how much would you expect to spend

[cracked_egg]

To build a 10x10 or 12x12 coop?

There is an auction for those little storage buildings this weekend, and I am hoping to get a deal, but if not I'll have to build my own.... I had them in a horse stall, but with no floor I'm having rodent trouble... Idk, maybe I should just put a floor in the stall and forget it?

 

[CT_Todd]

Yes...secure the stall from rodents sounds the cheapest way to go

 

[Ema]

we put our chickens in a 11 x 12 coop made out of reclaimed wood and pallets found throughout the stores in our community, didn't spend a cent except for screws and chicken wire. we have tons of field mice or deer mice as they are called, we also have loads of moles. we took some tin siding we had laying around and placed it on the bottom half of the wood digging into the ground about 2 inches. mice are great diggers but it deters them and truthfully those who really want to get in soon discover it was a bad idea since chickens eat mice. since building the coop and using the tin I have had 1 mole in there a baby and they barely left anything. their floor has a construction road cloth ( free from hubby's workplace, cloth is used under the asphalt so its super strong) this keep the dirt floor from coming into contact with the straw I use for their bedding. the cloth is breathable and drains really well. I use 1 bale of straw every month which costs me 3 bucks and they are quite happy. My run is also made from pallets and again I only purchased the chicken wire and the screws. in total so far I have spent 78 bucks in chicken wire and screws.

 

[teach1rusl]

It just varies too much. As you read, one person did it basically freecycle, but that takes time (and a little luck...because I check out the free stuff on CL often and rarely find a deal). I'm sure others have spent upwards of 2 grand on something that size.
Price will matter when it comes to whether the want a "pretty" coop with bells and whistles, or just a safe place for your birds. If I had a stall available, I'd probably put my money into remodeling it, with a pop door leading outside into the run.

 

[cracked_egg]

Lol! Thanks guys!

. I'm still not sure what to do. This is a horse farm, with three large barns. At the moment I don't use the one the chickens are in except storage... It is 72x60 and unfortunately the chickens tend to stay IN the barn rather than out and about which equals poop on everything! But the stall already has a roost and nest boxes. Was thinking of just cementing base. ??

 

[Schwartzfarmnc]

We just finished our 12x10 coup, but we went a little overboard. After reading here for months, we decided to build a place bigger than we needed, just in case our chicken math did not add up. We insulated and put pretty nice wood everywhere because I did not want to have to redo later or wish I would have done it in the first place. With that being said, my total cost so far is approx. $3000.00 just to give you an idea of what it would cost you to do it yourself. Hope this helps.

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd invest a few hundred in enclosing a stall (or two...however much you're willing to give them) so they don't have free run of the barn. That way they're very protected from the elements, and for the most part predators. You could do cement w/bedding on top...or lay down a wood floor w/scrap vinyl and bedding. If they didn't have free run of the barn, they'd probably take advantage of a pop door to an outside run...

Schwartz...you know, once you spend the money you really don't think about it too much, do you (other than joking about selling a dozen eggs for $20 a pop to eventually break even...and those jokes usually only last for the first year...

)

 

[ducks4you]

Quote:
I am also a horse-owner. If you don't want to buy rubber mats for that stall, for the future, then DO NOT pour cement down for your chickens. I don't know where you live, but it's a little bit late to start a coop--I'm different, because DH and I cheated and stalled our birds last winter, (2009-2010) BUT we've been in the coop-planning stage for over a year now, and have begun construction. My birds were self-contained in the stall--I separated them from the adjoining stall with chicken wire. I would NOT want to have my chickens pooping all over my barn.

Plus, I already had my summer quarters set for my birds.
(check out my BYC page)
Given further thought, if you have three barns, save yourself the horse-training (or breeding--you didn't say what you do) TIME, and fix up and leave your chickens there. I can't remember what thread, but somebody on this forum wrote that their birds flutter up to the top of their high-ceilinged barn every night and roost there. A barn is a natural place for your chickens.

 

[cracked_egg]

Lol... Yep, I'm a horse trainer, breeder and instructor. I don't plan on needing this stall ever! Lol. There are 30 stalls on the farm, we use about 20 of them at the fullest, more than that and I'd need to hire more help! So, this extra barn has stalls on each side and a small arena in the center. They don't have a pop door, but maybe that is the perfect solution??? Right now they just get let out of the stall into the "arena" section, then they can go outside from there... Instead they hang out on my boat trailer and a ladder and eat their grower feed rather than going out and scratching...

They don't have a run at all. Basically because I live far enough off the road and far enough from neighbors that I don't worry.

The current "set up" is good enough imo for my hatchery stock, but I'd like to get serious about breeding wyandottes, so wanted something more secure for such an investment!

I don't know, I guess if I can get one of these 10x10 barns for a grand I would do it. I estimated about 800 to build it but then idk... Maybe I should look at some barn kits?

lol. The little portable barns from Menards don't cost that much at all, I just wanted something I could put on wheels and move around, I think I can settle, lol.

 

[xyresicchick]

i have this rat zapper i got at tractor supply co for 50$. so far in the past two weeks it has zapped (and killed) 2 rats, a field mouse and stunned a squirrel. cheapest pest control ever. i do not regret that 50$ splurge at all!