How much did it cost for you to build your own coop?

[clarkb20]

I have 13 chickens, and I made and 8x8x8 coop and a 8x10 run... it was probably close to 700-800$ to buy all my own wood and everything.

 

[snoggle]

If you aren't really handy, the cheapest option might be to keep an eye out on Craigslist to see if any used coops or sheds come up for sale. Right after I spent too much money on my 6 x 8 coop (but it is adorable), I found a listing on Craigslist for two used coops for sale for way less money than I spent on my one. The guy was moving across the country and couldn't take them with him. You can find some awesome deals out there if you're patient.

 

[joan1708]

If you want a nice, safe, and big enough coup, it's going to cost you either way. I don't think the average amateur builder saves a lot of money building his own coup when you take into consideration the time and aggravation it takes to get it done. Count on endless trips to Home Depot/Lowe's, having to undo things and do them over again, maybe more than once. And it takes 2-3 times longer than it should to build.

Having said all that, it is an adventure to build one, even if it looks a little lopsided and goofy.

And, you can't deny that homemade coops have a certain charm.

 

[Habibs Hens]

i decided to build my own coop

i build it froma 4x6 shed with attached run that is 6x10

now to buy one that size would be aprox £1000 plus

for me to build myself

the shed was £230 i then adapted it a little
the material for nest box, run and mesh was aprox £250

im still building it at the moment but once finished it will set me back about £500 total and not only will be awsome but built to the way i like it and not prebuilt

sometime i find prebuilt are nice but have that room for improvment that can never be changed

 

[OldGuy43]

Depends on the weather where you are. Here in central Texas we don't really need one. I built them a little lean-to shelter to get out of the sun and weather and it cost me nothing. Built it out of scrap lumber and pallets.

 

[Red Barn Farms]

We were lucky to already have an existing small barn on our property which we converted 3/4ths of it into a chicken house. The barn is roughly 32 x 36. So the cost was low but still we added a run area to the side which at the moment is only 8 x 16 foot but we plan on enlarging it later in the year. We have 14 chickens but will be adding more soon. By the time we bought everything we needed, feeders, wood, chicken wire, etc for a total cost of around 250.00. We got by cheap!

 

[ChickenRMe]

For one of my coops, I bought an old 6x6 shed for 225$ then just customized the inside for about 75$ total cost ended up being about 310$ houses 14-16 chickens easy. If you can find things like old sheds etc, used on craigslist, or yardsale anywhere. Its usually alot cheap to find those then add onto them.

 

[Tweakster]

Too Much!

If you live in the country and spend a pile of cash on a coop, the neighbors are gonna wag their heads. If you live in a neighborhood and don't spend enough to make the coop look and smell nice, the neighbors are gonna wag their heads. I live in a neighborhood and spent enough to make sure my neighbors don't complain, and went above that to meet the DW's request to make it look nice. Gotta balance what you need to do with what you want to do.

I'm afraid I don't have chickens anymore, I have large feathered pets!

 

[ll]

Exactly

I wish I saved every receipt but am glad I didn't. We were lucky to have an unused shed on our property. We could have made anything we wanted, but I knew the space in the structure would be awesome for 2 hens and easy for me to work in. Too bad it wasn't already wood because we filled it with wood, that would have been cheaper. But we like it alot!

Too Much!

If you live in the country and spend a pile of cash on a coop, the neighbors are gonna wag their heads. If you live in a neighborhood and don't spend enough to make the coop look and smell nice, the neighbors are gonna wag their heads. I live in a neighborhood and spent enough to make sure my neighbors don't complain, and went above that to meet the DW's request to make it look nice. Gotta balance what you need to do with what you want to do.

I'm afraid I don't have chickens anymore, I have large feathered pets!

 

[Anna_MN]

My coop is 6ft x 8ft. We had most of the plywood, 2x4s, and insulation laying around here. But for the posts for the run, the wire, hardware, nails, steel for the roof, and the plexiglass for the windows, we have spent about $700. But then again, ours has wire buried 7 inches down that is completely enclosed underneath the dirt. There is no way a predator could get in unless they brought a wire cutters with them. The cost of safety and protection can be high, but it's worth it.