“I did a lot of research on a first coop that I could tractor for the girls. I kept coming back to this unit because of the deep litter tray, and the predator defense. Additionally, It had the add on tractor wheel kit.
This did have the deep litter tray and I do still like that feature. Also, I am giving two stars because the assembly was absolutely simple. Pre-drilled holes in most cases, and lined up well. However, the pre-installed door was installed out of square so the door rubbed and the bottom latch had to be installed off center of the rail to work correctly, and it split the bottom rail. Next problem was the latch for the nest box. This was loose and came right off. The wood is so soft that this doesnt surprise me at all. After an email to mypetchicken - the resolution was wood glue, filler & sanding. :( or 50.00 back.
I still need a place for the girls. Next issue - This is not a predator proof pen. The hardware cloth that is suppossed to be attached to the bottom came with zipties. As if an aminal cant chew through plastic.
I had to reinforce all the windows with heavier duty hardware cloth, replace the nest box latch, and add a lock to the door. (That could easily push open if an animal got into the pen)
Lastly, this wood is way to soft to tractor everyday. Ive had the coop for 2 weeks and its already loosening up everywhere. Im so dissappointed. I have just started free ranging the girls now, but they have days where I cant be home and I move them to new locations, and also move it outside my bedroom window at night just to be safe. Also, wherever you tractor too has to be super level or the door to the outside doesnt work. Im fortunate that my property is very level, but there are little hills and valleys in the terrain that I have adjust for.
My next step is going to be to rebuild the pen area, or somehow yet again reinforce the wood.
I would not at all recommend his product. Its unfortunate as now I am invested in it for the money. I should have built my own. But the tractor wheels are great - very rugged and travels the yard well.”
“The hardware cloth is a thin gauge so I reinforced all of it with sturdy hardware cloth. Also there is an air space between the run and the roof that was big enough to put two fingers in = great way for a snake to get in. I reinforced that as well. It could also use larger windows and a window on the other side. It gets hot in the coop. Also make sure you get some locks that you can secure with carabiners. Raccoons can ope the locks provided. I also screwed down the roof so a raccoon can‚Äôt open it and get my birds. I stained every piece before assembling.”
“Decent for the price. Building materials are rather expensive these days. It keeps our two regular-sized chickens happy, and our kids can operate all the latches, but it seems to have kept the local raccoon out so far.
The instructions were a little difficult to follow at times. I had to solve an issue with the ramp; the hooks meant to attach it didn't work at all. I wound up screwing a hinge into the ramp and coop to keep them together, which solved the problem.
Otherwise, though, it's a decent build. The mesh is strong, pre-made connections are good. So far we haven't attached the tractor handles and wheels, because we have to drill our own pilot holes, and our drill bits got lost in the move. Hopefully that feature works out once they turn up.”
“My little chicks love it! My one draw back to this is that the material is a bit not the quality I expected. It‚Äôs not terrible and I still recommend it.”
“Easy to put together. We ordered extra runs and wheels (note: wheel kit only works best with the included run, not with extra length). So far the chickens are enjoying. Good locking mechanisms. We added hasps to all points of entry as well to make sure the raccoons couldn't get in.”
“Design is nice, though I wouldn‚Äôt suggest it for more than 4 full grown chickens, and an additional run is definitely needed. Structure is pretty strong, so far our chickens love the layout. I would suggest removing one of the roosting bars, our chickens like having just the one.”
