- May 28, 2010
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Our very first coop is ready to go!
After keeping an eye on Craigslist for months I came upon used Chick-n-Hutch that seemed like a good price. I've wanted chickens for years and after buying the coop on a whim decided to take the plunge! Turns out the the coop/run is quite flimsy and was in rough shape even though the previous owner had only used it a short time. Had I paid full price I'd feel pretty ripped off, but since it was cheap and used, eh. It's all good.
First and foremost, I am not handy at all and neither is my husband so I wanted something pre-built but was on a tight budget. The coop is located in a corner where the garage and back of the house meet and is not visible from the road or the rest of the yard. Therefore it didn't have to look exceptionally nice, but I still wanted something that was reasonably decent to the eye.
I re-stained the exterior and added hardware cloth to protect against predators. The bottom is completely lined in chicken wire with an apron that extends past the edges with bricks/cinder blocks on top. I also bought a $5 bread box at Goodwill, removed the back, cut a hole in the back of the coop and attached it to create a nesting box. The kids will love gathering eggs without having to open the whole coop! I still need to get a latch to lock the nest box but otherwise we're good to go!
Approximate cost breakdown:
Coop- $80
Wire (hardware cloth is expensive!)- $45
Stain, sandpaper, disposable foam brushes, etc.- $20
Breadbox from Goodwill- $5
Bricks- free from friends
Hardware- free random nuts and bolts I found in the bottom of our tool chest
It's a small run/coop but hopefully should work well for us beginners! Our 3 bantams (from one of my son's kindergarten classmates) are due to arrive tomorrow and hopefully they'll like it.
After keeping an eye on Craigslist for months I came upon used Chick-n-Hutch that seemed like a good price. I've wanted chickens for years and after buying the coop on a whim decided to take the plunge! Turns out the the coop/run is quite flimsy and was in rough shape even though the previous owner had only used it a short time. Had I paid full price I'd feel pretty ripped off, but since it was cheap and used, eh. It's all good.
First and foremost, I am not handy at all and neither is my husband so I wanted something pre-built but was on a tight budget. The coop is located in a corner where the garage and back of the house meet and is not visible from the road or the rest of the yard. Therefore it didn't have to look exceptionally nice, but I still wanted something that was reasonably decent to the eye.
I re-stained the exterior and added hardware cloth to protect against predators. The bottom is completely lined in chicken wire with an apron that extends past the edges with bricks/cinder blocks on top. I also bought a $5 bread box at Goodwill, removed the back, cut a hole in the back of the coop and attached it to create a nesting box. The kids will love gathering eggs without having to open the whole coop! I still need to get a latch to lock the nest box but otherwise we're good to go!
Approximate cost breakdown:
Coop- $80
Wire (hardware cloth is expensive!)- $45
Stain, sandpaper, disposable foam brushes, etc.- $20
Breadbox from Goodwill- $5
Bricks- free from friends
Hardware- free random nuts and bolts I found in the bottom of our tool chest
It's a small run/coop but hopefully should work well for us beginners! Our 3 bantams (from one of my son's kindergarten classmates) are due to arrive tomorrow and hopefully they'll like it.
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