Ideas for a Small Backyard Coop?

[Sk8inChick(en)]

Hello!

I feel like I am posting a question thread on every forum here!

I'm looking to build a small backyard coop for 3-4 hens, and would prefer not to spend much more than $100 on materials.

It would have to be predator-and-dog-proof and would have to fit in a relatively small area.

I really don't know much about coop design/construction and if anyone has any ideas on what type of coop/chicken tractor that could possibly work, that would be wonderful!

Thank you!

 

[Bullitt]

Are you wanting to just build a coop, or do you need a run also? I wasn't sure if you planned to let your hens free range during the day.

You could find a large doghouse and modify it with a latching door, a roost pole, and a nesting box with a lid that can be raised.

You can build a coop out of free wood pallets. You could use 6 pallets to make a box. Again, you would need to make a latching door, a roost pole, and a nesting box with a lid. If you are in a warm climate you might not need to cover the coop. Or you can cover it with tar paper and roofing shingles. Try to find free materials on Craigslist.

You can go to Google and search for pallet chicken coops or doghouse chicken coops to see pictures of what others have built.

 

[Hawkeye95]

You won't be able to build a coop out of new materials for that cost. Just your hinges and hardware alone will cost around $40 (screws, hinges, locks, etc..) But there is no reason you can't build something that cheap! I'm nearly done with my little silkie coop for 3 -- it's small, but it's all I needed for the time being. I have a much larger coop for my other birds. So I just used old lumber that blew down in our last tornado-- yeah, the pieces are all the wrong sizes and I had to get REALLY creative with piecing it together. But it's functional. If I were you-- I'd start looking for free pallets or cheap lumber on CraigsList. This is the pile I'm working with from my front lawn-- and hey, I'm getting my lawn cleaned up from last years storm.

This is my coop coming along.... I'll go get another picture of it now.

 

[3forfree]

Look at link below there's 111 pages of coops maybe you will see one you like and can copy it. There are alot of people here on BYC that make things out of pallets, and most pallets are free.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/2/Coops

 

[Hawkeye95]

Okay-- here is my coop getting closer to being done... My wood pile is almost down to nothing. (free wood) I have $40 of hardware in this coop-- $20 on screws and another $20 on hinges and locks for the large clean out door on the back, the window and the nest box door on the side. Everything else is stuff I have around here. It is 17 inches off the ground and only 4 feet in length and 3 feet in width. But like I said, it's not meant for a lot of birds. It needs another coat of paint and then I'm going to shingle the roof with left over shingles I have from my large coop. It'll be functional, but it won't win any beauty pagents.

This could be done out of pallet wood, too. If you did that, you'd need the 2X4's for your posts, but otherwise, I bet you can do it for about $100. Good luck and I hope you score on some cheap or free wood!!

 

[Sk8inChick(en)]

Thank you for all the ideas!

And yes, I would need to build a run. The chickens would only be able to free range when there was someone in the yard, due to predators. They probably would not be out more than an hour or two each day.

Thank you for all the replies, all this infomation is really helpful!

 

[Bullitt]

Here is a website with pictures of chicken tractors. Some of the chicken tractors have an open bottom, so that predators can get under the run. So you need to be mindful of that.

http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html

 

[Jaxon4141]

I think you could build a coop and run for maybe closer to $150 if you could make it yourself. How big is your yard and how long do you want your run to be?

 

[GardenGal]

Our coop was inspired by the Purina plan posted here on BYC. The siding is just pallet wood and the plywood was salvaged. And we had everything else left over from other projects. The coop cost almost nothing - the fencing was about $200 (replaced the chicken wire shown in picture) (P.S. Hawkeye, that's a great coop!)

 

[Jaxon4141]

I build modular runs like these and sometimes string them together creating 100' runs. They are made out of a roll of fencing and a 50' roll would let you build five 5 units. That would give you 25' of run. They are reliably predator proof, stand up to wind even if they are covered and you don't need much more than wire cutters and zip ties to build. A roll of heavy gage 2"x4" galvanized 60" welded fencing around this area is around $89.
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/4/4f/200x200px-ZC-4f42ecdc_P2290005.jpeg
http://cdn.backyardchickens.com/e/e3/200x200px-ZC-e3eaaa60_P6140319.jpeg