Housing for meat birds

[nhchickmom]

WE are hoping to have a flock of meat birds this summer, about 25? We are going to house them separate from our laying flock so we do not get attached, as well as fence them in so they don't bother the neighbors ( are layers are free range) Any suggestions for cheap and temporary housing? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[what eggs]

If these work out are you going to do it again next year? Do they need to be secure in a locked hen house at night?
Maybe some of these ideas will help.
houses made of scrap wood, pallets, old sheds, playhouses, cover things with tarps for shelter.
Look on craigslist for outdoor chain link dog kennels which go for up to 200 but will be sometimes much cheaper or free in those "just moved in get this out of here" situations. Wire the top, bottom, branches for roosts and tarp for shelter

A hoop house with a 4x4 or 2x4 bottom frame and the hoop part made of pipe, pvc again using wire top and bottom.

I see cattle/hog/feedlot panels mentioned often as being cheap and durable to make a hoop house as above or a rectangle pen.
http://www.plamondon.com/hoop-coop.html

Other material sources would be freecycle, craigslist free section, construction sites, remodel scraps, fencing companies to inquire about what happens to old fencing when they are replacing it.
To fund my expansions I have had to be flexible about the source of my supplies. A handrail thrown out from a remodel is now a 2nd perch in the hen house, leftover new shingles from a neighbors re-roofing were free and now on my hen house roof, old stockade wooden panels left in a pile when a neighbor had a new fence installed-free for the asking, wire shelving units picked up for under a dollar each in a going out of business store are now in my shed holding chicken supplies.
Good luck with your meat birds and supply search

 

[nhchickmom]

Quote:
Thank you so much for your great ideas! I have just started working part time so that we can have more time as a family and we are looking for ways to do things less expensively. These ideas are so helpful. I will let you know when I make a decision. Thanks again.

 

[Southerngirl]

We bought pvc pipe framed it up, zip tied the chicken wire around it and have a heavy tarp to protect them from the wind and rain. We move it each day. Cheap, easy, and functional !! They are now 5 weeks and will be building another to split our groups into. We bought 60 from Hoovers hatchery and they are filling out nicely! Good luck !