Coop made of found/gifted items

[pardygwyn]

I recently completed work on a coop that cost me about $30. It's made out of cedar fence leavings, deck leftovers, a few scraps of cement board, cannibalized gutter, some cinder blocks and lumber that were on our property when we moved in, a couple alder limbs, and a 2x10 from the neighbor's trash pile. The $30 was spent on a tarp, some siding tiles, and an old closet door. Here's the result:

and here are the chickens giving me the stink-eye from their shiny new perches:

The blue structure in the back is my sheep house, which is built out of sawmill reject wood and construction waste. Its back wall makes up part of the fourth coop wall that I didn't have enough supplies for, though five years in the soggy NW has left the OSB siding pretty rotten. 8D I've enjoyed this little adventure! Here's hoping the coop lasts...

 

[Cats Critters]

Good Job

Now do you want to come build me one

.

 

[pardygwyn]

LOL! Only if you supply the materials. ;D

 

[3chimama]

Looks great! Glad you could use old materials too!

 

[froggiesheins]

GREAT job recycling!!!! Looks prtty sturdy to me and your chickens look very happy.

 

[annie3001]

thats awesome!!! love it!!!!! your flock looks happy!!

i dont see a window? are there windows?

btw: love your avatar pic!

 

[Heckel's Hens]

That is kick booty! I love seeing alternative ideas. We are building a coop next month and I am so worried about the expense!

 

[The Chicken People]

So is this one! We refurbished an old coop!

 

[pardygwyn]

Annie: they share a window with the sheep house, which is a three-sided building, and I left gaps in the cedar siding like a woodshed - you can kind of see some of them between the boards that are head-on to the camera, but the rest disappeared with the magic of photography.

You couldn't get away with that kind of construction everywhere, but it's mild enough/we have enough protection from wind here that it works really well. And thanks! That's Gavin when he was a puppy. I love him, too. ;D

Heckel's Hens: get thee on Craigslist and start looking for booty! Also see if there are any freecycle places, sawmills, or construction companies looking for places to dump in your area. Even department or grocery stores can be a decent place to get scrap wood and pallets, depending on how good your local population is at figuring this out before you. You can get a LOT of nice free stuff if you make sure you know the right people!

Congrats Chicken People! Coops and other animal housing really lend themselves well to recycling, glad to have you on the boat.

Thanks everyone!