Best coop option besides building one myself?

[MrsMistyReal]

Welcome aboard to BYC family gr8 people tons of information and loads of fun enjoy shake your tail feathers, good luck build it & the chickens will come

 

[Beer can]

Just a idea if you can find one cheap.
Not my pic

 

[NNYchick]

Try searching here and google for hoop coop ideas. These can be put together with very little tool needed. Two members that come to mind with these types of coops and articles including building information on winterizing is Pyxis and Blooie.
Another idea may be to ask friends or post ad asking for quotes for a handyman to build something on site for you.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Start with a 10x10x6 dog kennel as a run from craigslist for $200. Cover to be considered.
Predator/chicken proof as needed.
10x10 gives you 100 square feet minus the coop.

Or get one of those covered car parking things. Dog kennel the inside and predator proof. This one probably too expensive.

Get a garden shed from the local hardware store for $300 (?) and add roosts and a ladder.

done.

And don't forget about ventilation.

 

[NorthGeogia]

I went on Craigslist's free page. A doctor made his young daughters a "dollhouse". He made the mistake of calling it a "doghouse". The girls wouldn't play in it, since he called it that. He was giving it away. Brand new, with Pergo floor, shingled roof, windows and door. It's 4' x 4' x 5' tall. I took it, slapped a nest box, waterer, and feeder inside and mounted it on a 30" stilted base. Chickens love it and have used it for about 7 years. Still using it.
It's more solid than the prefab stuff, and essentially free!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I have a prefab. I don't hate it. It has some drawbacks. But, what I am really worried about is if a racoon or a coyote actually meandered by and tried to get in, it just might. We added extra security, but it is nothing compared to a built coop.
I have read many threads regarding prefabs and I think they have a place - for those who want to try it without investing too much and for those who have no building skills. Although, if I could convince my husband, I am sure he could build one for me. I also think, if I actually gave the tools a shot, I might be able to build - it would most likely take me a long time though. Also, in this area, there isn't a handyman who would build a budget coop as it is hard enough to get them to come out to do actual work on a house unless you have a major project for them to make it worth their time.
However, knowing my schedule and talents, my next coop will be a modded plastic shed. I am actually in the planning stage and have found some that would fit a $500 budget. I want a little more room (as I might want to add a few more) and more security.
Do a search for prefabs and see what comes up here on byc. Also, if you decide on a prefab - whatever number of chickens it states it will hold, most likely it is half of that number. Read reviews, it helps once you sort out the useful reviews.
Also, keep in mind that if you get a prefab or a shed, you are still going need to make changes which will cost a little extra.
Good luck!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I went on Craigslist's free page. A doctor made his young daughters a "dollhouse". He made the mistake of calling it a "doghouse". The girls wouldn't play in it, since he called it that. He was giving it away. Brand new, with Pergo floor, shingled roof, windows and door. It's 4' x 4' x 5' tall. I took it, slapped a nest box, waterer, and feeder inside and mounted it on a 30" stilted base. Chickens love it and have used it for about 7 years. Still using it.
It's more solid than the prefab stuff, and essentially free!

That's pretty lucky! I keep looking on craigslist for my area and this area has slim pickings.
How is the pergo floor holding up In the coop?

 

[NorthGeogia]

Here's another coop I built for next to nothing. My company threw out a large bookcase. It was in the scrap yard when I scrounged it. I transformed it into a very strong coop for 5 hens. You notice it has two compartments. I built a shelf to cut it into an upper and lower section. The upper converted to a nice next box that slides out like a drawer. the lower unit is for storage.
It's amazing what people discard as trash. The metal roof was scrap from a roofer. I got a vinyl floor from a flooring company's scrap. My roosts are ventilation shelving someone threw out at an apartment complex dumpster. Even the 2x4's and concrete blocks were in someone's scrap bin. It's been in use for about 7 years and the hens love it.
Use your imagination, have fun with it, the hens don't care what it looks like!

 

[NorthGeogia]

That's pretty lucky! I keep looking on craigslist for my area and this area has slim pickings.
How is the pergo floor holding up In the coop?

It's held up OK. The hens roost on some scrounged ventilated shelving from an apartment complex dumpster. They roost on that, over the nest box. I have a "poop board" under the shelving. I clean the poop board every morning and let them free range all day. So, after 7 years, it's been used, but not intensively.
I learned everything growing up with a frugal grandfather, who never forgot the lessons of the Great Depression.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

It's held up OK. The hens roost on some scrounged ventilated shelving from an apartment complex dumpster. They roost on that, over the nest box. I have a "poop board" under the shelving. I clean the poop board every morning and let them free range all day. So, after 7 years, it's been used, but not intensively.
I learned everything growing up with a frugal grandfather, who never forgot the lessons of the Great Depression.

I asked because someone else posted about using pergo flooring, but they wanted to use it as siding. I just wonder if they could use it as flooring for their coop.

@Brahma Chicken5000