Garden Coop expenses (and ? about coop expenses in general)

[AriLovesChickens]

I really like the appearance of the Garden Coop and think I will buy the plans for it. On the site, he estimates material prices at Home Depot to be $660, and when I searched the archives, I found where someone had spent considerably more. So this question could be for coop construction in general, but especially for anyone who has looked over the Garden Coop plans: what might make a difference in keeping costs down? Could I could get used materials (and from where) that would cost less than new but still look nice?

Another thing...he says you can make modifications fairly easily. I was thinking that I really don't need it to be 8' tall - I think 6' would suffice. Would that provide any savings? Or is the 8' due to door height?

 

[Splinty]

We are new to chickens so I can only tell you what our chicken tractor has cost us so far. It is built for 3 chickens. My husband made it himself (no plans). He used 3/4 inch plywood for the sleeping area, 2x4's for most of the frame except the bottom that sits on the ground which he used 2x6's. So far it has cost us a little over $400. That price includes the wood, hardware cloth, locks, tools he didn't have and the stain. We are using left over linoleum tiles we used for our kitchen. The only other thing he might have to buy is the wheels only if the ones he has from an old mower doesn't work. We bought everything from Home Depot. I'm hoping we are done spending money because this started out only costing about $150.

 

[AriLovesChickens]

Yeah, I'm afraid it is something that could quickly get out of hand!

 

[Splinty]

LOL he wanted to buy thinner wood for the door buy I told him to cut the left over 2x4's to the size he needs. Look around you house for ANYTHING that can be used. We did and found we had hinges and a couple of locks we can use and saved money that way. He even altered the door so we won't have to buy more hardware cloth.

I know Lowes here in NY was having a big wood sale but it was too late for us. He had already started building the tractor.

 

[Chemguy]

I haven't priced out a building list for my own coop, which is under construction. What I've found, though, is that if I'm willing to be patient and also keep my eyes/ears open, building materials start to come out of nowhere! I found a kids' museum that regularly gets shipments of exhibits from other museums (they all share). The exhibits come in large plywood packing crates, and they can't be reused. They were grateful for me to come along and remove the crates that had piled up over a couple of years. They also had some framed walls used for their exhibits that no longer met their needs. This was unexpectedly wonderful for me and the museum. All I had to do was pull (a lot of) nails. I also found the local Habitat for Humanity Re-Sale store, which stocks donated overstock from local construction projects. There is also a good salvage yard in my town. A yard sale find led me to a couple of windows, and now that my friends have learned what I am doing, they let me know when they hear of someone who has some wood available for free. I've heard that Craigslist is also a good source of material.

Since I have a good idea of what I might need for my coop, it's not a problem to say "thank you, but no" to well-meaning donors. So far, I estimate that I have about %70 of all the wood I need for the coop and the run. I have spent $30 on post hole cement. The big cost will come in when I buy the wire for the run. That alone will probably cost about $300.

So, a good, cheap, way to build the coop you want is to start hunting down bargains and beating the bushes.

 

[chicken_noob]

One thing on the 8' 2x4's.. they don't make them 6'. You could buy the 8's and cut them down to 6' and then have 2' pieces for other uses.

 

[DvanderSlik]

We decided on the Witchita Chicken Coop (you can see it on my BYC page). It costed about $500. The one thing I wouldn't change is the hardware wire for chicken wire. The hardware wire allows me to sleep at night

If you Google Witchita Chicken Coop, it should pop up with plans (or at least step by step directions). We absolutely adore it.

 

[AriLovesChickens]

Dvander - That's nice! Looks very similar.

 

[chicken_noob]

That's a nice coop.

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Quote:
No they do not make that size but you can buy 12'2x4's and have them cut them in half there fits in car/truck better for trip home or just take the wood home and cut it there. We did this it saves money and does not wast wood I think it's a Win Win