Approximate cost for 8x12 run and simple 4x6 ish coop?

Dfroberts86 said:

Here is one i took the other day. It's mostly done. I'll have to take some more pictures tomorrow.

We ended up going with a chain link dog kennel panels for our run. My next door neighbor offered them to us for a great deal. It saved us about 1/2 on the run and allows a bit more flexibility because of few extra panels he had.i did end up putting hardware cloth on the bottom two feet or so of the run and buried it down because we have a dog that likes to dig.

Click to expand...

Welcome to BYC!

Nice coop...and great material list you provided above!

Did your cost estimate of $550 prove to be accurate?

Would love to see more of your build.
Maybe do a build thread? https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/threads/add/forumId/9

Oh and here's a good example of and anti-dig apron to use instead of digging down deep:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528

aart said:

Welcome to BYC!

Nice coop...and great material list you provided above!

Did your cost estimate of $550 prove to be accurate?

Would love to see more of your build.
Maybe do a build thread? https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/threads/add/forumId/9

Oh and here's a good example of and anti-dig apron to use instead of digging down deep:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528

Click to expand...

I haven't actually gone through and added up total costs, but I think we ended up at about the $450 range. My father in law had a bunch of 2x4 peices that we were able to use for about half of the framing needs, so I ended up only using half of our 2x4's, saving $30. Purchasing and using the chain link fencing from our neighbor saved somewhere in the range of $50. in my $550 estimate, that included a bunch of 1x2's for trimming the whole thing, which I so far haven't done but plan to. That would save another $15-$20 if someone were to build it as pictured.

I did something similar for the dig apron, though I did dig it down. I was worried about the dogs or my two boys lifting it up if it was just laying top of the ground.

We have six chicks: 1 black astrolorp, 2 buff orphingtons, 1 rhode island red, and 2 americanas(easter eggers). I'll have to take a picture of them.


Here is a picture of the chain link panels, as well as the hardware cloth of the sides. The dogs were reaching through the chain link with their paws before putting this up.


I did hardware cloth in the openings on either side. This also shows the polycarbanate roofing. I left a section there not covered with plywood just to allow more light in for the winter months.


A roost for the chickens. I have a similar one in their box they are in now and they love it. I am planning on doing a poop board underneath it.



Human access door on the rear. I put the door level with the floor for easy cleaning of the inside.


A shot of the hardware cloth under the coop/around the legs.


How I dug down for the hardware cloth.

Nice...yeah, burying the apron a bit is a good idea....mowers, dogs, kids.

The first coop we built used six 2x4s, two sheets of plywood, and 3 doors worth of hinges and latches. The nest boxes were 2 old buckets and the perches were old rake handles and a conveniently sized stick. The coop was 4ft by 3ft in back and 4 by 4 in front (roof slope) and 2 ft deep, with 3 ft of leg to elevate the floor. Both sides were actually hinged instead of nailed on to open all the way, made blasting the whole thing out with a hose very easy. We got around to painting it after 2 years and then got 2 more years out of it.

It doesn't HAVE to be fancy. Just secure, cleanable, and with enough space that the birds can use it for what they need it for.