How to build a coop for 13 chickens

[LeeAnn Toler]

How can I build a chicken coop that's not going to cost too much.

 

[Welshies]

You can use scrap wood from construction companies, lumber stores, etc.
Chickens need 4 square feet of space per bird. I suggest multiplying this by two, because you will want more chickens. You need 10 square feet of space per bird in the run area, but 20-30 square feet is even better.
You need 10" of roost space per bird. 2x2s are cheaper than 2x4s. Make roosts at 3, 4, and 5 feet.
You need ventilation above the roosts, 1 square foot of ventilation per bird.
1 nest box for every 5-8 hens, 12"x12"x12".

 

[Lonesome Dough]

Northern Tool sells a framing kit that has steel angle brackets that connect straight cut 2x4s, no angles to cut no geometry PHDs required. AND THEY ARE CHEAP. like $50-60.
so for the cost of a couple dozen 2x4s and a few sheets of plywood you should be able to make a decent coop, cheap..

 

[Smuvers Farm]

How can I build a chicken coop that's not going to cost too much.

Try looking at the coops listed here on BYC. Especially Cattle Panel coops. They are seriously CHEAP to make!

 

[Folly's place]

Look at craigslist and other adds for garden sheds, and modify one of them for your chickens.
Cattle panel coops are another choice.
A modified three sided shed is another way to build something.
The Habitat Restore is also a good source for building supplies.
Don't sacrifice safety for cheap!!! Loosing chickens, sometimes all of them at once, to predators, or an electrical fire, is not the way to move forward.
Mary