Coop-confused - Need guidance from experienced BYCers

[elisepage]

All, I'm new to BYC and new to raising chickens. In fact, my newly acquired 6 are all chicks still - BO is 3.5 wks, Wyandotte, Cochin, Bantam BO are all 2.5 wks, and 2 Lav Ameracaunas that are 1 wk old, so I have a little time still (I hope). They are of course in a brooder right now, but I've been researching coops for the last 2 weeks, every single day, for about 2 hours each day, and I'm plumb tuckered of trying to make a decision that would, at best, be a guestimate at what will work.

My family and I live in Dallas, so these will surely be backyard chickens, but we have an old 9'x18' dog run, the flooring of which is cement covered with river rocks, where we are going to place our future coop. This dog run butts up to the house, so our thoughts are to enclose it with chicken/galvanized wire on three sides (and above as well to protect from the air), so the entire area can be their run. But, we are a very busy family, with two small, active children. Neither my husband or I are wood workers, and really don't have the time I think it would take to build a nice size coop. So, I looked online, and am not happy with any of the prefab coop options out there, especially for the money they charge, given that they either are too small, not well made, leak water when it rains, don't have enough roost capacity, don't have enough ventilation for our Texas summers, yada, yada, yada.

What do you all suggest? What did you do if you were previously in my position? Should I go ahead, get some coop plans, and try to build a coop when I've never done anything like that before (and am afraid I would booger it), or should I go ahead and spend the "dough-ray-me" and get a prefab that will save me the time and energy of making one now but might cause me serious frustration in the future? I don't know any carpenters, and living in the city as we do, everything is more expensive, especially people's time (so I'm thinking even a local carpenter would charge me out the whazoo for a coop they might call a piece of art (which it very well may be!). )

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tiny1985]

If u have the tools n know how I would build my own

 

[gardendufus]

WOW don't let yourself be overwhelmed. I have no idea what your finances are like, but I'll give it a shot.

1. Check Lowes/Home Depot, etc and watch for sheds on sale.

2. I'm a woman, 64, with no building experience. I built, basically a 8 X 10 shed (mine has no floor, is set on concrete blocks to keep it out of the dirt. At first I was intimidated with the framing, and actually it ends up I didn't do it right, but the chickens haven't complained. There were many places I had to sit down and think about how I was going to adapt what I'd already done to make it work. Not all the angles are right, not all the cuts are straight, but I got it done. It took me a couple of weeks, but I ended up with a coop that cost about $300 using a lot of stuff I got from the habitat restore, craigslist, and the Home Depot cull wood bin. The most expensive part for me was the fencing around the run (lol, more than the coop cost).





3. Watch craigslist, lots of people sell or give away coops. You might have to hire someone to move it but that will probably still save you money. If you have lotsa bucks, I actually saw a decently constructed coop at a store here called Big R (a farm supply store).

4. You might visit or call some farm supply stores and see if they know anyone who builds coops and just check out what they charge.

5. Call some 'handymen'. We have a business here called 'Handyman Connection', and there are always people in the American Classifieds (the old thrifty nickel) advertising to be handymen.

Just some thoughts...........good luck to ya.

 

[aart]

If u have the tools n know how I would build my own

Obviously didn't really read the OP's post.

WOW don't let yourself be overwhelmed. I have no idea what your finances are like, but I'll give it a shot.

1. Check Lowes/Home Depot, etc and watch for sheds on sale.

2. I'm a woman, 64, with no building experience. I built, basically a 8 X 10 shed (mine has no floor, is set on concrete blocks to keep it out of the dirt. At first I was intimidated with the framing, and actually it ends up I didn't do it right, but the chickens haven't complained. There were many places I had to sit down and think about how I was going to adapt what I'd already done to make it work. Not all the angles are right, not all the cuts are straight, but I got it done. It took me a couple of weeks, but I ended up with a coop that cost about $300 using a lot of stuff I got from the habitat restore, craigslist, and the Home Depot cull wood bin. The most expensive part for me was the fencing around the run (lol, more than the coop cost).





3. Watch craigslist, lots of people sell or give away coops. You might have to hire someone to move it but that will probably still save you money. If you have lotsa bucks, I actually saw a decently constructed coop at a store here called Big R (a farm supply store).

4. You might visit or call some farm supply stores and see if they know anyone who builds coops and just check out what they charge.

5. Call some 'handymen'. We have a business here called 'Handyman Connection', and there are always people in the American Classifieds (the old thrifty nickel) advertising to be handymen.

Just some thoughts...........good luck to ya.

Great advice here...nice coop with hardware cloth attached with washers, good job gardendufus!


OP...in Texas you might just be able to cover the dog run with hardware cloth with an apron for diggers, partially roof it for shade and rain protection and provide a few nesting boxes and roosts under cover.
Might want to browse this topic of open air coops to get some ideas.

 

[gardendufus]

Great advice here...nice coop with hardware cloth attached with washers, good job gardendufus!


OP...in Texas you might just be able to cover the dog run with hardware cloth with an apron for diggers, partially roof it for shade and rain protection and provide a few nesting boxes and roosts under cover.
Might want to browse this topic of open air coops to get some ideas.

Don't want to hijack this thread......but. Thanks Aart, During the winter here in CO I can get by with just hanging a tarp over the HC in the front of the coop. My hardy breeds don't even notice the cold and I never worry about ventilation. If I lived in a warmer climate I would certainly go for an even more open air coop than this. However I have lived in Dallas, and while the weather is generally pleasant they can have some brutal winter weather, and spring and fall are tornado threats, if you do something open air OP, be prepared to block both ice and wind. Could be done by having heavy duty tarps available to attach over whatever structure you are using.

 

[Alaskan]

Obviously didn't really read the OP's post.

Great advice here...nice coop with hardware cloth attached with washers, good job gardendufus!


OP...in Texas you might just be able to cover the dog run with hardware cloth with an apron for diggers, partially roof it for shade and rain protection and provide a few nesting boxes and roosts under cover.
Might want to browse this topic of open air coops to get some ideas.

Totally times two!

I know you Texas types think the weather gets way too cold in the winter in Dallas, and I know you do know what a snow flake looks like..... But all they need is to be able to perch out of the rain, and the nests should be dry too.

My baby sister lives out in the hill country, and what is so funny, is she set up her predator proof run and coop wrong. There is a perch in the run part that is higher than the perch in the coop. So, her chickens SLEEP ON THAT OUTSIDE PERCH YEAR ROUND!! Oddly enough, she hasn't lost one yet because of that...even though they sit there year round.

By the way, I do NOT suggest you have your chicks perch in the rain, it is not a good idea.

 

[Weasleymum]

The above posters are right-- you don't need a fully enclosed, four-walls type of coop in Dallas. I know, it's my hometown! <3 Once you have the dog kennel safely covered in wire cloth, just add a roof and a wall to one section of it, put in a floor about 2' up from the ground, and put a roost and nest box there. Think "3-sided shack" rather than "4-walled house" and you get the idea. You didn't say which side of your run was against the house, but if it's not the west or the south side, that's where I would put the side wall. If you don't have any trees nearby for shade over the kennel, I would cover at least part of it with something-- tarp, canvas umbrella, etc-- because heat and sun are going to be your biggest worries-- as you probably already know! Also, make sure that the source of water can't be knocked over or spilled, because they'll need 24/7 access to it. A hanging waterer or a chicken-nipple system would be best. This is my personal biggest issue, because last summer I lost some chickens when they didn't have access to water. And that was here in Virginia, where it rarely gets over 100. Good luck, and enjoy your chickens!