Deep litter method

[pinkmartin73]

If not chickens, rabbits are a good project and don't require much space or start up money.  My boys did rabbits for 4-H and loved it...we all did. 

For coop materials, ask for pallets at local businesses that use them frequently, as any damage to the pallet means they can't use them safely.  Feed stores, newspapers, grocery stores, hardware stores, etc. all use pallets to move, ship and receive their goods.  There are many places online that describe how to make some really cute pallet coops. 

You can even make a decent sized coop using cattle panels and a minimal amount of lumber....I made one big enough for 20 birds for $201.00 and built it myself, so this can be done cheaply. 

I'd put the word out at your 4-H that you are looking for building materials and ask at local lumber yards and sawmills, stating what you need it for~they often have seconds lumber that you can get for a steal...you'd be surprised at how many people who are out there~and not ever on FB~who will contribute towards this project.  I used to buy whole bundles of seconds lumber to use as firewood for $25 and these bundles would take two trips with a 6 ft. truck bed to haul home.  A couple of bundles is more then enough to build a decent coop. 

Scrounge and build fast as you will want the birds to be the right age for the show.  You can get power to your coop the old fashioned way...string extension cords from the house.  I've done that for years now and my current coop is about 75 yds from the house...I just string the wires through the trees, secure them one to another and at either end but allow enough slack for movement of the trees. 

Thanks Bee. I was trying to think of what all business I could go to. You lengthened my list lol. There's someone on Craig's list giving away a few 2x4's. I've emailed and hoping they pick me! I might give my sob story at my in-laws lol. They aren't biological grandparents to my kids but are super supportive of them. They may help some. Shhhhh don't tell hubby! I am also going to try to sell some of my aprons. I did a lil sewing and craft business for a while but it wasn't very successful. Most of my sales were to my mil. She's a gem

Also, Bee, I'd love to see pics of the $200 coop. Eventually housing 150-200lbs chickens is my goal. So any way to build a coop that size on the cheap would be fantastic!

 

[shrparatch]

I use the deep litter method also. Easiest way to keep a coop. To avoid water spillage I use two small areas indoors that are old wood boxes filled with gravel that I sit waterers on. It drains through the gravel and leaves the surrounding litter dry.


Chickens do all the hard work of keeping the bedding turned. I add DE and some wood ash from the fireplace to the mix. Never have had mite or worm problems by doing this. My uncle used to throw popcorn in the coops periodically also. His chickens went nuts for it.


CCBEAR I notice you are in the boundary country. I am just outside of Christina Lake.

 

[shrparatch]

This is correction of above post.

Oops, new to the site and still learning how to do things. Anyway, I am new to raising chickens and am not sure what DE means. I am so glad I found this site, the information is great.

 

[LindaB220]

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This is what I am going to do when I get my chicks. I love this idea. I think it was Bee's idea first but the lady beat her to the video. ha

 

[Latestarter]

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Dang Linda... how many more times are you going to post this?

This makes 5 or 6....

 

[LindaB220]

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This is what I am going to do when I get my chicks. I love this idea. I think it was Bee's idea first but the lady beat her to the video. ha

 

[Beekissed]

Thanks Bee. I was trying to think of what all business I could go to. You lengthened my list lol. There's someone on Craig's list giving away a few 2x4's. I've emailed and hoping they pick me! I might give my sob story at my in-laws lol. They aren't biological grandparents to my kids but are super supportive of them. They may help some. Shhhhh don't tell hubby! I am also going to try to sell some of my aprons. I did a lil sewing and craft business for a while but it wasn't very successful. Most of my sales were to my mil. She's a gem

Also, Bee, I'd love to see pics of the $200 coop. Eventually housing 150-200lbs chickens is my goal. So any way to build a coop that size on the cheap would be fantastic!

You've got some mighty big goals for your breeding plans.....

Them's some mighty big shickens!!!

Here's a pic of the original coop that I built for that money....this spring I added another hoop and used scrap lumber~read scrounged for FREE~to enclose the end caps, so I'll show you both pics...the then and now.



The back view with the nest boxes open....



Enclosed the ends and added an extra hoop for more room, then used a clear tarp for winter time. Changed the nest boxes to the front and put all the roosting in the back with this change. The first coop was 8x10 and this one is now 12x10. Also built a dog house on the back of it with free pallets.



The nest boxes are still outside access.....








It ain't the purdiest coop out there but it didn't cost much either and it is snug and cozy, light and airy, and the birds love it...and so do I!




Used tree limbs, saplings and stumps for roosting and steps up to roosts and nest boxes. The light fixture was a cheap ol' ceramic one wired with a cord I took off an old heat/brooder lamp. The hardware used for the windows and doors were old hinges we had collected over the years from old cabinets and doors, and the door knob for the door was even an old antique glass door knob set I had been carrying around for almost 20 yrs. All in all, it was a pretty cheap coop tweak...I think the most money was spent on screws.




Some of the scrap lumber used....just old packing crates that had been dismantled and stored in an old fella's garage for about 50 yrs and his widow gave them to us and we didn't even have to ask...she thought we could use them for firewood.




I know it all looks a little cobbled together, but that's what I like about it....I did it by myself, I did it for very little money and a lot of the materials were free and my chickens love it! I sit up there and watch them this winter, snug and warm in this light filled coop, with excellent airflow and many ways to increase ventilation and I'm quite tickled with it all.

 

[LindaB220]

Quote:
This is what I am going to do when I get my chicks. I love this idea. I think it was Bee's idea first but the lady beat her to the video. ha

 

[LindaB220]

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Sorry, crazy computer.

 

[Latestarter]

Also, Bee, I'd love to see pics of the $200 coop. Eventually housing 150-200lbs chickens is my goal. So any way to build a coop that size on the cheap would be fantastic!

Wow... OK, each LF chicken needs approximately 3-4 square feet of space in the coop to avoid stress, fighting, disease, etc. So, doing the math, for 150 chickens, you'd need a minimum of 450 square feet of coop floor space. That's a coop about 15 feet by 30 feet. For 200 you're looking at 600 square feet or a 20' x 30' bldg. And those are really minimums... I imagine if you are extremely dedicated you could build it on the cheap from scrap lumber, but you'll still need decent roofing (expensive), and the coop should be relatively draft free since you live in Ohio, and the winters can get pretty danged cold there. Then there's the food bill... I have ~36 birds and go through a 5 gallon bucket of fermented feed every 2 days... near 2 $150.00 a month. Not to be rude, but if you really are tight on finances, that large goal seems a bit of a stretch in the near term.

You can check on Craigs List and see if anyone has an old shed they are wanting to get rid of. All you need to do is get it to your place and repair/re-purpose it. You could also check for coops on CL as well. It there are any new subdivisions being built in your area, you could go talk to the people at the building site about getting scrap from them as they pretty much factor in 5-10% for waste. You can get a lot of stuff at building sites... But likely NOT windows or doors

You just need to think outside the box a bit and keep your eyes and mind open to possibilities.