Big problem since joining BYC...

[St-Hubert]

I feel the same way. Ours isn't a beauty, but hopefully it will be a safe and happy home for our girls. They were supposed to go out this weekend, but it may be next weekend before they spend the nights out there.
Coop-envy indeed...I definitely have it! The good thing is you can look at all the wonderful creations to give you ideas on building your 'next' coop, right?

 

[buzymom13]

LOL.... I've already been making "mental notes" of how I'm going to improve mine.

It's an addiction ...or a sickness...or an obsession.... Or all 3.

 

[Me & My Peeps]

Mine is a converted sandbox that had a roof over it. Kids got too big for it but I couldnt see tearing it down. Recently I sold the wife on the idea of some chicks saying "it'd be a good experience for the kids". I threw some walls up, added a few roost's, some nesting boxes. It's not the greatest and certainly not the prettiest (just ask my neighbors) but its functional, keeps them safe from animals and weather.

As time goes on, I will build something nicer and im sure that you will too.

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

My first coop was built from scraps and worked great.
My new fancy big one really didn't cost me anything, my husband traded some labor for it. Some folks were selling a Mahogany gazebo on craigs list for 5,000. never used (they paid 7,000.) for it. I just emailed and said if you don't sell it for cash I would be intersted in trading for it . . . well guess what, no one was buying a 5,000. gazebo this year!
Keep your eye on craigslist, money is tight everywhere and a lot of peope out there are willing to barter. and remember it never hurts to ask, these folks were wanting 5,000. cash for it.

 

[equusvilla]

I am in the process of building our coop. I am under a lot of pressure to make sure ours looks and functions very nice.... because the last time my husband built something, it was a dog house .. It was so (ahem) not-pretty ...I told him the dogs were not allowed to use it until they had had their tetnus shots! Sooo - if it were not for that, I would not be nearly as concerned as I have been...and probably would not have spent as much $$ as I have. In reality though ...are your chickens safe and comfortable? If so - that is all that really matters.

 

[illegal avian]

I wish you could see mine, all I have is a virtual coop!

 

[tomlinson]

To be honest I think pretty chicken coops are lovely, but often unpractical. Really how many of us 'need' shutters on our windows...looks like added $$$ to me. Many seem to be nicer than the house I live in. My chickens live in tractors that keep them safe, they are designed to shelter and meet their needs while being light weight and movable. They are SO UN-pretty...BUT I have not lost one chicken to a predator since we started using this system nearly 2 years ago..so my birds are safe & I am happy. Before we started using tractors I lost chickens all the time - a total of 28 adults over time, plus 13 little ones. Now my chickens get fresh grass & bugs while they are safe from predators, giving me more nutritious eggs. I tend to be on the practical side. Recycled materials = resourceful = beautiful to me.

 

[SunnyDayz]

Thank you all...

I feel so much better now!

 

[MistyValley]

Funny thread, I have the same fever all the time!

Here's post of my reclaimed recycled materials coop only thing that was purchase was plywood for nest boxes.
http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac63/mistyvalley09/090209007.jpg


http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac63/mistyvalley09/4209_189675330494_811015494_6923289.jpg

http://i886.photobucket.com/albums/ac63/mistyvalley09/nestbox.jpg

 

[gryeyes]

I had a BIG case of "coop envy," especially after I built my first one, an A-Frame. Folks tend to call 'em tractors, but this one is so heavy and ummmm... un-level all around... that I cannot move it. It's THERE, in the run. The chickens love to lay their eggs in it, upstairs. They make themselves dust baths in the bottom section. Two of the girls have chosen to sleep in it, and not with the rest of the chickens.

Coop number 2 was a kit I bought on eBay for an exorbitant amount (directly caused by coop envy) and that's what I actually put the chickens into once they were out of the brooder. Putting IT together and living with it since gave me good ideas to think about and bad ones to avoid.

Just finished coop #3. Seven of the nine adult chickens, plus the two ducks, sleep in it. The two who prefer the A-frame still sleep there. The other girls go there to lay their eggs; only one has accepted the new coop's rollaway nest box.

The adolescent chicks, six of them, are housed in the eBay kit coop with its attached run until they are bigger and ready to be integrated into the flock.

I am MUCH happier with my third coop, because of the experience(s) I garnered building the first, putting the second together, and doing much more planning. I also know how to fix mistakes better, too.

Oh, and I built a small duck house. The ducks prefer to sleep in the chicken coop. But Carl the rooster LOVES to get on top of it to crow!

But do I still peruse the coop section of BYC? You betcha!! DANG! I wish I'd thought of doing that.... and... Oh, my goodness, isn't that one gorgeous!