How to keep the expense down? and another Q

[BedHead]

If you don't mind sharing, how much did it cost to build your coop and run? I am looking for tips to keep the cost down as I am on a limited budget. I plan on having 4 hens, it needs to be cold weather proof down to minus 40.

One thing I would like to do is build my coop right up against the house, where there's a basement window, and have an opening so that I could open the basement window when it's really cold and heat the coop that way. Is that a dumb idea?

 

[wildorchid053]

if your basement is damp then i wouldn't.. they would get frostbite. go to construction sites and look for discarded pieces of wood.. you can also look for things if you have a habitat for humanity site near you.. place an ad, you never know who is getting rids of old windows, door, hardware. i would definately insulate it since you are were it is very cold. gl with your coop

 

[Dora'smom]

You can also visit stores like Home Depot, they generally have a "cull" area for dented or slightly damaged pieces of wood, etc. You can find some major bargains that way. Also try Craig's List for your area, I know of people who have put together most of their coop by doing that.
I'm sorry I can't tell you how much our coop cost, as it is a combination tool shed on one end, and coop on the other. I asked my husband to use the habitat for humanity restore for as much as possible, but he kept buying new. He did take advantage of Home Depot "culls" though, and we painted the walls of the interior with "oops" porch paint--$5 for a gallon at Home Depot.

Christina

 

[Bravo]

I'm in the CA Bay Area and things can get pretty pricey here in general.

My husband build our coop and run from all new materials for just about $250. The coop is 4' x 6' and insulated from floor to ceiling with 1" styrofoam (with cardboard to cover it from curious beaks). It has a roosting area and a second floor with nesting boxes and an easy access "egg door." It also has two 4" x 16" vents on each floor (cant really tell by the photos). The run is 4' x 8'.

My girls seem to really like it and I am finally getting eggs in the right place

Best of luck on your coop building endeavor!

The "egg door" (the shoe boxes have since been removed lol)

Bottom floor roosting area

The run

 

[jojo54]

Check out your local branch of freecycle. I've given alot of things away plus also have gotten some good stuff. img/smilies/thumbsup.gif" alt="thumbsup" />">http://www.freecycle.org/

 

[gsim]

Mine was pricey. It is 8 x 16 x 8 ft tall inside, ;plus a gable roof. I also have a very large run with a 6 ft steel fence set in cement and a fence charger. I had only about 5% of recyclable materials on hand at the time so I ended up over $1700 invested in it. It is visible from house and driveway so it has vinyl siding, shingles, nice trim, etc so a not to make our property look trashy.

I don't not blame you for attaching it to your house in a place like Alberta. Wintertime heat would be a necessity up there. If you can access wood chips, sawdust, shredded paper, straw, hay, you could insulate hollow walls with it for free. It is flammable tho, so best to maybe use sheetrock inside of coop if doing that especially if attached to your home.

 

[BedHead]

Our basement is not particularly damp - we have a humidifier that runs in the winter though because it's so dry, maybe that would have to be turned down? Does anyone know what the relative humidity should be at for cold chickens to avoid frostbite?

 

[cnjtnt]

Our 8 x 4 A frame chicken tractor cost about $200, including tax. Material were mostly new, except the screws and paint...which were free.

 

[rufus]

Cruise the alleys. You will find all sorts of supplies just laying there. Also after elections, there are all sorts of political signs left up. Many candidates do not bother to clean up their mess. These signs make great coop material. My chickens live in the Obama coop.

Rufus

 

[lighthawk]

Quote:
My search didn't turn up any exact numbers but I did find this...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=29893&p=2