Inexpensive, easy to build coop (for 6-8 birds)???

[traceyleezle]

The internet is just crawling with pictures and plans and kits. I am utterly and completely overwhelmed. So I thought I would go straight to the source. Can you point me in the direction of an inexpensive and easy to build coop that will hold 6-8 chickens? Does anyone here have one they have built that wouldn't mind sharing pictures? My husband is quite handy and good at building things, so I guess it doesn't have to be too simple to build.

 

[babymakes6]

Check out the "coop designs" link at the top of the page. Again, you will find a lot of info, but it should help you to decide what you like and don't like.

and build it big enough for twice as many birds as you THINK you will have, so you have room to get more when the urge hits (and it will!)

 

[possumqueen]

Try this post:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=287919.

There's a real nice, simple chicken tractor on there that you DH could probably put together in a minute.

The picture of the tractor is on the second page.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Here's one you can throw together in a few hours for cheep.
http://cmfarm.us/cheapcoop.html

Till ya feel like upgrading anyway.

 

[chookchick]

Click on my BYC pages for the coop I built for my 6 chickens. It is nice and roomy, so I can add a few more. An 8 by 8 coop is a good size and a good use of materials.

 

[Kelly G]

I have two coops. I don't think they're what you're looking for, but I'll post them just in case.

My first coop (and the one I now use as a nursery for raising chicks) was a playhouse for children that I bought 1/2 price at Lowes. I got the idea here on BYC. It has 16' feet of floor space - a little small - but it comfortably housed my 6 barred rock hens.

ETA: the cost for this was about $300....but it was $500 if you add the price of the dog run we added.

All I did to the playhouse was:
- put hardware cloth on the windows to keep out predators
- I put it up on stilts so the food and water could go underneath and be protected from rain.
- Nailed plywood covered with linoleum to the bottom to make a floor (don't mess with the 12x12 squares...use one continuous piece.

Here it is:

Now, the problem was: I liked the six hens SO much I wanted more!!! So we converted this "shed" that the previous owner left behind into a coop. It's 9'x9' and even if we'd built it ourselves, it would have cost under $200. It's no beauty, but it works!

 

[Kelly G]

By the way - good luck! I hope you find exactly what you're looking for!!!

 

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

traceyleezle, Im new to this too girl! I havent even built my coop yet! I suggest buying the book raising chickens for dummies, very helpful for me! & you can prob get it used off amazon for cheap! like others have said I would check out the coop designs on byc, look @ the ones you dont think youll like too.. they'll give you great ideas to build yours! take ideas from many designs & make your coop your own... I would be careful making it too quickly & too cheaply, you might end up spening more time & $ in the long run fixing things you could have prevented... but make sure you have LOTS of Ventelation!!

 

[95yj]

i don't want to offend anyone on this thread, but for your first coop i would suggest building a real coop, not a tractor. A chicken coop is basicaly a garden shed with chickens in it, no more complicated than that, I'd go on the coop pages, look at some of the coops and make your own plans off of that.