How fast could i get a coop done?

[ChickenPeep]

I have been searching online for chicken coops, and searching, and searching, and searching, and.... oh yes... searching! I havent found anything the size i need for under $500. I decided that we should probably build 2 coops the size for 4 chickens.
Does anyone know how long it might take to build these?

 

[Omran]

Quote:
it depends on how handy you are with the saw and how much experiance you have with wood, when I done my first coop it took me for ever to figure out what is going on, now I can build a small coop (like 8x8) in one to two days if i have all the lumber I need.

 

[Wisher1000]

Plan first! You can probably build one large coop and put in a partition, if you need to, for the same price or cheaper. Remember, build as big as you can, chicken math starts as soon as the first chicks arrive! You never hear of anyone saying, "I Sure Wish I had built a smaller coop!"

 

[j3707]

Of course the answer is, "it depends"....

Depends on your skill and how fancy you want the coop to be.

To give you an idea, I built my first bare-bones coop, suitable for about 4 standard chickens, in a weekend. That included time salvaging lumber from a bunch of pallets.

Your mileage may vary!

 

[ScottyHOMEy]

Just distilling some of what's been written so far . . . It'll depend on budget, experience/skill, and what you want for an end product.

Looking at building from scratch, not a kit (that you seem to have shopped around for . . .)

My big coop, the Pullet Palace, intended as a year-round for my layers . . . tall enough for me to walk around in (5x8 on the bottom , 5' at the back, 7' at the front), wired for lights and a water warmer took several weeks. Sided with shiplap, so a lot of cutting (a chopsaw is a wonderful thing!).

For the meat birds, a large doghouse, 4x8, 2-1/2' at the front, 2' even at the rear with lots of hinges to make for easy access for both feeding and cleaning, it was a healthy day's project. They are a mild weather project, so no wiring involved. Built it as a sled so I can put it anywhere I want. Because I intend top move it on the runners periodically, I used plywood instead of OSB for the sides, so the flexing of the frame doesnt break the screws holding the siding to out so readily.

Something that size and design can be done in a day if you have the materials, tools, and experience. Same design, with any one of those elements missing, figure three or four days.

Chicken rule #1 -- do not order/buy chicks before the coop is built.

Go for it, and good luck!

 

[Desert Rooster]

I took me 4 months to build mine, and I'm STILL making modifications to it

 

[KDK1]

Took me 2 days to build a 4X13 coop. But then again, I've been building houses for 35 years and have all the tools and knowledge.

 

[Patricia Jane]

It took months for mine to be built. I had a game plan of what I wanted but made a lot of changes along the way. And yes, yes,yes build big for chicken math. I started out with just wanting 4 and I'm up to 10 and this all happened with in a few months. I have expaned my coop twice now. If I get anymore, well lets rephrase that, when I get more I have to build a 2 coop as I can't add on to the first anymore. My advise is plan it out first. draw it out, get all what you need together then build and yes don't buy chicks until it's built. Good luck and have fun.

 

[TigerLilly]

It's taken me more than a year just to figure out what I want...

 

[UncleTommy]

Quote:
Can I get a Amen! Expanding is a ....well, you know what