after the season
I think that is a really cute coop. The only thing I would worry about is, raccoons and some other animals have little hands that can figure out how to open latches and get in the coop at the chickens.
Thank you for sharing any recommendations on keeping them warm in Michigan winter with this one?
I've always had large chicken pens with a couple of dozen hens but now as seniors they are too much work for my wife and I to deal with. I tore out the large pen and bought the largest prefab model I could find. It's supposed to accommodate up to six birds But I put eight in ours and they still have plenty of room. It has a triple set of nest boxes on both sides. I put a hasp on each and a pin through it so it's not easy for wildlife to open. I ran an electric fence around the outside of the pen and across the top of the mesh sections. Feeder and waterer are in front of the door and easy to service. Dripper waterer so easy to fill and keep clean. The entire pen and hutch are under my barn shed out of the weather and with a light above that's on at night. I've missed the fresh eggs while the chicks were growing but they are starting to lay now. If you plan on moving the coop you have I'd reinforce the base to keep it from falling apart and the reviews I've read say that most aren't really designed to be out in the weather most of the time. Ergo why mine is under the shed. The hens get lots of weeds from my garden to make up for lack of grazing. To be honest I could have built a better larger hutch and coop but I kind of like being able to assemble one in a couple of hours and avoid all that work and likely I would have spent more on the materials.
I bought a prefab. A strong wind will take it away. It ended up in my room with my bantams. I use wood pellets. Straw will make way too much dust. They want out bad because I'm sitting at my desk and they want to be on my lap. I'll be making some diapers this weekend. House flock.
I just bought this coop and this helped me put it together! Thanks!
Now that it has been 9 months and been through the winter weather, what is your feedback? How is it holding up? Has there been warping? Did it keep them warm enough?
This looks nice with those safety ideas in mind. We made an enclosed hoop coop yet, Ive changed it up inside several times now. 🤷🏼♀️ it’s about them & their comfort. I like the idea of the expanding run. Im a late chick mom- I went on the -Oh, they’re cute run! 11 chickens & 2 guinea fowl & they are our girls. Just beginning to get eggs. 🐓 happy the stray cats don’t bother them. Giving Praise 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼 2 guinea & 2 chicken eggs 2date. 🥰
Nice looking little coop. Looks perfect for half dozen smaller breed chickens. Did it hold up over a Wisconsin winter?
Turn the chuck counter clockwise lol 😆 props for building this while making a human.
Would you recommend this for housing chickens in harsh winter weather? Trying to find one to try that will keep the chickens comfy in all seasons. Thanks!!
Our aitruvin coop fell apart at a year. Was modified with wheels and moved a few times.
I looked at some of these pre fabs at our local ranch store, they had 3 different ones outside on display, the wind had completely ruined one just sitting there and they wanted like 700.00 for it..lol.. no way, the thing was so cheap
My family is starting our chicken journey. We bought two prefab coops. They aren't this model, but they have the pull out tray as well. Would it be possible to use a deep litter method in a coop like this? With the tray would just cleaning it out regularly be better/easier? I've watched several of your videos and am very interested in the deep litter method for the natural health benefits and the compost. We want to get into gardening as well, so a good amount of compost to help us start a garden next year would be amazing.
We are from Appleton WI where in WI are you from? Just found your channel and love your no nonsense style!
Thanks for doing this on your own. Im a single person and have to do everything myself which means - a lot of things get neglected because I can’t repair it. I’m looking into getting chickens and trying to gain knowledge. I’m uncomfortable with freeranging in my yard but wonder if it’s humane to keep them in the coop all day 24/7
Would you feel comfortable housing 2/3 hens in this style, during the Winter? I plan on surrounding the open bottom areas with heavy plastic, for temp control & to keep drier.
Just wanted to tell you we made a coop using your plans. Love it! Thank you. Wish I could figure out how to attach a photo but I’m not tech savvy.
Very good. 3rd video I have watched of yours and I like what you do. I subbed. Thanks.
Great info! they should really appreciate your in depth review. I feel like you did it justice
We live in town we do have a big yard and this coop was one I had picked out. How is it holding it up any help would be appreciated
I have this brand but slightly different style for coop. I think this is great for smaller chicks like silkies and for people like myself who live in the suburbs where predators are not as big of an issue.
I got one for Christmas one year. Three weeks later a tornado took it and destroyed it. Lol
Awesome video! Buying one right now!
Mine is like this and I was wondering do you put any straw or bedding In the pull out tray or leave it?
We have a prefab one that we didn’t like for chickens so it is now a rabbit hutch/run for our mini lop! Homemade is much better quality and cheaper in my option. We live in WI too and winters are bad!
Raccoons would have zero trouble getting into any of the latches. They have "thumbs", they can easily open latches like that.
It would be nice if it had a deeper tray, or an option to add a deeper one, for deep litter method. Otherwise, the price is pretty good.
Looks nice. How did chickens survived winter? Did you make any upgrades on this one?
This is my future coop! For the price…..way easier than attempting on my own.
We started with some of these pre-built coops. I made them into tractors with wheels, but later went to cutting PVC pipesin half and securing them to the bottom of the runs and they slide so much eaasier than trying to use wheels. We also made 8 foot extensssion runs that attatced to our free range door areas and they love the room to run. Dont make them too tall . My first one I did for multi layerwd perches, but the rarely use them and made it hard to rech in with the service gate up top. They last a while but after 2-3 years in Iowa weather, they are shhowing wear signs, and mostly use them as chicken quarantine incase of injuries until they can heal. They get agressive...little raptors ya know.
I also resecured the screen wires with screws and washers after a neighbors dog got in before I had a chance to ffigure that out.
I purchased a prefab from a Canadian site. Same slide out tray-looks adorable BUT the chicken math got to me befo.re seeing how small the prefab was. I am working on it now and it needs addition,expansion of the run and coop, door latches, higher roost bar (mine is like yours down where the cleanin tray is). So far it's costing more money and adjustments. The wood is very soft fir and not even 1x2s. Feeling some regret but my pullets aren't due till August so at least I have time.
Totally agree, I’m disappointed to se the size, this is so small! But looks nice.😊❤
I bought this coop, did you line the bottom with wire mesh? Or do recommend digging 4 inches and putting mesh underneath? Or do I do both?
I have a version of that coop for 5 birds, 4 hens and a roo. Its not held well from the massive amount of rain in the last 2 years and the bottom of the door is disintegrating. Fyi
Total newbie here. Just discovered your channel yesterday and wondering… since this has a tray that can’t be used for deep bedding, do you still put the waste in your garden and let it break down there or throw it away? (That’s one of the reasons I wanted chickens.) Just bought a ‘coop in a box’ yesterday and getting our first chickens shortly. Thanks!
Thanks for the video! Surprise they didn't give you a promo code 😫
I just got mine, but the smell is super super strong, must be toxic, I got a ruge headache when putting it together, I got concerned with the asfalt roof coming off in my hands. Im now scare to put my baby chickens inside. I will repaint it with good quality paint to see if gets better and also to help it less a bit longer, also going to replace the alsfalt roof.
I will say this wire is definitely small fox and racoon-proof or at least very resistant. We've caught a few at night and our coop is about 2 years old.
As far as coyotes, no idea. My guess is not resistant to them.
Nice to hear your thoughts on this coop. We have a slightly larger one with our 5 hens and a rooster. The run on ours is just wire mesh. I had a tarp over it but, got some poly corrugated roof panels for a bigger run that fit well. Only issue is I need to make a roof over the run to shed snow. We're at 5,600 ft elevation in eastern Arizona.
Thank you for all your videos, they are helping us as new chicken owners.
Very informative. Do you think this coop will accommodate 3 hens?
Just watched this clip. How has it held up after a year?
Built our prefab one and then immediately gave it a coat of polyurethane to protect it from weather. Doing well.
We got one from Wayfair for our first chickens. It's not bad but I'm having the hardest time finding a bigger coop design I like. 🙃
Is the black one called Phyllis Diller?
What did you put in the nesting boxes?
I wouldn't worry about predators busting thru that wire. If your predator problem is that bad, they're are more likely to dig under the frame. In that case don't go with the tractor type coop and instead build something permanent and more secure. That little punk chicken is pretty cute.
This is a REALLY good point. You’re very right - I think either moveable electric poultry netting to maintain the mobile function or a more permanent setup with the perimeter dug underground would be more effective. 😂😂 “punk” chicken, I love it!
Can you do the deep litter method with this coop?
What do you guys think of the eglu coop by omlet??
I have a dumb question but I really have no idea. What do you do with chickens when it snows or gets really cold?
I have a coop very similar to this one that houses 6 ladies. I find the tray to be difficult to clean and have to clean fairly often. What material do you suggest to put in the metal tray under the roost bars? I have been using pine shavings and they make quite a mess. I may be using to much as well. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks!
Not that I don’t have that skill level. Right now the stuff so high it’s the budget for now . Hopefully thing will get better
You could build your own coop. At age 75 with no building expenses I built my own. 4X4 with a 12X6 run. Since then I have built 3 more. I got over 2000 likes on a chicken form. UA-cam and only my husband showing me how to use each tool I did the builds myself. My entire life I did office work no experience with tools.
I am BEYOND disappointed with the coop we got from Aivituvin!! After only a few weeks after putting it together and putting out chicks in, the wood started warping and as time has gone on the wood is chipping off, the coop door isn't matching matching up and won't close, the metal on the tray is bending. It's HORRIBLE. Biggest waste of money ever.
You get what you pay for. Have you found a better coop kit?
I have been looking at prefab coops and one thing I’m wondering if would be an issue is the roosting bars being so low to the ground?