Describe 'Coop built on a budget!' here
We built our coop for less than $100 (not counting the automatic waterer, feeder, or Rooster flag!)


The most expensive items were the wire $30 at Tractor Supply (I wish I had gone for the more expensive kind) and the hinges $18 at Lowes.


We used 8 2x4s that were split to make 2x2s.
We used 2 1x2s for the roosts (but I think I'll change them out to 1x4s as the chicks get bigger.)


The coop and the nesting boxes were built with scrap plywood--some 3/4" and some 1/2".



The roof is a high quality aluminum like material that is supposed to be cooler (and lighter) than plywood.

The way we were able to build so inexpensively is because most of the materials were scrap that we repurposed. We got most of the 2x4s from a dumpster at the building site of a new church. (We asked before we took anything and were told we could have what we could reach, but under no circumstances were we to get into the dumpster.) Some of the thicker plywood sheets came from the same source, and the other came from the scrap bin at Lowes.
Whlle researching what to use for the roof, I ran across the website for a new roofing supply company in our town. I sent a brief email explaining what I was building and asked for recommendations. Two days later I got an email from the owner of the company offering to supply scrape materials for me to use. When I went to meet him and share the coop plans, he explained that his company is big into recycling and he was happy to provide the little I needed for the coop. Not only did he give me the aluminum sheets (cut to my specifications) but he included the part for the top of the roof and all the special screws needed. (Yes, I sent him a very nice thank you note with pictures of the completed coop :))

Our county dump waste resource management system allows residents to pick up paint that has been dropped off at the recycle center. The day we visited, someone had just left 25 gallons of Kilz paint in the taupe color you see on the coop. It might not have been my first color choice, but since it was free.....

One last picture.


I knew I had to provide lots of ventilation for "the girls" so I cut a window right into the side of the coop. I wanted something that was very strong (predator proof) since I shut the hens up every evening and I might have to leave the shutter open during the long summer nights. So I visited an applicance repair shop and asked to purchase an old oven grate. When the older gentleman heard what I wanted to use it for he laughed so hard that he told me to take it--no charge! There is no way a raccoon can get through that heavy gauge metal. (The little air conditioning vent over the nesting boxes cost about $3 at Lowes.)

So it took me a while to gather all the materials and I had to be creative in what I used, but I think it was all worth it.
The chicks are now 7 weeks old and have just begun staying overnight in their new coop.