Before we start, english is not my first language and im still learning. Please accept my apologies for all the mistakes you may find.
We wanted to have chickens because we are a big consuming egg family, also we wanted to have my son to start doing small tasks(filling the waterer, holding the bucket for dad when im cleaning the coop etc...) to introduce him to have some ''responsabilities''. We didnt wanted a full time job by acquiring chicken and we were begginners too, so we planned to get 4 chickens. I started to read some books to have an idea how to take care of chickens and to know the basics requirements to built a decent coop. Like every average income families, i did recycling by re-using what i had but did bought some materials in new...but i went for the cheapest possible price(without comprimising the safety of the coop!!!). The whole thing cost around 300$ CAD. It is not a design chef d'oeuvre!!!!! I really didnt care about how it look when i designed the coop, i went for convenience and cheapness!
I have started with the floor of my coop. It was some kind of a deck/podium that the previous owners had under their washing/drying machines. The frame is made of 2x6 with studs every 16''. I just put some 2x4 of 36'' of height to make the legs of the coop. The floor measure 5x4 for 20sq/ft. Enough for 4 chickens like we planned!!!
So far it didnt cost me a penny! The next step of the project was to do the frame of the coop. The back part is where the nesting boxes are sitting on. From the floor until the top its measure 5ft. It all been made out of 2x4 lumber.
Ive decided to built the pen and the coop attached together by using the same roof because i live in Canada and i really dont want to remove snow out of the pen every single time that its snowing!!! I went to the hardware store to buy some economic grade 2x4 lumbers that i have picked up for 1.89$/pcs. They are full of knots and are not perfectly square but it giving a ''rustic'' look to the coop. Some of the lumbers/deck blocks were given to me as well....more saving!!!
We are at the stage of putting the walls on, i used some 8x4 plywood sheets. Thank to my neighbor who was getting rid of a full bag of insulating material that i put in the walls. To prevent having a drafty coop, i used an insulating foam in every cracks of the coop.
Done with the walls and the roof(no shingles yet...).
Day 6 of the project: I was not done but the coop was suitable to receive the chickens. I rushed all week long to built the coop because i had to pick up the girls on that day. The chickens are in and the family is meeting the girls!!!
Couples of weeks passed on and i worked here and there on the coop as the weather and money slowed me down a bit but im finally done and here is the final result.
The ladder is purely decorative. I know that the shingles are not flush with the edge of the roof but i am sure that the water/snow will not leak in, and again, i dont care how it look!
I put those 6x8 tarps on each side of the pen because ive noticed that when it was raining that the wind make the water come in the pen. So i just got to let them down and i will keep my pen dry from snow/water!!!!
The nesting boxes.
Inside the pen.
Beneath the coop i use the space as a storage.
Inside the coop.
Under the flower pot, there is a lamp that will keep the water unfrozed during cold days.
The ceiling is open so the coop can breath and stay dry. There is also a light to give them enough lighttime each day to continue laying throughout winter.
Please, meet the girls!!!
Hope it will give some ideas/inspiration to somebody else like all the coop design that i have seen on this site!!! Again, dont judge it on how it look, i know its ugly!!!! Thank you to leave a comment or a suggestion on what i can improve to make the girls happier!!! If you got any questions, dont be shy to ask them!
We wanted to have chickens because we are a big consuming egg family, also we wanted to have my son to start doing small tasks(filling the waterer, holding the bucket for dad when im cleaning the coop etc...) to introduce him to have some ''responsabilities''. We didnt wanted a full time job by acquiring chicken and we were begginners too, so we planned to get 4 chickens. I started to read some books to have an idea how to take care of chickens and to know the basics requirements to built a decent coop. Like every average income families, i did recycling by re-using what i had but did bought some materials in new...but i went for the cheapest possible price(without comprimising the safety of the coop!!!). The whole thing cost around 300$ CAD. It is not a design chef d'oeuvre!!!!! I really didnt care about how it look when i designed the coop, i went for convenience and cheapness!
I have started with the floor of my coop. It was some kind of a deck/podium that the previous owners had under their washing/drying machines. The frame is made of 2x6 with studs every 16''. I just put some 2x4 of 36'' of height to make the legs of the coop. The floor measure 5x4 for 20sq/ft. Enough for 4 chickens like we planned!!!
So far it didnt cost me a penny! The next step of the project was to do the frame of the coop. The back part is where the nesting boxes are sitting on. From the floor until the top its measure 5ft. It all been made out of 2x4 lumber.
Ive decided to built the pen and the coop attached together by using the same roof because i live in Canada and i really dont want to remove snow out of the pen every single time that its snowing!!! I went to the hardware store to buy some economic grade 2x4 lumbers that i have picked up for 1.89$/pcs. They are full of knots and are not perfectly square but it giving a ''rustic'' look to the coop. Some of the lumbers/deck blocks were given to me as well....more saving!!!
We are at the stage of putting the walls on, i used some 8x4 plywood sheets. Thank to my neighbor who was getting rid of a full bag of insulating material that i put in the walls. To prevent having a drafty coop, i used an insulating foam in every cracks of the coop.
Done with the walls and the roof(no shingles yet...).
Day 6 of the project: I was not done but the coop was suitable to receive the chickens. I rushed all week long to built the coop because i had to pick up the girls on that day. The chickens are in and the family is meeting the girls!!!
Couples of weeks passed on and i worked here and there on the coop as the weather and money slowed me down a bit but im finally done and here is the final result.
The ladder is purely decorative. I know that the shingles are not flush with the edge of the roof but i am sure that the water/snow will not leak in, and again, i dont care how it look!
I put those 6x8 tarps on each side of the pen because ive noticed that when it was raining that the wind make the water come in the pen. So i just got to let them down and i will keep my pen dry from snow/water!!!!
The nesting boxes.
Inside the pen.
Beneath the coop i use the space as a storage.
Inside the coop.
Under the flower pot, there is a lamp that will keep the water unfrozed during cold days.
The ceiling is open so the coop can breath and stay dry. There is also a light to give them enough lighttime each day to continue laying throughout winter.
Please, meet the girls!!!
Hope it will give some ideas/inspiration to somebody else like all the coop design that i have seen on this site!!! Again, dont judge it on how it look, i know its ugly!!!! Thank you to leave a comment or a suggestion on what i can improve to make the girls happier!!! If you got any questions, dont be shy to ask them!
