Is it just me?

[gotpoodle]

I'm an East Coast suburban chick, addicted to decorating, and it's very important to me how things look. I want a cute little coop in my yard that matches my house. I can afford to do that on what I make, so I will.
America is a capitalistic society; there are people who make more than I do and people who make less than I do. I own my own business and can afford to spend what I want on a coop. And while I'm spending a little extra to get what I want, I'm also putting some money in the pocket of another small business person. That's what makes our economy move forward.
Please don't hate me!

The chickens don't care how cute or expensive their coop is...although if anyone will end up with a chicken with discriminating decorating taste, it will be me.

I have no doubt your chickens are just as well cared for as mine will be. And that's really what counts.

*and yes, I also donate to charities that share my world view.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

COOP ?

I use the old horse barn that is still standing on the property.

It is not predator proof, but I have wire mesh "stahls" inside where all the chickies go to roost on the top, the wood 2x2s I have put in or on the straw on the floor.

So far, so good. It is weather proof, sorta and the rats are a constant problem. It does have a spigot inside which makes life
so much easier.

No pop door for me. I go out and let the crowd out in the morning and lock them all up at night in the stahls.
I HAVE to be here or my flock will suffer.

For those of us that can afford a cool coop, I commend you. Some day I to will build one. I am sure that these treasured buildings were saved for and planed for.

I do have a "nursery". I have had it for over two years. It doubles as a work shop, a storage shed and a feed storage so the rodents can not get to it. Feed is so very expensive and it is safe in the shed.

We pay a small amount every month for the "rent to own" plan and the shed can be relocated with a vehicle tow truck.

We run electric to it with a 100 foot extension cord. I have found that this is the more economical way to keep my babies safe and warm. I do have a good sized rabbit hutch in the barn, but it requires dedicated hen to keep the chickies warm.

 

[Scoop]

Check out my hunky coop. I've a thread under coops and runs. I spent months and months several years ago taking apart buildings by hand, ripping out nails, cutting off rotted spots. We stacked it in our barn, saved the rusty nails and all. I spent nothing on my first coop except for help one day putting on the roof. My second coop cost me only $200. I reused those rusty nails. That alone saved a ton. I am investing in the future with my coops, ya know, like some are kissing their money goodbye on Wall street and 401Ks. It is an investment. And hey, we all know people with $125.00 a month cell phone bills. I can't phathom that. And cable and satellite service? You can spend a $100 on that a month. How about cigs at $5.00 a pack? People have money for what they really want I guess.

 

[greenguys]

In my opinion, the reason why people on this particular forum spend more on their coops (we just spent $215 in supplies) is because this is a BACKYARD chicken forum ---- a LOT of people on here are in the city and, depending on a city lot and house much greenery you have around it, the coops in urban areas need to be a little bit more attractive in order to keep your neighbors off you backs.

also, these days, it is a hobby. For many, they're aren't just egg machines...they are pets.

JMO

Gregory

 

[Zahboo]

Most of these coops are made from recycled materials, they are just repainted or what ever. My coop doesn't look THAT bad and it is only costing me around $100. And just because they have chickens as a priority doesn't mean they have to donate to homeless and what not. I view chickens as I do dogs. You COULD just send a dog in the back yard, give it food once a day, do just enough vet work that it's legal *or not even that* and hope he lives a content life, OR you could give him proper housing, train him to be inside, Feed quality food, do annual boosters, vaccinations, puppy shots, spay/neuter, and take great care of him.

Some people on here do spend a few thousand on the coops, but most spend less than $500. We aren't just housing chickens, we have to make sure they suite the neighbor hoods and don't lower property values.

 

[Chickenmaven]

Quote:
I walked into a really nice boutique and bought a scarf for $22. I felt a little silly. My mother 's voice in my head "twenty-two bucks for a scrap of cloth." The clerk who rang me up asked if this was ALL I wanted, like I should have picked up the $150 purse that I had been looking at. I don't feel like I can afford the $150 for that purse. Because I grew up on welfare, I am tight with a buck.

So tight with a buck that DH & I own the building that the boutique is in!


Count your pennies!

 

[Chickenmaven]

BTW - my coop is a 40 y.o. mower shed & my run is reclaimed fencing.

 

[ChickyLaura]

Well, I guess a lot of people spend tons of money on expensive coops. But, I don't pay too much attention to those threads (sorry, I'm being honest!)

I do read the threads where the people use their ingenuity to create their coops, and it's given me TONS of ideas. My coop is not fancy, it's part of our shed. But, my chickens appear to really enjoy running, flying, roosting, etc. in our rather modest coop. We are very proud of what we created, and we always assumed we just weren't very handy (we were wrong!!!). I would venture to say we spent less than $100 (give or take) on our coop. When we cleaned out our shed we found tons of wood scrap. We used some of that to build. Also, our Home Depot has a pile of reduced price wood. We bought 2 pieces of wood for $1.01 each, I would say 3'x3' each, and made a really nice brooder box that will last for years (the cardboard box brooders were way too messy for us).

I actually like creating what we can from a modest budget. Anyway, that's my 2 cents.

 

[brandytab]

Interesting post. I also think that the OP's point was that folks spend a ton on coops when we could be helping those in need. And I can understand that. I also have noticed that the chicken folks (in general) can be the nicest, most giving people. They are the first to give away extra eggs to feed others, many of us have large gardens with extra produce that we donate. And remember that help doesn't always come in the form of the almighty dollar. Help can also come in the form of time. Say I spend a bunch of $$ on my coop. That doesn't mean that I don't volunteer to flip pancakes at the local church or teach an afterschool program. I do both - and I don't give a penny. I give myself.

It's difficult to assume that all beautiful coops are made from a ton of money. The bantam coop I'm building now should be quite nice - and you might think I spent a few hundred bucks in lumber on it. But I have snagged cull wood from everywhere and will be spending very little. With a little bit of sleuth for good wood and creativity for extra touches, one can make a sharp looking coop.

Everyone is a little bit different, and none of us can assume what goes on away from the computer screen - old jalopy coop or fancy schmancy coop.

 

[chixie]

all of my animal shelters are made out of recycled materials... I would love to have a fancy coop... and one day maybe I will... I don't work do to a neck injury and cannot get disability because my husband has a job(or thats why they said i was turn down-if i divorce my husband i can get help) we live pay check to paycheck like most people.... I don't envy other peoples things... you can build some great things from scrap material if you put your mind to it