Acquired some free materials, enough for a coop?

[Iluveggers]

So I got my hands on 6 8ft 2x4’s and 4 large flats of plywood. There’s also a few 2x4 smaller cuts & a handful of small cuts from another plywood piece.
Any ideas on a small enclosed coop I could construct with this minimal amount of materials? I could buy a piece here or there but thought this might be a good start. I have never built anything & thought this might be a good time to try. Is it even worth it?
Thanks so much!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Yes, depending on the size you want/need. I made my first 4x8 coop out of 2 pieces of t-111 siding I bought off CL for $10 and old fence posts. I made my 2nd "mini coop" out of a discarded hot tub surround.

I *did* splurge on a metal roof and, of course, the absolutely essential hardware cloth, but both projects cost me a total of $250 (including the roof, hc, paint, hinges, screws, caulking, trim, roof supports, brackets, etc).

I say go for it!!!! If you need additional materials, check out Craigslist.

 

[All4Eggz]

Yes, depending on the size you want/need. I made my first 4x8 coop out of 2 pieces of t-111 siding I bought off CL for $10 and old fense posts. I made my 2nd "mini coop" out of a discarded hot tub surround.

I *did* splurge on a metal roof and, of course, the absolutely essential hardware cloth, but both projects cost me a total of $250 (including the roof, hc, paint, hinges, screws, caulking, trim, roof supports, brackets, etc).

I say go for it!!!! If you need additional materials, check out Craigslist.

Agreed.
Depends on the size you're going for

Let us know how it goes

 

[Iluveggers]

I was thinking something like 4x6 or 4x8, in case I ever want to try breeding one breed. I could house a roo & handful of hens there separately in a large fenced area. Or even if I ever split my flock into groups, or need a quarantine/integration coop for new birds. Now to figure out how to construct it...

 

[Aunt Angus]

I was thinking something like 4x6 or 4x8, in case I ever want to try breeding one breed. I could house a roo & handful of hens there separately in a large fenced area. Or even if I ever split my flock into groups, or need a quarantine/integration coop for new birds. Now to figure out how to construct it...

I should add that my 4x8 was for 5 hens. I now have an 8x8 for 12 chickens and 4 ducks. I'm going to move them to a 10x10 soon. Just know that if you do breed them, you will definitely need more space!

But, hey - it's free at this point! Only cost is labor, really.

 

[Iluveggers]

I should add that my 4x8 was for 5 hens. I now have an 8x8 for 12 chickens and 4 ducks. I'm going to move them to a 10x10 soon. Just know that if you do breed them, you will definitely need more space!

But, hey - it's free at this point! Only cost is labor, really.

Thanks! I wouldn’t separate a roo & hens for a long time, but if I put 3-4 girls of one breed in there for a month, and added the roo for a week after (even just in their run), I could collect those eggs & sell purebreds once a year. Not sure I’d want to reintegrate back & forth all the time. I am way ahead of myself, I don’t even have a roo! But I like options! I think it would start off as a coop next to my coop for pullets during integration.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Just know that if you do breed them, you will definitely need more space!

Yep. Chicken math is REAL! My bf wishes he'd built our 5x8 coop to about 10 x 14 now just 5 years after its construction. He talks about building a bigger one pretty regularly...

So, BUILD BIGGER at first; you'll be glad you did later!

 

[Alaskan]

I built a couple of coops and a tractor from scraps/free stuff.

I recommend NOT using a plan, and instead do the following:

If you have a big lawn or parking area, clean it off, and then spread out all of your materials.

Lay them out so you can see how they would go together.

Keep shifting pieces around until you are looking down at your coop.

Remember that short pieces of wood can be spliced together to make longer pieces. Also, if your roof supports are not as strong as you would like,then make the roof steep.

And then build.

 

[Iluveggers]

I built a couple of coops and a tractor from scraps/free stuff.

I recommend NOT using a plan, and instead do the following:

If you have a big lawn or parking area, clean it off, and then spread out all of your materials.

Lay them out so you can see how they would go together.

Keep shifting pieces around until you are looking down at your coop.

Remember that short pieces of wood can be spliced together to make longer pieces. Also, if your roof supports are not as strong as you would like,then make the roof steep.

And then build.

I wish you lived near me! I draw diagrams for everything, right down to my herb garden, in my graph paper notebook! I could attempt it that way but no guarantees.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I wish you lived near me! I draw diagrams for everything, right down to my herb garden, in my graph paper notebook! I could attempt it that way but no guarantees.

I planned mine, too. On graph paper. Haha!

To each their own!