diy coop dream is turning into a nightmare.

[XtremeRooster]

But basically anything you do yourself will be better quality than the store bought coops, trust me, I have a store bought coop waiting to go back to the store. I had told my carpenter to forget it b/c he was taking too long, went and bought a 350 coop and within hours I asked him to come back and finish the shed/coop he had already started. Those store bought coops are junk and not set up in a way that is very user friendly (people or chickens)

And if you only have 2 chickens then you only need 1 nesting box

Some people don't understand us carpenters. That is if he is truly a carpenter he takes pride in his work. Yes custom built is more expensive but usually ten times better than the chinese imported junk. I started my coop with a $500 budget and now I'm probably closer to $1500, but I don't plan on ever building another one. I seriously doubt I could recover my labor if I tried to sell it. I would not build coops to sell production wise because I don't cut corners when I build. If you want it done right it is going to cost more.



I've been building on this too long but when I finish it will be done right.

 

[JanetS]

We've learned so much since we first started with our chickens 1 1/2 year ago. Chicken's aren't picky. Just give them a clean, dry, safe place to sleep with a nice roost and they are happy. I'm sure you're doing a great job.

 

[chynasparks]

It took us about 6 weeks to build ours. It cost us about $700. If we would have had wood on hand already it would have been less. I know ours is much sturdier than a premade one of the same price. Hubby is a skilled carpenter and knows how to tighten things up correctly. He measures, then re-measures, then once again before he cuts. It's just how he is. We can add to it should we decide to. Those premade coops on line are real nice to look at but it isn't worth the price if the fall apart. I've heard of people starting with one and then reinforcing it with their own material. Mine is not as fancy as those on line but I'll bet mine will be here a long time.

 

[lahessler]

I know I couldnt recover our money selling the one we are doing. But the peace of mind once there in it will be worth it. With the flooding issues we have due to hurricanes and such here in Louisiana I had to be sure I didnt come out and find my girls floating in Nasty.
They are happy and enjoy the attention the get. And they pay me back hopping around letting me know they have a present for us

 

[marktoo]

A 12 X 12 inch nest box is fine, 14 X12 is fine. Do you need 6 nest boxes for a small coop? For a few birds, 2 boxes are plenty--the books recommend 1 box for every 4-5 hens. There are threads on making nest boxes out of all sorts of things like rubbermaid and kitty litter containers, and they can be put in and taken out as needed.

I used a 7.5 gal plastic tote, turned it upside down, cut a hole in the side, hung a curtain in the doorway,added some pine shavings & it was good to go. Should have used a 10 gal tote as this is a bit small but they know what it's for, there was 3 eggs in there yesterday. One girl is slacking, guess i'll have to give them a pep talk.

 

[lahessler]

We are hoping to finish today. Girls in tonight. We will see.

 

[XtremeRooster]

Nice looking coop I like the design, looks really functional.

 

[Baymule]

That is absolutely so cute! Congratulations! You have received good advice and help except for one thing---the nest boxes! Do you REALLY think that you will stop with only TWO chickens??? BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!! Chicken math will strike you. It is inevitable, there is nothing you can do to stop it, accept it now and plan accordingly.

If you want to add more space, consider adding a hoop coop type run. It is made by building a frame the desired size and bending cow panels over, then covering with hardware cloth to keep 'em all nice and secure. I originally started with a 8'x7' coop and 2 hens. Then the fever struck, chicken math kicked in and I just HAD to get MORE! So I added a 8'x12' run to give the girls more room. This is mine.

 

[lahessler]

Being here in Louisiana that design wouldnt work. I have to stop them from getting to the ground incase we have flood water. Especially during hurricane season we have had 2 foot of water set for days in our yard. I dont want to find my girls floating in flood water. If I have to expand I can Im think of a run without wire on the bottom added when we are home. Im on a thread of wired versus no wire floor. I want to protect my girls from varmits but I dont want to do something knowing it may hurt them. So on that note it seems I may have to watch them closley an possibly start making a extra run after I get them in thier house.