Coup for someone with ZERO wood working skills or tools

[Chickenchic49]

I don't want a prefab that will be cheaply made and fall apart, but I also have NEVER built anything and have no tools outside of screwdrivers and hammers. Suggestions?

 

[townchicks]

Ask around at your local feed stores for some one that builds coops. Also, in my area at least, there are a number of folks on craigslist that build and sell coops. They are pricey, but figure your cost for materials and hours of labor if you did it yourself, and the cost seems pretty fair. Sometimes you can find used coops for sale also.Prefabs depend on the manufacturer, some are pretty good, though small. Depends on your desired number of chickens, and your weather. I like my prefab, but it was too small, so I built a new coop. Now I use my prefab for quarantine/intros.

 

[Criticalicious]

I had great success finding a handmade coop on Craig's List. There's a retired gentleman near us who does it for a hobby and barely charged over cost of materials. He even customized some things, let us pick the colors, and delivered to our property.

 

[Chickenchic49]

Ask around at your local feed stores for some one that builds coops. Also, in my area at least, there are a number of folks on craigslist that build and sell coops. They are pricey, but figure your cost for materials and hours of labor if you did it yourself, and the cost seems pretty fair. Sometimes you can find used coops for sale also.Prefabs depend on the manufacturer, some are pretty good, though small. Depends on your desired number of chickens, and your weather. I like my prefab, but it was too small, so I built a new coop. Now I use my prefab for quarantine/intros.

Do you know of anyone who got a prefab from My Pet Chicken?

 

[Hobbits Mommie]

Hoop Coop?

 

[Ghosty]

Do you know of anyone who got a prefab from My Pet Chicken?

It is the general consensus that prefabs won't last, and they take a fair amount of modifications to make them predator proof. I would go with a local builder like Criticalicious suggested.

 

[DallasLoneStar]

I would put the build quality of my OverEZ coop against any custom made coop. Sure, there is room for improvements (like ventilation) but it is SOLID and made of real, quality lumber. My first coop was a typical prefab made out of miniature planks of very light “fir” and while it made an OK grow out coop, I could tell right away it wouldn’t last more than a year. And, it needed a good bit of work just to not flood when it rained! The OverEZ is weather proof from the start and fully painted with Sherwin Williams exterior latex. The interior wood is sealed from the factory as well. As far a predators, should be 100% safe from anything except bears. The window screen does need hardware cloth but that’s it.

 

[Hobbits Mommie]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/72330822/?q=hoop+coop&t=post&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1

 

[Ghosty]

I would put the build quality of my OverEZ coop against any custom made coop. Sure, there is room for improvements (like ventilation) but it is SOLID and made of real, quality lumber. My first coop was a typical prefab made out of miniature planks of very light “fir” and while it made an OK grow out coop, I could tell right away it wouldn’t last more than a year. And, it needed a good bit of work just to not flood when it rained! The OverEZ is weather proof from the start and fully painted with Sherwin Williams exterior latex. The interior wood is sealed from the factory as well. As far a predators, should be 100% safe from anything except bears. The window screen does need hardware cloth but that’s it.

I see you purchased your coop used for 200$ though, which is a sight better than 900$ for a new one. Also, the coop requires assembly when new. It does look nicer than a lot of the retail prefabs, but 900$ is pretty steep for a 4 x 4 coop, not to mention assembling it yourself after dishing out the dough. I used to work for a prefab construction company making walls, floor trusses, and roof trusses to be assembled on the job site, so I know that the term prefab doesn't necessarily mean poor quality. I see many used coops and shed/coops in my area that are quite decently priced. If you don't want to build one, buying a used or new prebuilt coop is an excellent option. Whether it is a well made commercial prefab, custom built, or a converted shed, getting your money's worth is a nice thing. I would suggest craigslist and facebook marketplace.

 

[jthornton]

What a great opportunity to learn how to build things with wood and acquire a few tools... a cattle panel coop comes to my mind as the simple way to get a coop.

JT