How I made my chicken coop FOR FREE!

[JacinLarkwell]

I’m sorry but no dogs and one feral cat names mittens and she loves and dare I say protect my flock. I already said there ain’t raccoons.

Doesn't matter. We didn't have racoon for almost 30 years, then one night I lose a prized cock to one horribly.

Also dogs will roam a far, far distance. Unless literally no one within a days drive has dogs, the chance is always there. Doesn't matter the size either. Rat dogs can do just as much damage as a great dane

 

[Chicken Newbie07]

If it is 4x4 like some others have said, my experience is that 7 chickens will fight in there. It could work if you live somewhere with no inclement weather and had no predators so you could leave the door open so they could pop out as soon as they see but such places don't really exist. A covered coop-secure run might make it feasible? Most people don't have this and comments have suggested that you don't either.

The smaller the coop the more important extra space really is and with a 4x4 coop you're pushing that extra space to its limit. 4sqft is a 2x2 square - really not a lot. That's suggested as the minimum so that a chicken has room to spread its wings, dig, turn in a circle, dust bathe, etc. without touching another bird. In a large group this is less important - it's unlikely that none of the chickens will want to touch and will want to use all their space all the time. In a group of 4 it's VERY possible that all four will utilize the entirety of their personal space at once. If they can't utilize their space when they want to, they will peck each other, which leads to feather picking, stress, higher parasite levels, and a host of other issues. For reference, 6 chickens would be the legal limit for that space in many of the suburbs where I live. 10 would be the maximum legal limit state wide. You're coming awfully close to CAFO stocking levels in a coop that size. Just one broody hen with chicks would make it illegal state wide. (Chickens confined for any period of time require 1.5sqft/bird unless being transported in my state.)

It's also deeply unsuitable for broody chickens. When I had a 4x4 coop all my broody chickens had other hens trying to lay in her nest and broken incubated eggs, and then tried to sleep outside as soon as the chicks were hatched and refused to lead them up the ramp at night. Now that I have a 4x8 with four external nest boxes and three roost bars I can isolate the broody hen easily long term for the brood and she gladly leads them back up the ramp, even with a greater stocking ratio.

Now. MAYBE you're not having any problems - that's good for you! If someone else replicates it they are VERY unlikely to have the same results... And then most of us hear "Well we learned XXX from a vlogger" and we try to fix it after someone has invested time or money or expectations into a big project. Better to stop it before it starts by pointing out the flaws at the source.

Also, for being a site where chicken lovers and new comers can (or should) come together and share ideas and experiences along with advice and help, this sure is a weird response coming fr

Yep but people gonna replicate stuff anyhow. And YOU asked why people dunking on your video. If you don't wanna know why'd you ask, tbh.

A business ethics class may help you here. But I aint getting paid teacher wages to tell you about it, so my posts can speak for themselves for anyone who sees em.

Maybe that business thingy magiger would help, but since your are not getting paid to teach, let’s just offer CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

Yep but people gonna replicate stuff anyhow. And YOU asked why people dunking on your video. If you don't wanna know why'd you ask, tbh.

It’s unbelievable, it’s a simple post about how I BUILT MY COOP.

 

[Chicken Newbie07]

Doesn't matter. We didn't have racoon for almost 30 years, then one night I lose a prized cock to one horribly.

Also dogs will roam a far, far distance. Unless literally no one within a days drive has dogs, the chance is always there. Doesn't matter the size either. Rat dogs can do just as much damage as a great dane

Man, maybe I do live in the moon.
well like I’ve mentioned, this video was ONLY TO INSPIRE SOMEONE to build their own coop. Never ever said it had to be like mine. If someone has the predators you mentioned, then I completely understand how my coop would not be suitable.But that’s up to the individual and their circumstances.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Having been following this thread......

My thoughts....
Many people build coops with pallets. Some use the pallets as they are, some disassemble and rebuild them, some use them for the structure and clad the outside.

The OP has said their coop could be an inspiration..... Did not say to do exactly as they did.

While I won't say theirs is perfect (I think it is a bit small for the number of birds and may be lacking in predator proofing for most people) it works for them.

I guess what I am saying is they did not ask for a critique but rather to show what they did and maybe encourage others to be brave enough to give building a coop a try.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM

I did offer this. You just blew me off because it wasn't all sunshine and roses. Constructive criticism means seeing places where people can make improvements and suggesting how to improve it.

 

[Chicken Newbie07]

To everyone with negative feedback:
I’m sorry but I’m not a sassy or malicious woman. I just wanted to give an idea to the person out there that has no money to construct or buy what most people here advice as suitable housing. Didn’t mean to cause sooooo much chaos.
I need to get back to work, lunch is over.
I hope this post helped inspire that one person who simply wants a few fresh eggs a day for their family , and I hope someone out here knows that there’s ways to build coops for free. Bye guys

 

[Chicken Newbie07]

Having been following this thread......

My thoughts....
Many people build coops with pallets. Some use the pallets as they are, some disassemble and rebuild them, some use them for the structure and clad and the outside.

The OP has said their coop could be an inspiration..... Did not say to do exactly as they did.

While I won't say theirs is perfect (I think it is a bit small for the number of birds and may be lacking in predator proofing for most people) it works for them.

I guess what I am saying is they did not ask for a critique but rather to show what they did and maybe encourage others to be brave enough to give building a coop a try.

Thank you

 

[CrazyCochin]

Making a #palletchickencoop is very simple! I looked for free pallets online and on apps like OfferUp, I also found pieces of wood on the side of the road while driving. Once I had enough wood, I began building my #pallethenhouse .
I placed a pallet on the bottom as the floor with a piece of plastic board on top for easy cleaning. Then, I used two pallets for the sides. For the back I use wood that I found next to a Petco dumpster. The front of the coop was also built from scrap wood I found around my neighborhood. And for the roof I used a long metal slate I had laying around the farm.
All of the materials used for this #freechickencoop project were used, recycled and of course FREE. Even the screws were salvaged from previous projects that I took apart.
The purpose of this video is to share with you how you can easily make your own coop for free or at least for very very cheap.
I hope this video has given you some #chickencoopideas so you can make your own #DIYchickencoop . Get inspired & go out and remodel your coop, build one from scratch or even make some adjustments to your existing coop and get it ready for the winter.

Thank you and have a blessed day!

@Chicken Newbie07 This is AMAZING! Genius!

 

[CrazyCochin]

Too bad the OP isn't here, I would have loved for her to read some of the positive remarks this thread got.
If I could, I would do this in a heartbeat! It is a wonderful idea!
(I just hope the un-positive remarks didn't scare the OP off.....)

 

[McChooky]

Chickens should have 4 as feet each in a coop. 16sq feet divided by seven is a little more than 2 per bird

Largely depends on the flock. I have a Wyandotte that'll peck anyone who gets close to her on the roost or near the feeder.She demands her own space.