Advice on coop building for winter in Inland NW

I agree - you can build your own for less than $850, even figuring in the cost of the run. No building skills? That's okay. Bet you didn't know how to drive a car until the first time you got behind the wheel, either. Hubby Ken and I have the building skills of two 4 year olds, but we ended up actually enjoying the process......um, we would have enjoyed it more but building a coop in March in northern Wyoming is a mite nippy! But now we have exactly the features we wanted, in the places we wanted them, and we think it looks pretty doggone neat!

The run is just cattle panels arched between metal fence posts pounded into the ground, covered with chicken wire, and with a hardware cloth skirt going about 2 feet up and an apron going about 2 feet out. Cheap and easy - so easy that when we enlarged the run this year we just took the end panel off, added two more fence posts and another chicken wire covered cattle panel. A little hardware cloth skirt and apron, slap the end piece right back up and done. The pop door to the coop is open 24/7 so they can come and go as they please year round. The lattice? Well, that's just for purty. I was on town council when we built, we live in town and our setup is visible from two sides of the street so I just couldn't slap something together and leave it.









No trouble from winds....this puppy was across the street last summer and heading for us. It went back up before it hit us, but wow - the wind!!


No trouble with snow either
.

The run with the expansion on this summer. Hadn't put the lattice up yet.
 
If you do decide to build then a 4x8 would be easier since dimensional lumber comes in that size. Graph paper is your friend and it is much cheaper to buy more erasers than building materials.
big_smile.png
 
Keep it coming, guys, these tips are GREAT! I really appreciate it. We're trying to decide where we will put our coop right now so we can start building. That portable coop is just lovely but expensive, so I hesitate.
 
Keep it coming, guys, these tips are GREAT! I really appreciate it. We're trying to decide where we will put our coop right now so we can start building. That portable coop is just lovely but expensive, so I hesitate.
unless your gonna move that tractor all over the yard. . I'd build one.. if your only gonna get 3 chickens it's big enough.. but you know 3 is probably not enough.. pretty soon ya want few more...it's up to you.. buying one would save you time... I build my own. .it's not that hard
 
One other issue with most premade coops is the materials used tend to be cheap. They do not hold up to the weather like one would prefer. They keep them light by using what amounts to balsa wood.

Building one allows you to
1. keep the strength you need for predator proofing
2. keep the durability you want
3. incorporate the ventilation and security your area dictates and the chickens need
4. keep the costs down since your labor is much less expensive then a hired hand
5. make it the size you need for the numbers you want
6. get those creative juices flowing to create a coop you are proud you made yourself
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom