HELP!!! My chicken coops burnt down

[interlaaken]

There is a guy out in the county who is raising chickens in a large camping tent. He is using saw horses for roosts and recycling bins for nesting boxes. I understand this is a temporary plan for him but he's been doing it for a while. He has some basic wire fencing for a run. Not super predator proof but he zips them in at night and has his dog stand guard against predators during the night. Check Craigslist.com and keep an open mind. A coop can be almost anything. Do you have a garage?

 

[twentynine]

Covered hoop house inside of a larger covered hoop house. Plans available here on BYC, vary size to allow size difference for air space insulation. Cost pretty cheap and easy to build.

 

[blurose]

It seems you might have the four-legged predator problem cropping up. Without coops to protect your birds, racoons, opposums, foxes and the neighborhood dogs will take the opportunity to come shopping at your poultry market. Sorry. I forgot to say that my "temporary" coop was also completely covered in chickenwire and sat on 4 ft. stilts. I'm curious to know where you were when the fires were going. Aren't your coops near your house? Have you checked with your neighbors to find out if they know what happened?

 

[purpletree23]

Sounds like you might have a problem with a 2 legged predator. Did you call the police to report the fire. Sounds suspicious. Do you own your own home? Would any of the damage be covered by insurance?

Call your local schools that have carpentry classes and see if a teacher at the school would allow his students to build a coop for class credit. Call the boyscouts. Sometimes they do projects for people in my area. Paint, rake leaves etc. Are there any houses being built in your area? Ask the site forman if you can have scrap wood. Put an ad on Craigs list that you are looking for building materials. Someone might answer.

Do you have family that can get together and help? How about anyone at church or friends?

Look on Craigs List for a free camper. They work great as chicken coops (you have to gut them) and a lot of times the person giving it away will tow it to your place for free.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Have any of your neighbors complained about the chickens and the coops? It really does sound like a good time to talk to everyone who knows you have chickens. You THINK the fire was in the daytime? Did you leave in the morning and come home to smoking ruins, or do you not live there full-time?
It really sound like something done on purpose, and the fact that no one has come forward to tell you they put it out is very suspicious to me.

Good luck, it sounds like you have your hands full.

 

[gsim]

Check for pallets at all retail outlets. You might be surprised to see how many you can get for free. You still need a secure pen for preds tho. A tarp will do for turning rain away.

 

[loralei]

Do you have a college with an architecture department near you? Architecture students love projects like this, are great at talking stores into donating matterials and they get practical construction experience to add to their resumes, which is very valuable but hard for them to get. I know the school I went to had a program similar to habitat for humanity and we worked on everything from a facility for day workers to a community garden!

Yep! Young, idealistic, enthusiastic, free labor! Cook up a big ol' pot of red beans and rice and I can assure you they would be thrilled!

Godspeed,
Laura