building from scratch

[Ridgerunner]

As long as they can get out of a direct breeze chickens should be able to handle your winters fine. Their down coat takes care of them. It's not like you get down to -20 F like some people face. When my chickens wake up to a white world they tend to stay in the coop or coop/run for a couple of days but if given access to the outside they will eventually try it and find it isn't bad.

Sounds like you have the wood part of the materials under control. Fencing can be hard to find and can get expensive. Hardware can get expensive too. Not just nails or screws but hinges and latches. Hinges and latches need to be robust enough to do the job but can quickly get expensive. The nails and screws need to do the job too. I had a roof blow off of a shed on a property I bought because the people that built it used short smooth nails to attach it.

Where might you save money on fencing or hardware? Try Craigslist. Don't limit yourself to exactly what you are looking for. You may be able to salvage decent hardware by hauling off or dismantling a building. Do you have one of those "habitat re-sale" stores around? You might find something good. Yard sales might yield something but I'd look more toward estate sales or moving sales. People in rural areas especially tend to accumulate partial rolls of fencing or other construction materials.

Everything else I can think of has been mentioned. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[PeeWa]

As long as they can get out of a direct breeze chickens should be able to handle your winters fine. Their down coat takes care of them. It's not like you get down to -20 F like some people face. When my chickens wake up to a white world they tend to stay in the coop or coop/run for a couple of days but if given access to the outside they will eventually try it and find it isn't bad.

Sounds like you have the wood part of the materials under control. Fencing can be hard to find and can get expensive. Hardware can get expensive too. Not just nails or screws but hinges and latches. Hinges and latches need to be robust enough to do the job but can quickly get expensive. The nails and screws need to do the job too. I had a roof blow off of a shed on a property I bought because the people that built it used short smooth nails to attach it.

Where might you save money on fencing or hardware? Try Craigslist. Don't limit yourself to exactly what you are looking for. You may be able to salvage decent hardware by hauling off or dismantling a building. Do you have one of those "habitat re-sale" stores around? You might find something good. Yard sales might yield something but I'd look more toward estate sales or moving sales. People in rural areas especially tend to accumulate partial rolls of fencing or other construction materials.

Everything else I can think of has been mentioned. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

So far the materials are falling into place, I had some fencing material from my existing coop as well as rolls of "stuff". I have some hinges, well see if they are robust enough. so far out of pocket besides what I already bought from previous projects is about $8.00 so I have some room, I will likely bite the bullet on corrugated metal roof. Yes you are right, it only gets into the 20's not -20's.

thanks

 

[Mybackyardpeepers]

My diy coop me and my brother built, making it bigger soon.

 

[PeeWa]

Ok, new question.

I get that I need to protect against predators, coyotes, dogs, cats, raccoons to name a few. I cant stop the rattle snakes.
But how much effort should I put in to keeping rodents out? our neighborhood has a gaggilion outdoor cats, we have 4 ourselves. and the likely hood of truly/completely rodent proofing something is not too likely.

thanks

 

[cavemanrich]

But how much effort should I put in to keeping rodents out?

Best way is to remove feed from access during nighttime. I always place feed bowls into metal cans for the night. (33 gallon metal garbage cans) In addition, I keep the metal tops secured with rubber straps. This keep raccoons from opening the cans. I use metal, since nothing can chew its way into them. Plastic cans can get chewed into. I have had squirrels chew the plastic trying to get to the feed inside them.
Metal for me now.

 

[PeeWa]

Ok, so a friend of mine says to me. "hey I have great big chicken coop you can have it, wanna check it out?" Bam! big coop lots of fencing material, big hinges. Scored! but now I have to take it apart and haul it over here. I still may do part of my idea from before.