A Needy Future Chicken Farmer's Impossible Journey of Raising Chickens. Ideas appreciated.

[teddyjames]

Long story short, self-sustainably has been my goal since childhood. I have done the math and not only will 20 chickens provide enough eggs for my entire family of four, but also provide us with enough surplus eggs to help pay for feed. No arguments there but I have hit a major snag.

You see, in my quest for self-sufficiency, I have neglected to save up enough for retirement. Always choosing (for example) to build a log cabin and live in the woods vs go into a city and work. I mostly bartered my way through life trading work for supplies. Now that I'm too old to work and have very limited income, I have to find other ways to do things.

I have done the math and know what I need. The problem is finding materials. I started a thread a few weeks back and thought I had solved my problem, but it all fell apart.

I worked out $900 to spend towards chickens. $200 of that is wire. If I buy the lumber from Lowe's and do it right, I'm looking at way over $2000. Thats 3/4 plywood subfloor, 7/16 OSB for walls. Lots of 2x4's for wall studs and general stuff like nesting boxes. 2x6's for floor joists, nails some more saw blades, a fan for ventilation, etc. I must find something to repurpose.

I only have a small car. I can't haul anything in that. I can't borrow a truck. Think all alone in the wilderness. There is no old barns or buildings to scavenge wood from. I do have tools like chainsaws, hammers, shovels, post hole diggers, I have just about everytool you can think of just no materials. Then this happend and I instantly thought Chicken Coop!

Very rough shape but affordable! Come to find out it was actually 80miles away with two 60 year old tires that refused to hold air. The lug pattern was so old I have no idea where a person would find a tire for it. The hubs were rusted solid, and it was obvious it wouldn't make the trip. I'm trying to think outside the box on this and need ideas. I have exhausted every place I can think of that might have scrap wood, a junk box truck, an old school bus etc. I have saw online people that used a couple trampolines and made a nifty chicken run out of it. Perfect idea but none of those around here. Someone suggested an old camper top that I could use as a roof which is a great idea. Carport for roof. I asked around for anyone that sells rough lumber and the only person I found just had a cancer diagnosis and quit sawing wood. I'm really at my wit's end and to be honest I just don't think its meant to be.

Shoot me some "out of the box" ideas for a chicken coop.

 

[LTAY1946]

You need to maybe barter chicken eggs and meat with a trucker that has a lowboy and can haul it without spending money on tires and then a towing fee. Once on site you won't need tires ever again. Gut it and put in roosts and use part of it to safely store feed and other supplies where rodents can't eat and contaminate.....

 

[teddyjames]

Is no truckers out in the wilderness. I can hire someone to haul it but there goes $500 plus the cost of the camper. I wouldn't have much left over for wire, fence posts, or nails.

 

[LTAY1946]

Is no truckers out in the wilderness. I can hire someone to haul it but there goes $500 plus the cost of the camper. I wouldn't have much left over for wire, fence posts, or nails.

That's why to pay no cash but barter with eggs and meat. Not just chicken meat.... Do chicken research and perhaps get a gofundme account started to pay for creating a landrace type bird for your state or even region. A breed that is self sustainable and fully able to reproduce with broody hens.

 

[LTAY1946]

Can you also raise goats for meat? Goats that will help clear some of the land that will make it more tillable?

 

[GCrumb]

When it comes to getting useful free junk like trampoline/pergola/greenhouse frames for a run and shipping crates for coops, you have to make a habit of checking the listings and wait. It'll probably show up. Probably when you're busy.

Looks like wooden shipping crates near you are cheaper than near me. A bunch of little coops may be a lot easier to obtain than a big one, especially considering the car situation.

 

[Sally PB]

Can you approach the seller with a barter offer for moving it to your place? Probably not likely, but you never know. If they are really motivated to get rid of it, you might come to some agreement.

How close are any neighbors? Anyone willing to help?

When you live "out in the middle of nowhere," as we do, it is a REALLY GOOD idea to be friends with people who live nearby, even if nearby is a mile away. You never know when you might need emergency help, and they are closer than police, fire, or ambulance.

 

[Red Mangrove]

If I was a bird I would personally prefer living outside and sleeping in trees over being trapped in a refurbished camper

There's absolutely zero reason to be using a coop if you raise healthy breeds. Egg-drops are sufficient

 

[teddyjames]

If I was a bird I would personally prefer living outside and sleeping in trees over being trapped in a refurbished camper

There's absolutely zero reason to be using a coop if you raise healthy breeds. Egg-drops are sufficient

There is a very good reason to keep them in a coop. Here our "neighbors" currently have 6 huskies that terrorize my dogs and kids. They now have 26 puppies that will also be terrorists. I kill all that I can get by with but there is a never ending supply of targets to practice on. I must have a fenced in run and a VERY secure coop. Black bear are abundant and I'm NOT going to lose chickens to predators if I can help it.

Again I know what I need, I just need ideas on alternative building supplies. I hear pools that have the thick blue plastic sides make good siding/roofs.

 

[fat brown hen]

Have you considered electric fence? I have a small electrified area (20'x20') that cost me about $250 to set up, including the fence charger and solar panel. If the fence is running hot, you can house your chickens in a cardboard box as no animal will cross the hotwire.