How much was your coop to build?

[BeardedChick]

That way I can have a small storage closet in there for feed and wood shavings and stuff.

Yes, tell your husband that.

Then when you find yourself hopelessly addicted and NEED more chickens or else you will certainly die, you can move the feed somewhere else and enlarge the coop space.

 

[ametauss]

Our first coop was about $75 a simple 4X6x2'h with a hinged lid... not a good idea for long term.... as it was wire mesh and no solid walls...

We're still building the second coop... a 8x6x6h w/people and chicken door... (people door a must) We have 9 hens and 5 roos (3 roos are in the first coop until freezer day)

DH insisted on new lumber but went cheap on the cuts...

We used 6"x10"? cement blocks to level the ground and then used 2x4s for all framing and plywood for the floor/wall/roof.... and are making nesting boxes from the left over plywood... the doors are the plywood cutouts framed w/2x4s... total cost around $350

DH had to also buy "special" tools (not sure if it was really necessary) like a new drill and drill bits, lots of screws.... Guess since he's helping my chicken habit, I can help his Manly tool habit!!

 

[herechickchick]

Mine was just over $1000 when it was all said and done. I will get photos one of these days. I figure it will hold a flock of 15 just fine.

 

[ChickenToes]

We built 2 coops for about $20 total. My father in law owns a sawmill, so all the lumber was free. My husband is a pack rat, so we already had the tar paper, shingles, hinges, nails, screws, staples, and windows. We bought a mis-tinted gallon of paint for $10 and some bigger hinges...and I think that's it.

The run was the expensive part. Two 50 foot rolls of hardware cloth was around $60. All the other fencing is chicken wire, which was free.

 

[cmom]

My first coop cost me around $1000. to build, not counting the labor. My second coop was $700. and no labor. I bought a shed from a place going out of business and made a coop out of it, with minor modifications.

 

[KeyPenCoop]

DH had to also buy "special" tools (not sure if it was really necessary) like a new drill and drill bits, lots of screws....

This was a funny comment!! I had to get a few tools when I built our coop. I got a new nail gun that shoots from 2" to 3 1/3" sinkers, a new wormdrive SkillSaw, and a whole set of new cordless tools(and I am sure I am forgetting something)

And I felt bad that I spent more on the tools than the coop :| , but I had most of the lumber saved and did a lot of recycling. We ended up with a coop that is 7' x 14' + a 20' x 20' pen for our 12 girls for under $200<----( the sheeting and rolled roofing paper for the roof) and we have a really neat home for our girls!!(and I pretty much got a new set of tools that DW thinks I 'needed').
​

 

[Heather J]

We're just finishing up a 8x12 coop, eight foot walls on one side, ten on the other (don't ask, we're crazy, just accept it). Cement pad, J hooks, exterior OSB that looks like siding, interior plywood, insulation, electricity (for lights, outlets, water heaters, outdoor lights--like I said, nuts, but I'm gonna love this), people door, three pop doors and lots of windows (super cheap), We're putting in a loft at 7 foot high over the taller part of the coop for storage and I'm also storing feed and my gardening tools out there. We don't have the run done yet, but with everything (which cost more every time dh got a brilliant idea) including the run, we're going to be stretching close to $2000. My MIL keep asking what it's costing because she wants us to build her a little bitty house, but I won't answer--and no way are we building a house, not a chance! lol

Once my silkies and cochins are old enough to start laying I'll split the pen space into three (thus the three pop doors) and the run so I can have pure eggs for sale and hatching.

My next coop is going to cost me less than $50--I swear it! I'm already gathering supplies. lol

 

[redoak]

Our 15 ft by 5.5 ft coop cost about $200. We used mostly recycled materials but had to buy some 16 ft skids, OSB, and tar paper.

 

[rhetoric]

I deliberately refused to keep track.

Initial plans to move a shed fell apart (when my mover said the shed would fall apart) and we, of course, already had the chickens.

So I had to get to work and so I figured it was just better not to know. I'm a real tightwad and I'm sure I would still be depressed if I knew how much I really spent on it (but it looks good and the chickens are happy).

 

[CityChook]

Truth - when I designed my coop, I genuinely thought it would cost $300-500. My husband just laughed and said "Pity the children."

I haven't tallied up the receipts - I don't want to... but it was alot more than $500. But I'm happy with the results and the chooks are warm and happy inside (it will dip below 20 tonight and it's not even Thanksgiving!), so all's well that ends well. And I am always very proud to show it off to anyone who will look. Just be real with yourself about how deeply involved you want to get with the coop. It can get out of control quickly. Especially if you live in a cold climate and you're purchasing building materials retail.

BTW, my DH gauges the success of a project not on the finished work, no, but on the quantity of power tools he gets to invest in because I am totally at his mercy. Sigh.