Cost estimate for building coop/run

[featherhead007]

Lol, that sounds like a nicer coop than many homes!


Let me know if you want a prefab for anything. I have a friend in FW wanting to sell cheap (probably willing to give away) one, never used. Could possibly be a place for a broody or sick hen...

well, these are very special hens and need and deserve the nicest digs I can give them.
doesn't everybody love their chickens? I sure do!

 

[K813ZRA]

Well, I bought all of the materials new for my first coop and it ran me right around $900. That is all lumber, tin roof, hardware cloth (the most expensive part), screws, hinges and you name it! That particular coop is 8x8 and the run is 8x16. Everything was bought new from homedepot and lowes.

My second coop is 24x60 in total. The coop part is 24x14 and the remainder is the 'run'. This is where I house my ducks. Total cost was $485...BUT that is because I used a greenhouse structure that I already had and had not been used for about 10 years. I covered 24x14 of it with metal roofing which is where the cost comes from. That said, I paid nothing for the greenhouse when I got it. I found it in the local paper 'free to take down'. You can always search for similar solutions. Things like car ports work well, imo.

Having said that. I have learned a few things about metal buildings and the main one is that they need much more ventilation to make sure it does not rain inside due to condensation.

Good luck and have fun! It can cost you very little or a whole bunch to build a chicken coop!

 

[Sublight]

This is a screenshot of my build-list on a 8x16 coop.

 

[featherhead007]

i'mhoping the eggs are worth all that! I did it because I needed feathered friends,
Theeggs are a plus too!

 

[featherhead007]

i'mhoping the eggs are worth all that! I did it because I needed feathered friends,
Theeggs are a plus too!

oops, dirty space bar on my laptop

 

[yippee]

Well, really, eggs are just an excuse to add another pet to the household. I've always really loved chickens, but never owned any. I love pretty much all animals, and enjoy keeping anything I can get my hands on. I figure that having a flock of chickens would be fun and rewarding, the eggs are just a bonus.

I think I'll start keeping an eye out for pallets (can be seen in most shopping complexes behind businesses) and any other building materials. Just kind of start a stock pile of materials until I get enough to start building with. Basically cut any unnecessary costs to keep the budget a little more in check. May take a little longer, but definitely save some extra pennies that way to put towards something else. Do people usually use the complete pallet for the structure of the coop or disassemble them and use the wood for the "skin" of the coop?

What would you say is the best time or even the latest possible time you would want to get the chicks transferred outdoors here in north Texas? Just looking to see what kind of time frame to be expecting as far as building the coop/run before they're needing to move in. I'm most likely going to try my hand at buying day olds and raising them indoors until they're old enough to move out. That will give me a little bit of a buffer zone to be building while still raising the chickens.

 

[SW31]

Have you thought about an Omlet: https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_keeping/eglu_cube/
The Cube and a connected walk in run will cost around 1100$. Not cheap but it’s good for keeping predators out and is very easy to clean and maintain. Ours has to cope with 100+ km wind gusts and doesn’t move. I put shades on the run for sun protection and clear plastic sheets in winter for rain protection. So far it’s work really well, better than I expected.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Well, really, eggs are just an excuse to add another pet to the household. I've always really loved chickens, but never owned any. I love pretty much all animals, and enjoy keeping anything I can get my hands on. I figure that having a flock of chickens would be fun and rewarding, the eggs are just a bonus.

I think I'll start keeping an eye out for pallets (can be seen in most shopping complexes behind businesses) and any other building materials. Just kind of start a stock pile of materials until I get enough to start building with. Basically cut any unnecessary costs to keep the budget a little more in check. May take a little longer, but definitely save some extra pennies that way to put towards something else. Do people usually use the complete pallet for the structure of the coop or disassemble them and use the wood for the "skin" of the coop?

What would you say is the best time or even the latest possible time you would want to get the chicks transferred outdoors here in north Texas? Just looking to see what kind of time frame to be expecting as far as building the coop/run before they're needing to move in. I'm most likely going to try my hand at buying day olds and raising them indoors until they're old enough to move out. That will give me a little bit of a buffer zone to be building while still raising the chickens.

In N. TX you should be fine at 4 weeks. Sooner if you use the MHP to brood them. With the Sunbeam heatpad they can go right out doors at basically any age. Sunbeam seems to be the major maker of heatpads without the auto shutoff feature. Also make sure they have lots of cover from the red tailed hawks and avian predators at an early age. Best wishes! Oh as in regards to the pallet I have 2 walls in my coop using them as the wall alone, I have covered them in hardware cloth which will be your major expense unless you like finding your chicken eaten by raccoon or oppossum.