Comments for Small Chicken Coops

Comment on Ware Manufacturing HD Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch by Paul M Jones

Paul M Jones — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:32:51 +0000

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

A great product, June 17, 2011

Paul M Jones (Englishtown, New Jersey United States) -

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This review is from: Ware Manufacturing HD Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch (Misc.)

I originally bought two, then ordered three more. We use them for brooders. Hang halogen lights for heat in both back corners. The chicks move closer or away and regulate their own desired temperature. Put 1/4" plywood on the floor for the first two weeks and then cover just half the floor after that. The feeders and waterers are placed on the screened floor after the initial two weeks. We put alfalfa leaves in the droppings pan for odor control. Initial loading population is seventy-five chicks per pen. After a week or so we cut the population to 55, then around two weeks later we go to 40. As they grow we keep dividing them the same as if you were using a Broiler Battery. By the end of the fifth week we open the from ramp in the morning to let them roam as they choose.

Used with chickens, Guineas, ducks. Buff Orpingtons by the end of the fifth week the population is 10 per pen.

By far this is the best setup we have ever used as a brooder setup.

PMJones

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Comment on Ware Manufacturing HD Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch by Penny in IN

Penny in IN — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:06:34 +0000

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Not fabulous but not too bad either., January 16, 2011

Penny in IN -

This review is from: Ware Manufacturing HD Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch (Misc.)

My Chick-N-Hutch has been in use for 8 months (May 2010 - present). It was purchased to house 4 hens and has done an okay job so far. My hens only use it to sleep in, and to lay their eggs in the nest box built by my father. It is sitting on bricks to keep the wood from touching the ground. The ramp also rests on a couple of bricks, again to prevent the wood from touching the ground. It is covered with 2 plastic sheets and a tarp for the winter and has held up well so far.

I would not recommend it for more than 4 full size chickens with an outside run.

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Comment on Ware Manufacturing HD Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch by seattleattic "seattleattic"

seattleattic "seattleattic" — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:51:58 +0000

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Cheap, not sturdy chicken coop, OK for temporary use, May 29, 2011

seattleattic "seattleattic" (Seattle, WA, USA) -

This review is from: Ware Manufacturing HD Chick-N-Hutch Chicken Hutch (Misc.)

I am a first-time chicken owner. Our five chicks are six weeks old and can't move around their current cage very well. They aren't fully feathered, so we needed something to put them in. Also, the stink in the house is too much, so I thought I would buy a small coop so they could hang outside.

I gave it two stars, one for size I need and one for the design, which is decent.

The instruction photos are not clear. The back wall fits in a warped way on to the sides of the hutch. The frame around the roof was stapled together and did not hold up in shipping, so I had to reinforce the corners. When I attached the chain to the side of the hutch, per instructions, I opened and closed the roof to see how well the chain held. One of the links immediately broke apart and the chain was not long enough anyway to keep the roof from falling back. So we have decided not to use the roof for access.

The wire on the front, bottom and sides has 1" openings. Since I am nervous about rats, I had to cut and add a 1/2" wire cloth to add to the existing wire. The front of the hutch opens all the way as shown in the photo, which is convenient for cleaning, which is why we don't need to go through the roof. However, the wire cloth in the front is flimsy and even though it has hooks for closure, they will not hold a persistent predator. And it is rough and scratchy, not having been smoothed down.

There is a long crack on the roof frame and down one side of the side wall. Those had to be fixed and reinforced.

The instructions are not clear for someone who doesn't really know carpentry. I am handy with plumbing, installing custom closets and drilling holes, but the design is not really intuitive.

The size of this hutch is OK for five adult hens to sleep in, but not to live. My girls are happy in here during the day and it gives us a break from their racket in the smaller cage. I will use the design of this hutch as a blueprint for when I either build a hutch from scratch or have someone do it for me. Eventually, the girls will outgrow this hutch and we will use it for two bunnies.

There is a run that you can buy from the same manufacturer that attaches to this hutch, but there is no way I will buy it because of the poor quality. I would not recommend this item to a friend.

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Comment on Ware HD Chick-N-Rabbit Pen by Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 03:43:46 +0000

there is no back to this pen, October 9, 2011

Mindy (Oakland, CA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Ware HD Chick-N-Rabbit Pen (Misc.)

This is a great pen, and I recommend it, but you should be aware of several things:

- The back is open!
I didn't realize that the pen was designed EXCLUSIVELY for a hutch attachment. I mistakenly thought that attaching a hutch was optional, and it can be used as a stand alone pen. Since I wanted a place to put my bunnies in, safely, where they could be outside on nice days, (but am primarily keeping them indoors now) I needed to make some modifications.

- Latches are starting to show some rust after only a week outside.
It's rained several times in the past week, but no heavy downpours. I'm going to have to figure something out before the rainy season comes and they are non-functional.

- There are two small side windows/doors, but I'm not sure what these are for? They are much too high and small to easily replace food or retrieve a bunny from. If they were located closer to the ground they would be functional for food.

- The size of the pen is huge, and half of the front is a door, but I'm 5'4", average weight, and really have to squeeze in and then it's not every comfortable inside because the height is just a little low to squat inside. Unfortunately, it's awkward for me to go in and retrieve the bunnies or hang out with them inside their pen. Fortunately my 4 year old son is the perfect height for playing inside with them and retrieving them when they don't want to come on their own.

- Easy assembly
We used a drill to assemble it, because some of the holes didn't quite line up, but it was fairly easy to assemble. I think it took us about 30 minutes, maybe a little more, with my son helping. But he's a legitimate helper, so I'd allow about that long.

I'm still giving it four stars because:

- The wire and wood are STRONG. My dog, part pitbull, really wants to get inside this pen and hasn't been able to. This is a strong dog, one that's broken out of most every crate we've put her into and has destroyed doors when she was going through separation anxiety.

- There is ample room for the bunnies to run around and be bunnies, which was really the point.

- There more height in this pen than others, and I plan on rotating some boxes and things they can climb on and sit on to take advantage of the height. The bunnies really seem to like exploring the dimension of height.

Even though this is the largets pen I could find, somehow I think the bunnies want even more room. Someday I may make an add-on run and buy a hutch when they are older and I'm more comfortable leaving them outside overnight.

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Comment on Ware Manufacturing Premium Plus Chick N Cabin Chicken Cabin by caldwellbullies

caldwellbullies — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:47:33 +0000

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

poor item, July 10, 2011

caldwellbullies -

This review is from: Ware Manufacturing Premium Plus Chick N Cabin Chicken Cabin (Misc.)

came in broken...breaks easy easy... have 2 different houses both are real cheap. Both were broken out of box. Easy to assemble. cabin is kinda small if chickens can't be let out to run around. Had for 2 months and 2 doors already broke, the perchs dont hold up... had to buy nesting box and chicken run to fix broken doors and so chickens have more room to run. Don't waste your money cuz for the amount of money you spend fixing this house you can buy a nicer one that will hold up for the same price. I found a really nice coop for $800 that fits 6 chickens easily with a run and solid sturd wood. This one I have spent $330 for house, $65 for nesting box, $179 for run, and a couple of bucks for other parts to fix doors... not worth it.

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Comment on New Age Pet ecoConcepts Chicken Barn & Pen by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:27:27 +0000

Flimsy junk!, August 27, 2011

Alex Weise -

This review is from: New Age Pet ecoConcepts Chicken Barn & Pen (Misc.)

I really wanted a chicken coop and was excited to find one as inexpensive as this one. As soon as I took it out of the box, I realized why it's so cheap. The composite material is brittle and flimsy (I've already had a piece break off the bottom) and it can't be repaired with screws or nails because they will crack the composite even further. It took hours to assemble.

The photos of the coop are very misleading. It's actually shockingly small. The chickens on the box it came in have been photoshopped giving the impression that this coop will hold four to six chickens. It will hold two at the most. There is only one nesting box and it's 10"x10". The coop itself is about 3'x3'. The run is approx. 2'x2'x6' and is extremely flimsy. The roof over the nesting box warped after the first rainstorm and now it can't be hooked closed. I can't put on a new hook because if I try to drill a hole into the composite material, it'll crack.

Once I had it assembled, I figured it was too late to return it - taking it apart seemed like too much of a pain. But now I wish I had boxed it right up and gotten my money back. It's an absolute piece of junk and I'm so bummed I wasted $300 on a coop that may not even last a year instead of saving up for a small wooden one (usually costing about $700). Save your money, don't buy this terrible coop, and spend a bit more money for a decent wooden one that will last.

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Comment on New Age Pet ecoConcepts Chicken Barn & Pen by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:15:07 +0000

Flimsy, October 14, 2011

Kaylee Torres "kaylita" (Los Alamos, NM USA) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: New Age Pet ecoConcepts Chicken Barn & Pen (Misc.)

If you have any kind of danger of a predator at all - raccoons, dogs, skunks, etc. - this coop won't work for you at all.

Several of the pieces are held together with glue, which already came apart in the unopened box. Even after fixing those pieces, it only took two nights for a raccoon-sized creature to drag the coop away from where it stood, break apart the wire mesh, break off many hinges, and bash in the back door of the main structure.

I wouldn't ever consider buying a product like this based on how well it performed for me.

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Comment on New Age Pet ecoConcepts Chicken Barn & Pen by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:11:53 +0000

Fragile and Small, November 17, 2011

Mark Straka "On the Outskirts of Town" (Sac City, IA USA) -

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This review is from: New Age Pet ecoConcepts Chicken Barn & Pen (Misc.)

The photo makes the house seem larger than it is. It is quite small.

The material with which it is built lacks strength. It is friable and cracks easily. Also, it warps. Plastic screws engage with sockets that easily pull free of the material and need to be re-glued into place. I used gorilla glue with good results, but wood glue should work as well.

For all that, if it is used -- carefully -- to house only two, or at maximum, three birds, it will serve. There are less expensive and better alternatives available.

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Comment on Ware Premium+ Chick-N-Lodge by Reid Stetson

Reid Stetson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:41:45 +0000

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

A Good Start, May 17, 2011

Reid Stetson -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Ware Premium+ Chick-N-Lodge (Misc.)

We selected the WARE Premium + Chick-N-Lodge as the base for a chicken tractor as my carpentry skills are poor. The design is practical and the construction solid. We found that stickers identifying the panels might have been helpful but assembly was easy otherwise.

A couple of items stand out as problems though. The latches are not tamper-resistant. In fact one is mounted upside down. Any critter flipping the latch would be rewarded with the slide bolt dropping open. We will add spring-loaded hooks and eyes on all doors. We're also adding hardware cloth to the bottom of the unit for additional safety. Finally the wood is rather light and thin so adding reenforcements will be needed for our use.

Although we will make a few more modifications, all in all we are very happy with this purchase and look forward to several years of use.

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Comment on Ware Premium+ Chick-N-House by elfinmagic_2000

elfinmagic_2000 — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:02:27 +0000

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

Nice little coop just a little flimsy, June 8, 2011

elfinmagic_2000 (Huntington, WV) -

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Ware Premium+ Chick-N-House (Misc.)

I received this yesterday for my small flock of 10 chicks, putting together was a snap, my 9 year old daughter and I did it. However, on first opening the box it smells really strong of cedar. Also be careful taking pieces out, I bumped one piece and a chip went flying. It also is flimsy. the wooded sides and fronts are not thick. the heaviest part is the roof. the doors are held shut with little heart shaped door stoppers that screw in. I think i would have liked to have had a closure or slide lock on them.
All in all a cute little coop.

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