That looks great! Do you/will you put some type of siding (plastic?) around the sides for the Winter?
Chicken Coop Construction for the Poor and Unhandy
- Thread starter Yanna
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #32
I woke up this morning to mayhem and was so relieved to sit down at the computer and find these wonderful, helpful posts. So far, the lessons have been:
1. Stay Small/Cheap
2. Use Screws for Construction Rather Than Nails
3. Scrounge Lumber from Hardware Mis-Cuts and Culls, Fencing (and probably flooring and roofing) Companies and Construction Sites
4. Scrounge Paint (badly mixed) from Hardware Stores or Folding Construction Sites
5. Craig's List and Freecycle
6. Dog Houses Make Good Housing
7. Invest in a Cordless Drill or MiniDrill and a Staple Gun
8. Free Plans Are All Over the Internet
9. Go Slowly & Allow Creativity to Assist the Process
10. The Backyard Chickens Forum is the BEST FORUM EVER!!!
Thanks so much everyone!!!! Please keep the photos coming - they're terrific!!!!
1. Stay Small/Cheap
2. Use Screws for Construction Rather Than Nails
3. Scrounge Lumber from Hardware Mis-Cuts and Culls, Fencing (and probably flooring and roofing) Companies and Construction Sites
4. Scrounge Paint (badly mixed) from Hardware Stores or Folding Construction Sites
5. Craig's List and Freecycle
6. Dog Houses Make Good Housing
7. Invest in a Cordless Drill or MiniDrill and a Staple Gun
8. Free Plans Are All Over the Internet
9. Go Slowly & Allow Creativity to Assist the Process
10. The Backyard Chickens Forum is the BEST FORUM EVER!!!
Thank you for starting this thread and eveyone who added their coops or where to find stuff. I am a member of my area freecycle and its the best! Im on my way to pick up some lumber. I will be back to this thread for help on my first totally handmade coop.
Once again thank you!
Once again thank you!
I made my first coop frame for my first chickens out of PVC pipe with some chicken wire attached with some zip-ties I had. You can make the frame any size you want, of course, but I made mine 3' x 5' as I only had a few hens. (Sweet hens, I might add!!)
I covered half of the top and sides with an older tarp I had (Anchored with free bricks). It was my own lightweight version of a "chicken tractor!" I am not a really strong person so it really helped to have something so easy to move around. And~~it was really fun to build even though I have no construction skills.
Well, if you can build with Legos when you are a kid, I think you could build a chicken coop, too!!
I will try to post some pics if I can figure out how here!!
I covered half of the top and sides with an older tarp I had (Anchored with free bricks). It was my own lightweight version of a "chicken tractor!" I am not a really strong person so it really helped to have something so easy to move around. And~~it was really fun to build even though I have no construction skills.
Well, if you can build with Legos when you are a kid, I think you could build a chicken coop, too!!
I will try to post some pics if I can figure out how here!!
- Jan 11, 2007
- 4,870
- 73
- 251
Now I have silkies and no other breed...they do not roost and in my location there are no predators... (just saying this before hand so you understand the background) ...however you can perhaps get some ideas from what I have done in making my summer coop ... the main thing I have found handy is building against an existing wall makes everything soooo much easier...
Ok... first a bit of background: I do have this fab brick bldg ;a small "shed" with concrete floor and electricity but it is wayyyyy to massive for the space my silkies need as they come and go at will (no preds here to really worry bout) and they only use the coop to sleep in (or on the rare occasion hang out ) ... they dont roost and insist on sleeping in a big ole pile together in one cardboard box (which is getting way too small) besides I need it to store my bike in.
Now this is the brooder hutch Miss Daisy uses at the moment for her and the chickies (still waiting on the basketmaker to duplicate Mhings basket which is falling apart and retired from duty) and this pic is of the brooder hutch on the chicken porch I recently "finished" (If you look carefully you will see Miss Daisy sitting in there at the left)
(by the way ...that is bandit my banty silkie peeking out underneath there!)
>So ...now to the new summer coop I built using only five screws and a can of that insulating expandable foam sealer: the new summer coop is bordering the left hand side of this raised paved "porch" (photo above) and is made exactly to measurement to hold three of the normal sized cardboard boxes side by side (free from the grocery store!)
... here is how I began :
>(you can see the can of expandable spray insulation/sealer I used to "glue" everything together lol) the beam and fencing are resting on two concrete roll borders that I have cemented underneath (somewhat) in place (later sprayed in some foam at the back to make it super stable >you can see a wee bit of the foam at the bottom left against the wall) Then I took some old wood panels from a privacy fence that had fallen apart and sawed it to the size and shape I wanted and with the foam "glued" the plastic wall paneling (cut to same size and shape) to it:
>ok, sides are up in place (held to wall and base by the foam) and the back paneling is simply "glued"(the expandable foam sealer) to the wall (also by the foam sealer) >the side walls are an inch lower to hold an inner ceiling (second photo below)
...at the back I put in a plastic bar thingy to catch the rain off the top roof (it rains alot here and can get chilly at nite so this is the reason for the double roofs)... I ran out of film before I could take a pic of the front panel in (first pic below) and painted but got a pic of the rest painted and pretty much finished (hadnt cleaned up from my bldg mess tho lol):
Ok... first a bit of background: I do have this fab brick bldg ;a small "shed" with concrete floor and electricity but it is wayyyyy to massive for the space my silkies need as they come and go at will (no preds here to really worry bout) and they only use the coop to sleep in (or on the rare occasion hang out ) ... they dont roost and insist on sleeping in a big ole pile together in one cardboard box (which is getting way too small) besides I need it to store my bike in.
Now this is the brooder hutch Miss Daisy uses at the moment for her and the chickies (still waiting on the basketmaker to duplicate Mhings basket which is falling apart and retired from duty) and this pic is of the brooder hutch on the chicken porch I recently "finished" (If you look carefully you will see Miss Daisy sitting in there at the left)
(by the way ...that is bandit my banty silkie peeking out underneath there!)
>So ...now to the new summer coop I built using only five screws and a can of that insulating expandable foam sealer: the new summer coop is bordering the left hand side of this raised paved "porch" (photo above) and is made exactly to measurement to hold three of the normal sized cardboard boxes side by side (free from the grocery store!)
... here is how I began :
>(you can see the can of expandable spray insulation/sealer I used to "glue" everything together lol) the beam and fencing are resting on two concrete roll borders that I have cemented underneath (somewhat) in place (later sprayed in some foam at the back to make it super stable >you can see a wee bit of the foam at the bottom left against the wall) Then I took some old wood panels from a privacy fence that had fallen apart and sawed it to the size and shape I wanted and with the foam "glued" the plastic wall paneling (cut to same size and shape) to it:
>ok, sides are up in place (held to wall and base by the foam) and the back paneling is simply "glued"(the expandable foam sealer) to the wall (also by the foam sealer) >the side walls are an inch lower to hold an inner ceiling (second photo below)
...at the back I put in a plastic bar thingy to catch the rain off the top roof (it rains alot here and can get chilly at nite so this is the reason for the double roofs)... I ran out of film before I could take a pic of the front panel in (first pic below) and painted but got a pic of the rest painted and pretty much finished (hadnt cleaned up from my bldg mess tho lol):
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Yeah, if Diana (dlhunicorn) can do this stuff, anyone can!
You ahve really gotten it down:
1. Stay Small/Cheap - always
2. Use Screws for Construction Rather Than Nail - See PS
3. Scrounge Lumber from Hardware Mis-Cuts and Culls, Fencing (and probably flooring and roofing) Cmpanies and Construction Sites - contruction site are one of my favorite places. Go early or late in the day.
4. Scrounge Paint (badly mixed) from Hardware Stores or Folding Construction Sites
5. Craig's List and Freecycle - GREAT!
6. Dog Houses Make Good Housing - SO do old sheds.
7. Invest in a Cordless Drill or MiniDrill and a Staple Gun - Splurge here on a cordless, 18V drill, with TWO battery packs. Get the heavy duty staple gun and a drill driver assortment pack. And a decent crosscut saw - you always need a saw.
8. Free Plans Are All Over the Internet - this is a fact.
9. Go Slowly & Allow Creativity to Assist the Process - See below.
10. The Backyard Chickens Forum is the BEST FORUM EVER!!! - Another fact!!
Much of this will require patience and planning in order to utiltize the material you ARE able to acquire.
I DO recommend you get your materials together first, so your creative mind has something to work with. Working with scrounged/alternative materials is different than going down to the home center and getting some purpose built component.
So you may want to add that to the list as item 9a.
PS An assortment of drywall screws can do 90% of the fastening jobs you will ever encounter. That one is dead on.
You ahve really gotten it down:
1. Stay Small/Cheap - always
2. Use Screws for Construction Rather Than Nail - See PS
3. Scrounge Lumber from Hardware Mis-Cuts and Culls, Fencing (and probably flooring and roofing) Cmpanies and Construction Sites - contruction site are one of my favorite places. Go early or late in the day.
4. Scrounge Paint (badly mixed) from Hardware Stores or Folding Construction Sites
5. Craig's List and Freecycle - GREAT!
6. Dog Houses Make Good Housing - SO do old sheds.
7. Invest in a Cordless Drill or MiniDrill and a Staple Gun - Splurge here on a cordless, 18V drill, with TWO battery packs. Get the heavy duty staple gun and a drill driver assortment pack. And a decent crosscut saw - you always need a saw.
8. Free Plans Are All Over the Internet - this is a fact.
9. Go Slowly & Allow Creativity to Assist the Process - See below.
10. The Backyard Chickens Forum is the BEST FORUM EVER!!! - Another fact!!
Much of this will require patience and planning in order to utiltize the material you ARE able to acquire.
I DO recommend you get your materials together first, so your creative mind has something to work with. Working with scrounged/alternative materials is different than going down to the home center and getting some purpose built component.
So you may want to add that to the list as item 9a.
PS An assortment of drywall screws can do 90% of the fastening jobs you will ever encounter. That one is dead on.
Last edited by a moderator:
- Thread starter
- #37
Quote:
David,
Thanks for the addendums.
It's hard for me to visualize how a heap of scrap wood could be turned into a coop, mainly because I don't know anything about framing or construction techniques, but it's not as though chickens have lived in palatial dwellings for thousands of years and require extensive environmental enhancements. I have a few weeks to scrounge up materials and some good ideas from the nice folks here about where to get them.
We'll see what happens!
David,
Thanks for the addendums.
It's hard for me to visualize how a heap of scrap wood could be turned into a coop, mainly because I don't know anything about framing or construction techniques, but it's not as though chickens have lived in palatial dwellings for thousands of years and require extensive environmental enhancements. I have a few weeks to scrounge up materials and some good ideas from the nice folks here about where to get them.
well I was suppose to get my beautiful playhouse today from man on craigslist and he gave it away. I talked to him yesterday at4 and told him I registered are trailer and got 5 guys to pick it up at 3 today and he said ok Ill be here. Then at 9pm he had a little kid call and say "I'm sorry but I accidently gave away your playhouse"
. Not only a dishonorable man but a man that teaches a child to lie. That kid didnt accidently give away something that takes a big truck or trailer and 5 men to lift away. So Im going to take the huge wooden trailer and turn it into a chicken house. maybe I can enter the new contest here. right now im just covering the top and putting smelly turkeys in it but when there out I may fancy it up with house type roof and windows for my chickens.
Quote:
Ive been doing the same thing with the screws, takes some patience though. Some places I used nails because it was just easier.
I wanted to add, my boyfriend picked up my drill and jig saw for $15 each as a discount tool store but you can get them for near the same at Walmart or something like that. They arent hard to use, I had never used them before but watched alot of home improvement do it yourself shows. As for blades, etc, the people at home improvement stores are always willling to answer quetions. Good luck, I dont have much $ or help either but I was lucky enough to have a shed on my property.
Ive been doing the same thing with the screws, takes some patience though. Some places I used nails because it was just easier.
I wanted to add, my boyfriend picked up my drill and jig saw for $15 each as a discount tool store but you can get them for near the same at Walmart or something like that. They arent hard to use, I had never used them before but watched alot of home improvement do it yourself shows. As for blades, etc, the people at home improvement stores are always willling to answer quetions. Good luck, I dont have much $ or help either but I was lucky enough to have a shed on my property.
There is a good point to be made here about buying cheap tools.
One of the hardest lessons youll learn is when a tool you depend on is a piece of crap, and fails at the worst moment. In trying to save a buck you lose ground and end up paying the same or more than if you'd bought a decent tool in the forst place.
Saving money is fine for some things - but the basic tools should have some quality about them.
One of the hardest lessons youll learn is when a tool you depend on is a piece of crap, and fails at the worst moment. In trying to save a buck you lose ground and end up paying the same or more than if you'd bought a decent tool in the forst place.
Saving money is fine for some things - but the basic tools should have some quality about them.
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