Big plans, small budget.

[LauraKate]

I have seen the lovely, big coops on this site, studied every detail, and planned a coop of our own. I had planed a 12x12 shed, on a concrete pad, surrounded by a 36x36 run, because I plan to expand to maybe 60 birds for my egg business. The shed probably should be bigger, but we certainly could not afford anything more. My question is, can you build something that big on a tight budget? I'm thinking that this will last for years, and it will pay off eventually. But my dad is rather afraid of the initial cost. He doesn't mind building the coop, but he says "All it takes is money."

He doesn't believe in spending much money on chickens. (Well, I can sort of understand, $2 a dozen for eggs isn't much.)

Also, I have thought of salvaged materials, but it's not often that I find "Free 12 foot 2x4s, take as many as you want" on craigslist. how do you find good stuff for next to nothing? Can you? And I hope I can make it look nice... Not to bad-mouth my dad, but he could care less about how attractive this thing is.

btw, Louisiana winters are not extreme, so I won't be needing insulation.

If this large scale stuff doesn't work, we will sell some of the hens we have now, and keep some for our own use. So all is not lost if it can't be done.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

The purpose of a coop is to protect them from weather and predators, and hopefully encourage them to lay where you want them.

If you have built a predator-safe run (chicken net or hardware cloth with electric tape at three levels, top covered, as described often in here), then the coop is only for weather and yours is not extreme (barring hurricames and tropical storms).

Hoop houses work well, are portable and expandable (just build another one). The poops fall on the ground and you slide the hut to a new spot when it gets offensive.

We use them in the summer on pasture, they cost about $100 to build. Just an option to consider.

This one, with a tarp, is my favorite. In your climate the tarp probably should double as shade.

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/4hpoultry/t02_pageview/Hoop_House.htm

If you are a gardener, take the tarp off them and cover with clear plastic and they become mini-greenhouses.

 

[LauraKate]

That's a good idea. It looks a lot sturdier than my brother's "tractor", which is made entirely out of pvc.

I could probably figure out how to put nest boxes in it in a way that would not make it too heavy. Hey, with those, I could even keep the breeds separate!

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll run that one by Pops!

P.S. We're gonna need that electric wire, our house is in between two ratty-looking trailer parks.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Ya'll don't really need much in ways of a coop. Just a place that is secure to keep critters out when your chickens are in at night.

One of the easiest to make is out of a dog run. You can get them on the cheap on Craigslist and Freecycle. Cover the top with chicken wire and maybe a bit of roofing tin. You could even use a dog house as the coop itself or at least as the nestbox.

Do a search there are lots of idea on here on how to use a dog kennel.


Oh yeah, Welcome to BYC