Frustrated w/ coop research!

jbrianchamberli

Songster
5 Years
May 13, 2014
112
47
111
All of the mail order coops look like utter garbage made from cheap wood etc. The reviews are all the same. Amish and similar coops are extremely overpriced. I've searched for DIY plans and the sites seemingly direct you to endless pop ups or crazy plans that require a degree in architecture. I want to build a coop that doesn't look like it was made from broken cribs and Chevy parts. I'd appreciate some direction as I'm about to give up.
 
Have you checked out the Coops section here? Lots of good ideas and plans for building a coop :)
 
How many birds and where are you located?

If you are not intimidated by a the prospect of banging together some boards, you can build something far better and for less money than anything you can buy.
 
I'm in Maryland, north of Baltimore. I was expecting to spend between $500 and $600 but not seeing anything decent in that price range.
 
I'm in Maryland, north of Baltimore.  I was expecting to spend between $500 and $600 but not seeing anything decent in that price range.


You can definitely build yourself something really nice for that amount. Definitely do check out the Coops section here for inspiration and see what you come up with :)
 
Yes some good ideas in the coops section above, many have plans with them. You can get a book at the library on building a shed. Your librarian should be able to help you. Or look at Home Depot or Lowe’s, they usually have books on how to build a shed. To convert a shed to a coop you add ventilation, a pop door, nests, and roosts. None of those have to be that hard.

To save money you can often get building materials off of Craigslist. If you have one of those habitat for humanity – rehab type stores around you can often pick up things at a good price. I’s not just wood; hardware, windows, and doors could be helpful. Paint might be cheap. Look at the returns at Lowe’s or Home Depot for possible really cheap paint.
 
No indication of how many birds, but since you were looking at smaller coops, one of these might work for you:



This would be the easier of the two to build. Good for about 6 birds or so. Also easy to attach a run to it. About 5 sheets of 1/2" plywood and maybe a dozen 2 x 4's.

Below is the "Woods Mini"........our man Scott may be working on this one. If not, you can be the first. About the same material list and a bit more of a challenge to build, but way cool if you did.

 
Woods open-air coops are great! the physics behind the "air cushion" that's built into the scoop means that you don't have to heat the coop in the winter time .it's very interesting. you can read about the physics in the original book. written by Dr. Prince T Woods it's called, fresh air Poultry coops . you can read it online at Hathitrust Digital Library. fascinating book. Dr. Woods started a revolution in fresh air poultry housing with the concepts in this slim, easy-to-read book. I think it's great that it is been scaled down to a smaller dimension in the drawing above.
I'm so impressed by the physics of all this that I sold my three other coops and we're building two small Woods coops this year.
Best,
Karen,
in Ligonier in Western Pennsylvania
 
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