The Habitat for Humanity Re-Store often has useful and inexpensive items. My primary chicken roost is an old oak banister railing that I bought for $5. I used the rest of it for a handrail by the people door to the coop. I've also bought hinges there. I know there are Re-Stores in Madisonville and Bowling Green. I don't know about Owensboro.
My other roost was a redbud tree we cut from the yard.
If you know anyone with a sawmill (WoodMizer or the like), you can probably get some less than perfect lumber or waney boards or slab wood for next to nothing.
My dad has a Cook Portable Saw Mill.
Lowe's often has good paint discounted as "mistake paint."
Walmart does, too, but the quality is lacking, IMO.
As for inexpensive nesting boxes, I am going to be using icing buckets from
Walmart's bakery. My girls won't be laying for a couple of months so I haven't built them yet, but I do have the free buckets. There are plans everywhere for how to do a bucket nest box.
I wish I had bought more vinyl flooring as remnants. That's what I have under the roosts, along with Sweet PDZ.
We covered our run with 2" netting. I found it on
Ebay and the prices varied considerably. So it might be worth watching and waiting. As I recall, I got 50' * 100' for under $100. It's great piece of mind, although it was a pain to put up.
I second the Craigslist or Freecycle.
