Any thoughts on those cheap coops on ebay and amazon?

[TigerLilly]

Quote:

yeah, by all means "study" it...just when you think you've got it down, you've got an extra 3 (or more) birds...

 

[jeb251]

2 isn't enough, it doesn't mater how many you have it isn't enough, they are just like peanuts, easy to get started on them but hard to stop lol, the hard part is remembering you need to have coops before you get the birds, seem like I am always thinking, well if I move these in with them, and those in with the others and the blues in with the blacks, might as well put the splash in there too, well then I am only two coops short, s#*t what do I do now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,hey honey lets run to menards

 

[elmo]

Junk, in my opinion. Mostly they aren't designed well as chicken housing in the first place; secondly the materials and construction quality tend to be quite low.

If you're in a mild climate, you could consider just a chainlink dog kennel, put on a roof (tin or plastic or polycarbonate panels), wrap the bottom two feet or so with hardware cloth (to deter reach through predation) and add a hardware cloth apron (to deter dig in predation). Add a windbreak up at roost level on two or three sides, and you're pretty much done. In winter, you might want to add additional tarps to make sure your chickens can roost out of the wind. You can also put down some sand to make the run easy to clean.

A friend of ours in Dallas who has been keeping chickens for more than twenty years using this kind of housing very successfully.

 

[ZombieChickens]

If you get lucky enough, you won't need to buy anything but the birds and their food. I found an insulated doghouse on Craigslist for $10. By the time we picked it up, they gave it to us for free. Used old deck boards for the run. My dad had some sturdy wire to enclose the run. We tore the roof off of the doghouse and put on a new one with a hinge for egg collecting. The nest boxes are cat litter buckets. Total cost: about $20 for wood and shingles for the new roof.

(In their new home behind the garden.)

 

[Forrest]

Thanks all. This is the type of info I was looking for. I will build one. I like the look of yours jackson41. Perhaps I will do something similar.

Thanks again.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

$500.00 will go a long ways for just two chickens - I would recommend you get more than two however, just in case something happens to one of them, you wouldn't end up with an orphan chick. I would get two or three. I got four banties and one weak one died, so ended up with three. They had a baby so back up to four.

I spent $150.00 for this dog house built by man down the road. Has piano hinge on top so I lift it up to gather eggs and clean house out. I added more ventilation, painted it red and white, built a run. Spent another $100.00 or so on roll of hardware cloth, pressure treated 2 x 4's, paint, screws, and staples.

This dog house turned banty tractor sits in my front yard that I move every other day.

Before paint and more ventilation

 

[Dora'smom]

I don't know where you are, but locally here, in the Portland area, the Urban Farm Store has small coops that look to be well-built for well below your budget. Wherever you are, you might find something similar.
My husband insisted on building our first coop/tool shed from the ground up, and of course, it is now too small (chicken math, you know

). The second coop is a 10 by 12 shed that we bought for cheap, demolished the interior on, took apart, transported home and reassembled. Lots of work to do that, but it is going to be a great coop. You just have to decide what you have more of. . . time or money.

 

[sotelomary]

I would build it myself. You will get better quality at a cheaper price. My husband and friend built our coop in only 2 weekends. Get a friend to help you and even if you aren't a fast builder, you should be able to finish it in 3 or 4 weekends. It will be worth it.

Mary

 

[BWKatz]

I converted a doghoude from Lowes and built my tractor from PVC.All well below ur budget.See my BYC page. All in all I am very satisfied with it. Quick & easy to take care of =and helps with maintaining lawn. BTW

 

[jeb251]

this is a tractor that I sell and use, the run is made from construction grade 2"x2" and chicken wire, the deck box comes from menards, it is cheap, light weight, strong and easy to build, hope this helps