How much did you spend on your DIY coop?

[Aji Dulce]

We just bought all the material to build our coop and my husband thought it would cost less, so I'm just curious if we overspent or if it was a normal amount($550ish). We didn't have any access to free/cheap lumber so we had to buy it all..

It's about the size, and materials you use. Basically, we built Fort Coop. We bought it all also, and ended up at about $1,000 without counting the automatic chicken door.

 

[BirdsInParadise]

I lucked out on mine.
My first coop I built for about 25 bucks. It's treated The Oldies well but will be replace in a few weeks with a coop I recently built. I choose simple designs to avoid the headaches, though.
The second coop has had several donations made towards it from contractor buddies, like sheets of wood and a 5 gallon bucket of paint. The total cost has been about 150 bucks. That includes a 24 sq ft coop and a 64 sq ft run, the wire to wrap it, hardware, wood, a couple new drill bits, etc.
I've found that it's not so much the cost, but the reward of building your own coop. My young daughters (9 & 8) have helped in the process and have learned some valuable skills.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

• Bogtown Chick
• Apr 27, 2012

• Bogtown Chick
• Apr 1, 2012

I ( construction-site)dumpster dove for throw away boards: miscut, too shorts, pulled out misfired nails. Grandma donated enough lumber for two stud walls that were in her garage for 26 years she said. Haha. Floor base was the kids' sandbox. Windows and door were free from a cabin tear down near us. Tin recycled from a cattle barn fire many moons ago that was kept by my FIL. Needless to say I did as much saving and hoarding as I could do to get it put together and I still needed to buy more 2 x 4's, tin, torque screws, hinges, latches, hardware cloth and miscellani for this coop. I would say after the run was built (which I needed to buy more and new) we are at $1,000- $1500 for 6x7 coop and 12 x 10 run. If you're at $550 you're doing good.

 

[wamtazlady]

I think my coop cost around $700 for a 6' by 8' coop and a 12' by 8' run. It has a peaked roof with a 2 foot overhang on all sides. The neighbor built it for me and he is a retired contractor so it was built as strong as a house. He used cement sheeting to cover the sides instead of plywood. In 20 years it'll probably still look great. I keep 12 chickens.

 

[Jammy Dodger]

We built our coop with the " Wichita Cabin Coop " in mind. Footprint of 6x14 with coop being 6x6 and enclosed run 6x14 (run extends under coop) . We were very fortunate to have extra money for this and spent very close to $1500.00 doing all the work ourselves . That includes 20 chicks (12 were killed by the USPS in shipping ; sorry ; i am very bitter still ), feed , etc. We live in town and didn't want our neighbors upset with a building that didn't fit in appearance wise so we probably overbuilt but the coop should last a very long time . No eggs yet , the girls are only 10 weeks old. As you can guess, they are pets and even though they are chickens, part of our little family.

 

[igorsMistress]

Our coop is an 8x12 open front and up on blocks. We covered the top with white fiberglass panels over plywood and all vents/the front are covered in hardware cloth. With extras we need for our climate I think we spent $800. That includes paint, nest boxes and initial bedding costs along with the poop board we added later.

Would love to see some pics when you're done!

 

[Hopperkiller]

My 5x8 original coop with the 8x8 run using siding, ondura roofing, 4x4s and other overbuilding techniques to secure against predators cost (according to my wife) over 2000. The latest remodel removing the ondura roof, adding a 10x10 covered run and converting the old run into the second room of the coop cost nothing. I scavenged everything for that. Learned my lesson.

 

[misssassyandthechicks]

We built our coop and run and we didn't have access to anything, so we had to buy all of our supplies too. It cost us roughly around $300-$350 once everything was done and finished. My hubby thought it would be cheaper too.

Edited to add: Coop is 4X6, Run is 5X10.

 

[featherhead007]

Duck coops cost so much more, you should see their bill! kidding!

 

[pintail_drake2004]

I built a 8'x12' coop on concrete slab, with a fully enclosed 600sqft run for $2110 ($110 over budget). But, I wanted something that would match the rest of the barns. I had to pour the concrete, which was only about $180 by itself. The (4) 36x24" windows I got were discounted, and the door was a craigslist find. I installed a full width sky light in the roof for added natural light, that clear panel was more that I expected, but worth it. The metal wasn't cheap, but I will not have to re-do anything in my life time.

Here are a couple pictures of the construction.