Let's be honest folks!!!

I have lots of ghetto coops. I use stuff from my junk pile. I have torn down buildings for the free lumber. I don't pay much for my ghetto coops. You can see them HERE.

My dwindling junk pile needs replenished.
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Forgive me, I wasn't directing that to you. Was just chiming in on the "junk" love.


No offense taken at all with the junk thing! I love junk. I'm only sad that I've about used up all the useful stuff I had laying around but I'm taking pallets apart and getting some pretty good stuff for projects from that.

Kathyinmo: wonderful junk pile!
 
Never heard of a Roto-zip...could you post a pic?

Here's a portable coop I just finished~took me 10 days. Now, I must tell you that this is a "lady-build" coop, so there isn't a square angle or level board in the whole thing, I'd wager~I've no discernible carpentry skills.

I used a hammer, drill, and a sawsall. Most of the materials are new but some odd pieces of scrap lumber are in there as well.

This is the first coop I've ever built, so I made quite a few mistakes but I've found that chickens don't care. It's 8x 10 and will have hay bales along the inside walls this winter, will house 20 birds but will only be holding 8.

I haven't done the final tally on the cost as of yet but it falls just over $200, give or take a dollar or two. It would have been more expensive in just additional wire overlay but I don't have to worry about preds so much as just holding in the birds when I wish to, so plastic mesh was used. They will be free ranging out of this, so no run necessary.

The base is treated lumber, the cap has plastic attached to firring strips, then the tarp, also secured with firring strips. I used some old tongue in groove to frame the outside access doors and some old tomato stakes for bracing. It's pretty heavy, so must be moved with a vehicle to new locations. The nest boxes are lined with thick cardboard for insulation and their front comes completely off for cleaning. Roosts, waterers and feeders will be added later when the layers are installed.







The first residents will be 50 CX chicks that will free range out of it...they are currently ensconced in it, as we speak, in a brooder formed of hay bales.

Here is one of my Roto Zips... which is for sale by the way!
 
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Six weeks in and still not done. Built the coop inside my tack/multi-purpose room. It already had all the bells and whistles because I used this for ten years of breeding Labradors and continually made improvements during that time. Keep all animal emergency supplies inside, medicines, tack, summer plants, etc. It is already heated, had great ventilation, tile floors, indestructible walls, large windows, hot and cold water, fridge, microwave, etc. Broke down an old set of shelves for the lumber and figured it would be cheap to finish hahaha. I am so over budget it isn't even funny. The wood for the run was expensive and so was the wire. Had to buy roost, nest boxes, feeders, etc. Thought the dust would be compatible to a litter of puppies. I was wrong. We had to put an industrial exhaust fan in. The run is sandwiched between two buildings, walks, and paved driveways. Took forever to make it predator proof and it still is not done. Probably will take another day to finish the way we want not including screens for the coop windows. My chicken wish list is about a mile long and grows each time I am on this site. I have everything I need except for enough coop space. Chicken math already got me. Ordered 6 chicks and they threw in an extra. My chicks are only a month old and I already want more. Thinking of using this coop as a brooder room and building another in a vacant horse stall. Haven't figured out how to approach that with the husband yet. By the time I am done our eggs will cost about $100 a piece. We should get a return on our investment in about 10 years and that doesn't take into account any repairs or maintenance. And I forgot to mention that we are contractors and did all the work ourselves.
 
3 weekends to build including tractor run. 4x4 coop on 8X4 tractor.

Total cost: $200-220
I am curious what that T1-11 siding costs in your vicinity. I was going to use it, but it is $50/sheet here. I went with OSB ($10/sheet) and still ended up spending way more than I had planned.
 
If anyone intends to by a Roto-Zip, make sure to practice on some scrap material before using it on the good stuff. They are like a juvenile router on steroids and have a tendency to get away from you.

Also buy lots of those skinny little bits, as they tend to break if you look at them wrong.
 
Added note to the garage coop, I have 6 chicks coming in May and the floor size of the coop is 6' x 8'.
 
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