Costly Coops

[Chickweed9]

Thanks so much for the feedback! I’m a very thrifty person and really had no idea how much it would cost. I was definitely in shock but feel better about it now. I will start stalking Craigslist, etc.

 

[tralfaz]

mine is only 5x6 but will made to expand larger when time permits. Half of the lumber is reclaimed from a playset and deck but I'm still running close $700 from HD. Then there's also the chicken supplies and food for 3 months at another $200. I can see a good sized diy project for first timers easily approaching $1500.

 

[igorsMistress]

I feel like that's a good price. We bought new materials and easily spent that and I have no run.

 

[aart]

Chickens(well, their housing) ain't Cheep!

 

[easterbun]

I can see a good sized diy project for first timers easily approaching $1500.

Even if you're not first timers the costs add up. Our current coop is a 6x12 chicken tractor, and while it's serviceable and solved many of the problems we had with our prior coop (not covered, wire mesh too large), and I could certainly move my chicks in there and feel mostly okay about it, it still has some issues (primarily a lack of predator apron) I wanted to address... so I decided this time around that we would do things "right" when rebuilding our coop, and keep the tractor as a grow out pen and/or if we end up with a rooster that is too aggressive.

Doing it "right" this time around in terms of size and materials is where I feel like most of the expense is for us - we could certainly do it "cheaper", but then be chasing down problems long term. I don't want to do that, I want to commit to doing it well from the start, so that I don't have to deal with constant issues down the line like we had with our first coop on this property (which we didn't build - it has since mostly been gutted and we now use it as a loafing shed for our goats - and it still needs repairs every few months). In the next 20 years I don't really want to have to do anything more than repaint it.