Emergency move - Help me fit 11 on the cheap and safely?!

[Skink]

I waited years and years and years to get my backyard hens. We moved in to a rental home (a nice old place) where we planned to stay at least 3 years in sept 2014. I spent a lot of time and money I had saved for the purpose, converting a shed already on the property in to a huge coop for my chickens that I got in april this year. Suddenly, the once natural and untouched lot behind our row of houses has been bowled over, turned to dirt, and is being developed in to more new housing... the result? Our landlord was swarmed with offers to sell, and he's going to. We haven't even been here a year, I haven't even gotten a single egg, and suddenly I am faced with the possibility of losing my whole flock!

I need a coop that:

• Can fit 11 or more large hens comfortably
• Can be built in limited space and moved to a new property
• Can function well in extreme Texas heat
• Is predator proof
• Assume I have to buy all materials new (do not suggest palette wood or craigslist salvage)
• Can be built for under $300

So far I'm considering a hoop coop.

If you have any plans you could recommend, PLEASE SHARE!!! I really need something with instructions! I have a learning disability which actually makes conceptualizing blueprints very hard, and just converting the shed from my own plans was a living hell. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it does have to be functional and safe! My chickens are true pets who I keep entirely for the joy of it (I'm allergic to eggs, even) so their safety and comfort is #1 for me and while it would destroy me to do it, if I can't make them safe and comfortable within these guidelines, I will have to sell them to someone who can... I can't, and won't, cut corners.

 

[TalkALittle]

Since your landlord is selling, maybe he'll let you take the shed. There are companies around me that move sheds for a fee. See if you've got one near you. It might be cheaper than your $300 budget.

 

[Skink]

Taking the shed is sadly not an option, the floor is in absolute shambles. I patched it shoddily and put down a tarp so it could hold substrate, but I'm certain if someone tried to move it the whole thing would fall apart. It is not a sturdy shed and was improved by me knocking out two walls and building in new frames it's older than me and while it does a great job where it is I don't think it would reasonably survive a move.

 

[aart]

Talkalittle has a good suggestion^^^^
...because these two things don't really go together:

• Assume I have to buy all materials new (do not suggest palette wood or craigslist salvage)
• Can be built for under $300

Do you even know where you're going to move will allow chickens?

 

[Skink]

Talkalittle has a good suggestion^^^^
...because these two things don't really go together:

• Assume I have to buy all materials new (do not suggest palette wood or craigslist salvage)
• Can be built for under $300

Do you even know where you're going to move will allow chickens?

Hoop coops are something I've found that can be built with that budget. I'm looking for more options to select from, because I have some time to try and get all this together, but still not as much time as I was like. As I elaborated above you that suggestion is impossible for me. I even went ahead and asked if we could take the shed, not knowing how much a replacement floor would cost, and was told no! So there you have it. Not fit for my situation. May it help someone else that reads this thread, but it's not a solution for me.

Of course I don't know exactly where I'm going that will allow chickens, I'm still shopping for rentals and that is irrelevant to what I'm asking. Where they're going isn't the problem, what they're staying in is. I'm not planning to keep my chickens somewhere not suited for them or where they are not allowed, if that's what you're implying.

 

[donrae]

Hoop coops all the way. In your climate you don't really need an enclosed wooden coop, as long as it's predator proof and has shade you should be good to go. Here's my thread on mine, you would want to make them longer to house all your birds together. Do a search for username Blooie, she has some great threads about her hoop run with good directions.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1003092/my-breeding-pens

Basically, each panel is around $50 new. I used two for a 6 x 10 ish area. T-posts to anchor them. Hardware cloth to cover the panel frame. Tons of zip ties, or even baling twine if you can find it. The door/gate was the most expensive part for us, you can look at different threads and see options different folks have used. Cover with a tarp and you're good to go.

Another option for a temporary shelter could be a tractor. some lumber and hardware cloth, rig a door in the roof. You can either have roosts very low to the ground, or skip the roosts and your birds can sleep on the ground....it's not their preference, but it really doesn't hurt them at all as long as the ground is dry.

 

[aart]

Quote: Sorry, we must have cross posted and I just now saw your comment about not being able to move the shed.
I was not implying anything...good luck to you.