Illinois, Does anyone know where I can get a coop built?

[kfdaycare]

Hi! I am looking for a coop, with a good sized run. Will eventually house 8 chickens. I have been looking for one built online to have shipped ,but the runs all seem small.

We are not able to build one...no time. We work to much. It has to be nice looking as not to offend neighbors.

Can someone please point me in the right direction?

Thank you!!!

 

[Howard E]

For the same or less money than it would cost you to buy an inferior coop, you could come up with a reasonable set of plans (or sketch out the general idea for one yourself), buy the materials and then hire someone local to bang it together for you. These need not be heirloom quality built to the highest, exacting standards, so are not difficult to build, so don't take highly skilled labor.

Most local lumber yards could probably give you the number of 2 or 3 guys to call.

 

[kfdaycare]

Thank you very much for your help.

I have tried that...have only found one that will help...and what he came up with was serviceable...but not attractive. I need it to be functional and somewhat pretty. Can't upset the neighbors and I do have beautiful landscaping.

We work every day...and time is a factor. My husbands thought of the day was to buy an online coop and do some reinforcing...and then build a good run to add to it.

I have spent so much time looking for this....can't wait for our chickens...so excited....but this coop thing...having a hard time

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you don't mind spending for something nice, you can look in your area for companies that specialize in either custom sheds or mini barns, and have it tailored exactly to your specifications (you can even match your house). I plan on doing that in the future. Or you can buy a premade shed from a home improvement store (which should be a lot less expensive) but that will need some amount of alteration to turn it into a coop, mostly adding ventilation, roosting and nesting areas, and a chicken sized entrance/exit. Or if you have anything like an Amish community nearby, I've seen people post photos of Amish built coops that look pretty nice. My feed store also sells coops in that fashion, not flimsy kits but nice, handcrafted ones - but they only sell them locally due to size and weight.

It's just hard to recommend anything prebuilt, online, as most coops sold online are fairly small and not suitable for 8 chickens.

Same goes for the run, you can hire a fencing company to fence off an area for a run. I have a chain link double run with 3 gates, with the coop in one run and vegetable garden beds in the other. Something like that doesn't come cheap though.

 

[Howard E]

I presume you have gone through the coops section here on BYC?

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

If so, which one of these is of a type and style that would meet your requirements?

 

[Howard E]

Also, if it gets down to crunch time and you need something in a hurry, go to craigslist and search for "chicken coop". In most areas, something locally made will turn up. Some better than others, but they will be available and from folks who have built them to sell to you.

Keep in mind that most.......not all, but most...........pre-fab coops have one serious flaw. They are mostly built to sell to folks like you. As such, a lot of builders go to a lot of trouble and expense to create "cute" so it will sell, but at the expense of things that really matter as relates to poultry husbandry and things that down the line will be important towards the safety and comfort of your birds. Worse, many of these builders simply do not know what it takes to keep birds alive and happy. They only think they know, or assume it doesn't matter. Many assume that as long as it has a bunch of nest boxes.......a roost or two, a pop door and looks "cute", it's exactly what you and your birds want and need.

Its only when the trouble starts do most bird owners realize where the problems are. But that is often the case with home built coops too. Experience is a great teacher.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I understand, in suburbia attractive can be important. Your neighbors do not want property values to drop.

Eight chickens is kind of a rough number. You can build an elevated coop to house them but it’s getting at the tipping point as far as numbers go. I have a personal preference for a walk-in coop, they just seem to make your life easier when you get into that number of chickens. You don’t say where you live either, I’m mainly thinking about how cold or hot it gets. You can generally handle cold better with a walk-in coop than an elevated one, though people manage with the elevated ones. A walk-in coop gives you enough height to handle ventilation in hot and cold weather, and in cold weather gives them more room inside so they aren’t as bad off if trapped by snow. There is nothing clear-cut that says you have to do one or the other with eight chickens.

You are getting some good suggestions above, but I understand you don’t have time to do anything yourself. I think that limits you quite a bit. My suggestion is to go to the coop section above and select a 6’ x 8’ or even an 8’ x 8’ that you like. Most of them have plans and maybe even a materials list. That’s bigger than the absolute minimum you need but you can follow the link in my signature below to see part of why I like more than the absolute minimum. If you don’t have time to build it you don’t have time to handle issues that crowding them can cause.

Now you need someone to build it. You can talk to friends and relatives or check things like Angie’slist, but I’d suggest going to your local hardware store and chat with them. They deal a lot with local handymen/small contractors so they should have some suggestions. There is a leap of faith involved, they might recommend a brother-in-law that is out of work and needs a job, but I’ve had some pretty good luck doing this. To me, this is the hard part, getting the right person to build it.

Good luck!

 

[kfdaycare]

Thank you! I talked to the feed store and they are sending me pictures of what they can build. They aren't as pretty as I'd like in my yard...but they are nice. Thinking about having them do it and then adding trim, etc to make it cuter.

Great answer..thank you!

 

[kfdaycare]

Thank you!!

 

[kfdaycare]

I finallly decided! I've spent hours agonizing!! Finally ordered this one prebuilt...and my husband will reinforce it to make it stronger if needed. He's also going to bulid an add on to the run. Excited!! Thanks for your help!