I am a failure at chicken coops....

[namastemama]

Wow I wish mine looked that good! I think the lack of skills is my biggest problem. Right now I don't have any chickens. i rehomed mine after the last coop disaster. I was dealing with morning sickness and couldn't manage to fix it. I like the plastic play house idea, but its seems they go for $150 buck used here, too much $$ for me!

 

[citychickx6]

This one was made for under 200 dollars. I thought it was rather easy.
Look at it like making a box. We made a base on legs like making a simple table. This one has supports every 2 ft under the floor and the 4x4 feet are mounted in the corners. The boards around the bottom are 2x6s. Here are the pics I have of the inside.

I think you can see the side walls and ceiling as well as the roost and windows in these pics.
The coop measures 4 feet by six feet. It stands 5 feet tall with the legs being 2 feet tall.
The sheeting on the walls is called OSB or roof decking. Yes not the most durable but we coated it with 4 coats of paint to seal it. The nest box is 12x12and I think 18 where it meets the coop.

 

[mommissan]

This kit keeps coming to mind... I found it on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/2x4basics-She...XNC0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322875230&sr=8-2

 

[aoxa]

Quote:
Mine took very little time, and we were two girls building it. We had few melt downs when it came to the skill saw. I think one of us was reduced to tears. Those saws scare me!!

The best part was putting on the siding. I enjoyed that

Took a day to do everything BUT the siding. Cost us around $50 (not including the siding), you could just paint it. We went fancy

 

[swatchick]

Not sure where you're located, but in many places there are great deals for already constructed coops on craigslist, and often at very reasonable prices (and sometimes even free). You might also consider if it would be possible to locate someone in your area who has some expertise at building (or at least chicken coop building) who might be able to act as an adviser/consultant for you. I notice that you mentioned morning sickness, which leads me to believe you might have at least one little person occupying your time and attention, in which case I definitely encourage you to give yourself a break and let someone else build a simple one for you if you are set on getting chickens again soon.

 

[Nonny]

THink a little outside the box and look in your free or cheap classifieds for things like old cupboards, teachests, anything wooden and box-shaped. Then you just need to chicken proof (as in, make sure it's safe for them with no nails poking out or other things they can injure themselves on) and predator proof it, and make sure it has adequate ventilation and access. I think re-purposing something into a coop might be easier than trying to build something from scratch.

 

[hemet dennis]

Quote:
go to the home depot pro desk ask them for the name of someone that does small jobs near you

 

[Carols Clucks]

I would use what you have

I have a ryobi drill and my favorite...deckmate screws! makes building easier!

You could post section by section what you have and what you want and as for suggestions on how to get there.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Look on Craigslist for wood shipping crates or shipping containers.

 

[namastemama]

I like the idea to look for box shaped stuff. I am going off to search craigslist.