Easy & Cheap Chicken + Duck coops

[Cassandragrenr]

Some family members of mine are getting chickens, though they're very unsue about what type of chicken coop they want,
So please give me your ideas for a cheap and easy coop to build or buy!

 

[Cassandragrenr]

Some family members of mine are getting chickens, though they're very unsue about what type of chicken coop they want,
So please give me your ideas for a cheap and easy coop to build or buy!

Please reply... my byc notifications are empty

 

[ChickyCh00k]

Hello!
I'll try and be as helpful as I can, and maybe someone with more expertise will chime in. It will be important to know where these chickens will be located (what state or country? Are they also in Sweden?) - climate matters when thinking about the best coop for the chickens. What is the climate like where the chickens will be living?

How many chickens will the coop need to house and are they bantams or average size?

What is the approximate budget?

Will the chickens be free ranging or will they be in an enclosed run some/all of the time?

How handy are the people in question? Do you think they are able to build (or know people that will help them build)?

These are some of the questions that will help narrow things down. Without knowing any of the specifics of the situation, it's difficult for anyone to make a recommendation.

 

[aart]

So please give me your ideas for a cheap and easy coop to build or buy!

Poultry housing is rarely cheap or easy.
Tell them to do the research before they get animals

 

[3KillerBs]

Hoop coops are commonly held to be the easiest build for people with limited DIY skills.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-tractor.69336/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-coop-brooder-with-roll-up-sides.75720/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-biddie-bordello-a-hoop-coop-run-combo.72189/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/

I don't know if the cattle panels are readily available in your country or not.

Shed conversions are probably the next easiest. In some places it's easy to obtain used sheds inexpensively. In other locations it's not.

Cheapest is a full DIY build from salvaged material -- best done by people with a fair amount of DIY knowledge/experience, especially if snow load is a factor.

Regardless of how the build is done, these are some of the basics:

The Usual Guidelines
For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

Chickens that cannot get outside due to severe weather conditions need much more space in the coop than this minimum recommendation.

 

[Cassandragrenr]

Some family members of mine are getting chickens, though they're very unsue about what type of chicken coop they want,
So please give me your ideas for a cheap and easy coop to build or buy!

BTW by cheap and easy, I mean DIY stuff, I've seen people use like old play houses for kids as chicken coops!! And I wanted more ideas like that but couldn't find any

 

[ChickyCh00k]

And I wanted more ideas like that but couldn't find any

You probably won't find too many people recommending that type of DIY (an old playhouse) because it's really not a great setup (again, depending on how many hens the people are planning to have?). A shed type conversion is a much better option than a playhouse (IMO). @3KillerBs comment gives the guidelines for space (indoors and out). Those are the main things to consider.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

I would check out Pinterest for ideas. You just want to make sure that you have plenty of ventilation and it’s secure if you use something like an old play house. And obviously make sure there is plenty of room.

We have an old shed next to our house that at ONE point in the last 15 yrs or so, someone used it for chickens. I would not use it as it stands now. Too many holes and it’s basically falling apart. It used to be an old outside kitchen, so it has served its purpose. But to fix it for chickens now would mean basically buying a new building.

We recently started building a duck coop and used a shipping pallet. Not a regular sized one but this one held REALLY heavy objects. We have no idea what it held but it saved us a lot in material. I’m attaching a picture to show you what it looks like. The whole top part of the trailer is the pallet. We just took the thin plywood off and built a floor on it. Didn’t have to pay for the pallet, the company just wanted it gone.

We also go to auctions and get things we can use. But again you want to watch it and make sure what your getting is going to work. We just bought 30+ telephone poles cut down to 9’ long. We will be using these to lift the Brahma house up and for a fence for the yard.