Edging over $600 for my coop and run.

[Txbufforpington]

Wow I didn't realize it was going to take that much $$ to build my coop. I bought most of the materials and were going to start building tomorrow. It's going to be a 20'x8' coop and a 24'x29' run. Is this going to be enough for 40 birds or will they be too crowded?

 

[tnchickenut]

20 times 8 is 160... divide by 4 (sq ft per bird) and you have exactly room for 40 IN THE COOP. The run sounds very small and you will be out of grass in three days. Or less.

my first coop cost me $900 and it was for 9 birds!!! lol. The good news is, I still use it years later. Now, I slap crap together and have built homes for chickens in a hour with less than $80 in it. LOL!

 

[Bev in Nevada]

Quote:
LOL @ Slap Crap

 

[Katydid2011]

I'm not surprised by the cost. Our first coop was built almost entirely with salvage we had on-hand from other projects and cost less than $20. It quickly became garden art (it's very cute) because it was just too small. Our next coop was larger and a little more expensive. We thought we were being practical, frugal, creative, and we were. I mean, we do still use the second coop as a quarantine coop when we bring in new birds, but we ended up building a large barn coop that cost a pretty penny or two and it was well worth it. Happy hens that don't fight = fewer sleepless nights for me.

The best advice I can offer, based on my own experience, is to go as big as you can. You won't regret it! Chickens tend to pick on each other when they're crowded. Even though 4 sqare feet per bird is touted as a reasonable minimum, I found that my birds needed at least twice that much coop space for happy co-existence.

 

[Wise Woman]

I will be starting my new coop in a few weeks as well. The first coop we ever built back in 2002 cost us around $400. Now that the price of wood has gone up so much I expect this one will cost double that, even though they are similar in size. The run on our first coop was covered in vinyl lattice and lined with hardwire cloth so it would look nice for the neighbors. This time I don't think we will be able to afford the lattice which is ok. I would rather put the money into the actual coop. If we decide the lattice is a necessity, then I will go ahead an purchase some. But we will see. I have a budget of $100 to $150 per pay day to spend on the coop until it is done. I am hoping not to go over $600, but I am prepared to keep take the money out of each paycheck until it is done and done right. So I expect it could go as high as $1000. But, I never want to have to go through this again. My husband gets more upset with each coop, so I need to build my ultimate coop and call it a day and hopefully we won't ever move again and have to build another one. So I am biting the bullet and putting everything else on hold that I possibly can and doing this. We will be building a new goat house once the coop is done, so it won't end with the coop. The goat house, however, is much easier for some reason. Probably because they don't need a run, just a door to the pen and the inside will be simple as well. Just sleeping shelves and a milking table. No floor, just the dirt. I am thinking of putting sand in their house as well to absorb urine. I will have to go to the goat section and check on that. I have a feeling it's gonna be a looooong summer. If I had the extra cash, I would just call in my carpenter and have him build them, but then the cost would double. Perhaps I should start buying lottery tickets to fund my animal hobbies! I hope you will show us pictures when you are done.

 

[chrisrapp4]

Ours cost about $600.00 so far, still need to finish run and some odds and ends hopefully it's the last one we will have to build.

So much for "let's raise chickens and save some money"!

 

[ralleia]

Our 10' x 12' coop with shingled roof and attached run (10'x13') was built in about seven years ago and cost us about $1000. We were very short of money and I about croaked at the cost. I hadn't planned for that much at all.

The actual chicken area of the coop is roughly 10' x 7'6" and has been housing 42 birds for the past seven months. They free-range a bit on nice days.

So, running $600 so far isn't out of the expected range, though I'm sure that's more than you wanted to pay. One learns that one doesn't raise chickens to save money anyway--it's those gorgeous eggs with orange-yellow tall yolks, and the joy of chicken personalities. It's very peaceful and entertaining to watch them scratching in the yard and gardens.

 

[SueMuffin]

Ok, is everyone sitting down? I had my first coop built by a retired house builder. I bought the plans for $25.oo on line. Now mind you this is a 12x8 coop, with a shed roof. I did have him insulate it and I did buy a screen door and New windows, 3 Storm windows with screens and 2 basment tilt out windows for ventilation. Oh and one slider for the storage area of the coop. I put glass board under the roosts and on the coop floor, to make cleaning easier. Now are you sitting down? $6000.00. yes I said six thousand bucks. Let me tell you if there is ever a tornado I'm going into the coop cause its built better than my house!!! And I only had 6 chickens!!

 

[patman75]

Its best that you just stop keeping track. Ignorance is bliss. Check out my BYC page.

 

[True Grit]

Quote:
Suddenly, I feel happier...