INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[LonelyPageTurne]

I echo M2H...we built our coop two years ago from scratch.
A combination coop/shed/potting shed. Easy, right?
I started as soon as it was warm enough to pour a small concrete floor and planned to be finished before Memorial Day.
I stuck to the design I made, but the timeline turned out to be a joke. Finished it before it snowed though!

My budget was triple from what I had planned to spend. (Of course that does not include the hospital bills from accidentally shooting myself with a framing nailer!)
Anyway...we love our shed/coop and it is exactly what we wanted. If I knew then what I know now, I would've just paid a professional to do it!

Well that's quite a lot more than I'm planning on for my very simple coop

 

[ellymayRans]

I echo M2H...we built our coop two years ago from scratch.
A combination coop/shed/potting shed. Easy, right?
I started as soon as it was warm enough to pour a small concrete floor and planned to be finished before Memorial Day.
I stuck to the design I made, but the timeline turned out to be a joke. Finished it before it snowed though!

My budget was triple from what I had planned to spend. (Of course that does not include the hospital bills from accidentally shooting myself with a framing nailer!)
Anyway...we love our shed/coop and it is exactly what we wanted. If I knew then what I know now, I would've just paid a professional to do it!

Awe Pg! It's really gorgeous! We built a new one over the summer. It's 2 ft off the ground on deck concrete things..lol...but I think we only out of pocket $200 as the roofing paper, shingles and old barn wood siding were all gathered for free from different family members. A lot of 2xs we already had too. We bought plywood and hardware and other lumber but that's it. My DH is nice but I couldn't dare get up the courage to ask for anything more than what my original request was! Lol.

Sorry but I did chuckle at your comment regarding your self-inflicted injury!

This is ours almost finished.
O and unless you find certain pallets the ones I've tried using were a nightmare trying to get apart! Needless to say I didn't. Now I have used them for temporary breeding pens as a run.

 

[jsummers]

Update: only 3 geese left! Lone gander and a pair!

 

[pginsber]

WOW!  I LOVE IT!!!!  Seriously envious!!  I have been researching turkey housing needs ever since meeting Racinchickins turkeys .  Is turkey math a thing?  I am trying to figure out an EASY way to put something together that would last at least the first year.  I can't handle any more MAJOR projects this year and could build/buy something better next year. 

I have 40 more trees (to replace my screen poplars that didn't survive the winter) and 35 plants/shrubs getting delivered sometime (online nurseries won't give you a delivery date....seriously miffed about that since I am a planner and can't plan around no date), bee hives to build and a ridiculous amount of mulch to lay and grass seed to get down.  Oh, and two huge garden beds to prep and plant!  My list has improved....but this rain and mudd is cramping my plans and I want to get everything finished before it gets wicked hot!  And now I have TURKEY MATH!!!!!  My lack of time and money may keep me at frustrated bay from moving forward. 

Yikes! I'd have to research for a year to learn what turkey's need in a coop. Although, if time were not an issue that would be fun.
Hope your new trees are small and thus require small holes. If they deliver them soon, the ground will still be soft and easier to dig in! That's a plus. (I'm trying to help with positivity and motivation--is it working?)

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

What do you guys think of this? I can see a lot of areas where I can cut costs. The roof for one!
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2012/02/building-chicken-coop.html?m=1

 

[pginsber]

Awe Pg! It's really gorgeous! We built a new one over the summer. It's 2 ft off the ground on deck concrete things..lol...but I think we only out of pocket $200 as the roofing paper, shingles and old barn wood siding were all gathered for free from different family members. A lot of 2xs we already had too. We bought plywood and hardware and other lumber but that's it. My DH is nice but I couldn't dare get up the courage to ask for anything more than what my original request was! Lol.

Sorry but I did chuckle at your comment regarding your self-inflicted injury!

This is ours almost finished.
O and unless you find certain pallets the ones I've tried using were a nightmare trying to get apart! Needless to say I didn't. Now I have used them for temporary breeding pens as a run.

That looks great! It's a very good idea to use the pier deck blocks. Do the chickens get under there for shade and protection from rain? My hens would absolutely LOVE that!!

 

[ChickCrazed]

What do you guys think of this? I can see a lot of areas where I can cut costs. The roof for one!
http://www.fresh-eggs-daily.com/2012/02/building-chicken-coop.html?m=1

Doesn't look super easy to clean, would be my concern. It is cute though. Small, I'm not sure how many birds you have going in there.

 

[lilmizscareall]

So sorry. It is such a silent killer. ..and happens very quickly.
I don't let young ones out without starting them on a preventative treatment of Corid for a week before. .then they continue to get it after for another 2 wks while outside along with everyone else. I also have lost a few in the beginning as you an haven't since by doing this. I also don't do that before they are 5 wks. That's probably earlier than I actually do. Also best not to let it be this wet weather either. The dryer the better for the little ones. I lost a few 2 wks old when I had let them out on a beautiful warm summer day, only outside for a couple of hours. Just in a little circled off fenced area in grass almost as tall as them and they still got it! It's in the soil, if chickens are already on your property it's in their poo...you name it it's probably on it!

Just a reminder for all us folks with new babies and the temptation of those beautiful days ahead. Prepare them now so you don't lose them. The younger they are the harder & quicker it hits. It's a lot easier to prevent than treat.

Ok, thank you for this. I have one last batch to go out. They are 5/6 weeks, so I'm really not planning on them going out for about 2 more weeks. I didn't know I could kind of set them up on Corid as a preventive strike??? I WILL be doing that. I had been planning on selling 4 of these chicks last chicks and now I have nothing, well... except for the ones I wanted to keep. Which is good, because I have an adorbs buff, bearded EE and I'm really liking her!
Now, I'm hoping my lil Sebrights will make it thru, because I was looking forward to some sassy garden chickens.

 

[LonelyPageTurne]

Doesn't look super easy to clean, would be my concern. It is cute though.  Small, I'm not sure how many birds you have going in there.

It's 24 square feet and I plan to only have them in the coop at night. I would figure I can top out at 12. I have another coop from Andrew, too, and I can get another 6-8 in there. It looks pretty simple to build which is a plus and I don't mind doing some extra work to clean.

 

[lilmizscareall]

If it works its all good! We always get "funny looks" as we are driving home. The really big one we got was ours at our other house in Anderson. When we built our new house/addition over here, we moved it over after we moved in here. It was hard to do! But wanted to have the storage space. We paid a lot for the kit, and built it on the intention of it being "portable" because we wanted more land, and Anderson won't let you keep poultry/livestock!
We have done so many of these it usually goes fast now. This next one has me concerned because the floor is collapsed. The walls etc are ok. Hoping it will hold up for the move. I am glad theres no floor tho, I really prefer deep litter in all my coops.
It will be done before you know it. I know how you feel, I have several chicks that are getting ready to go out to the "growout coop". All my new layers are about 8 weeks. Porch is getting crowded! there's always something more I want to add, do or change. That's part of the fun tho!

My DH wants to put a shipping container in our backyard... yes you heard me right. On my city lot.
It's cause quite an uproar in my future yard plans, so we are "currently" not talking about it. We have a shed and it'll need to be moved. Any interest? My problem is I think someone would need to take a section of our privacy fence down to get it out...
Other than that, I love how much experience you guys have at doing this already. Maybe if I find a small shed I can wrangle you into helping??? Lol! I need a little one for tool storage and maybe converted into a Sebright roost.