Large inexpensive coop options?

Stormygrim

In the Brooder
May 24, 2019
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I need to build or buy a larger coop since I am planning on getting about 30 more chickens when I can. I'll need a coop that can fit about 50-60 chickens. I've been told my best bet is to buy a shed or carport to renovate into a coop, but I don't really want to spend $2500+ on a coop. Are there any options to build or buy a low-cost coop for this many chickens?
 
Look for a used shed or carport. Or build the coop yourself. Buying materials for a coop are not what cost the most, it's the labor if you hire someone. You can look online for coop layouts and it'll show you all the materials you need. You can then price everything out if building is cheaper or buying used or buying new...

You can pretty much make a coop from anything as long as you can figure out how to make it secure and suitable for your chickens. I've seen people make a coop out of a bus and an old truck, they were the best coops I've ever seen!
 
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The upfront cost of building a coop can be steep, but it's a wise investment. You'll have it forever and it'll be built to your specifications. They also tend to hold their value so if you were to get out of chicken keeping, you'd be able to sell it for almost what you paid - assuming it's in reasonable condition.

Are you in a location that it would need to be insulated - for heating and/or cooling? You can save money by choosing the appropriate insulation for your climate.

Are you including materials for a run in your cost estimate?

How secure do you want the coop to be? Maybe you'll use real windows vs. plexiglass windows.
 
If you have a mud room in your basement you don’t use, that makes a great coop, lol. We used ours as a coop for about a year until I’d saved enough to buy and build the coop they’re in now. The only issue is they turned the grass into what we call Mudland, which smells (quite literally) like sh*t. I wouldn’t suggest this for long term, because they do attract rats and mice, which you (probably) don’t want in your basement
 
if you are handy and not too bothered about a potentially haphazard appearance, you could adapt what you can find on freecycle, and thereby get it for next to nothing :)
And quite a lot of people use old caravans very successfully, if they can get them to the property and local regulations aren't an issue.
 

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