Money poorly spent?

[bluefrog87]

If you have no carpentry skills and have more money than skills, it's as simple as taking a delivery from Lowes for an 8x8 wooden shed with gable ventilation that you can then add nests, roosts. and additional ventilation to with minimal skill or effort.

http://www.lowes.com/Search=storage...true&Ntt=storage+sheds+wood#!&N[]=0&N[]=2z8vq



$568.10.....looks cute, you can add some windows on the side and frame them out with wood and paint them white...you can add outside access nest boxes as simply as cutting holes and inserting 5 gal. buckets and modifying the buckets for nesting. You can add a pop door easy peasy. You can add under eave venting so very easily and also some venting at the floor level. You can shop for scraps of linoleum to put on the floor to make it waterproof.

All those things can be done cheaply, in one day, and by an unskilled person.

Those make the best coops. Just add a concrete foundation, 3/4 plywood floor (or fancier if you wish), a couple nest boxes and a ladder (all a roost bar is, is a giant ladder that holds a lot of chickens. Windows would be a nice touch. More Venting and More light better eggs. Don't forget the hardware cloth

and you could get away with 12 chickens and a rooster (if city allows).

 

[MamaKitty913]

My local Lowes and HD each had a slightly damaged shed that was on sale for $248.00 (also included the optional floor kit) the one only had a small dent on the back about the size of a 50 cent piece, the other one had a few dings from a hail storm. Through them you can get a sub-contractor to come out deliver and install. Good Deal if you can afford one!

 

[jenniemig]

My local Lowes and HD each had a slightly damaged shed that was on sale for $248.00 (also included the optional floor kit) the one only had a small dent on the back about the size of a 50 cent piece, the other one had a few dings from a hail storm. Through them you can get a sub-contractor to come out deliver and install. Good Deal if you can afford one!

That is good advice there! I have been visiting my local Lowes and Home Depot regularly looking for scratch and dent clearance materials for my garden and coop I found 40 feet of 1/2 inch drip irrigation line Sunday night for $2!

 

[GD91]

I've had chickens only 8 months. Before I bought a coop, I looked on here. Ended up converting the end of the garage into a waaaaaay bigger & better coop. Then we moved to a house with 3 sheds, 2 small & one medium (i'd say, my measurements) & now I'm not happy because the shed I want to put my birds in leaks terribly & theres no hope of fixing the roof until the rain stops.

So my birds are in a 4 x 6 shed (6 birds) with nest boxes & a perch. 5 of those birds are standards.

Can't wait to fix that roof.

 

[bluefrog87]

I've had chickens only 8 months. Before I bought a coop, I looked on here. Ended up converting the end of the garage into a waaaaaay bigger & better coop. Then we moved to a house with 3 sheds, 2 small & one medium (i'd say, my measurements) & now I'm not happy because the shed I want to put my birds in leaks terribly & theres no hope of fixing the roof until the rain stops.

So my birds are in a 4 x 6 shed (6 birds) with nest boxes & a perch. 5 of those birds are standards.

Can't wait to fix that roof.

Old sheds don't work as well as new sheds. The cosmetic damage on a new shed can make it half off though. Since it's cosmetic, it doesn't affect roof or big structures

 

[Beekissed]

Old sheds don't work as well as new sheds. The cosmetic damage on a new shed can make it half off though. Since it's cosmetic, it doesn't affect roof or big structures

I LOVE old sheds turned into coops! Doesn't matter what you do to them...you can cut a hole, add a window, pound in as many nails as you want, add roosts, etc., without once making it look worse than it was. I love the rustic look and feel of them and usually they are built better and out of better quality of wood than one can buy nowadays. The last sheds I used for livestock were made of solid oak planks that were a full 1 in. thick...sturdy stuff though hard to get a nail or screw into or out of.

 

[GentFarmer]

When I built my coop, I had no idea what I was getting into, but I'm glad I built it from the ground up. I learned more that way than going with a prefab shed. I ended up with a coop that is custom fit to my space. And while I could have converted or refurbished a shed to fit my needs, the sense of accomplishment I took away from the coop project was well worth the extra effort.

 

[Beekissed]

When I built my coop, I had no idea what I was getting into, but I'm glad I built it from the ground up. I learned more that way than going with a prefab shed. I ended up with a coop that is custom fit to my space. And while I could have converted or refurbished a shed to fit my needs, the sense of accomplishment I took away from the coop project was well worth the extra effort.

I agree. It's something you can point to and say, "I made that." and own all the mistakes and also the triumphs of it all. All my coops are a constant work in progress, be they already existing coops, sheds converted to coops or one I built myself I find there is always room for improvement as the years go by and the flocks change or your needs and goals change.

 

[GentFarmer]

and own all the mistakes and also the triumphs of it all.

Like not a single right angle anywhere in my coop! lol Fortunately, none of my chickens came with drafting or carpentry skills. And I did end up with a coop that does exactly what I wanted while giving me room to add just about as many chickens as I want over time.

Also, I'm a great liar, and just tell everyone that I was going for whimsy when I built it all off kilter.

 

[jenniemig]

Like not a single right angle anywhere in my coop! lol Fortunately, none of my chickens came with drafting or carpentry skills. And I did end up with a coop that does exactly what I wanted while giving me room to add just about as many chickens as I want over time.

Also, I'm a great liar, and just tell everyone that I was going for whimsy when I built it all off kilter.