Let's be honest folks!!!

[MagicMarcy66]

We took a day to design it looking like a little old school house. The next two days we purchased the materials(actually my mom paid for the materials because the girls had to come to my house to live because of a city code issue in her city and she felt a sense of obligation to pay for it. Plus where we live there a lot of coyotes and we unfortunately lost two of my late dads chickens when they came to live with us). Thank you mom for the purchase! My husband and brother in law and older son built it in about 3 days. The girls moved in and one side of the walls that are supposed to have laying boxes is still not completed and it not yet painted. I doubt very seriously the girls care and we still haven't put on the shingles yet. They are so not picky.

If you ask me its quite habitabal for a human. It cost about $500. to build and is still not completed. We are a little slow around here I know, but the girls don't complain. It has six laying boxes with optional ventilation for those warm summer days we have here in Southern California, a flip up front door, barn door type access in the rear and all complete with locking latches to keep the night time critters out. It is built on skids so if we want to move it we can move it with the use of the Bobcat. I do plan to paint it this Spring.

This turned into a bigger project than I thought it would be, but my brother in law never does anything small scale.

MagicMarcy66

 

[harold5583]

Magic Marcy,

Would love to see pics of your "little school house" coop.

 

[KDK1]

2 Days and $350 to build, very little salvaged material except nest boxes, ramp and feed station. I was in a time crunch to get it completed.

 

[cooped up]

Great post !!

1) done in a weekend

2) only spent $50 -I knew someone that just got done with a home remodel and she had left over 2x4, plywood and shingles.

AND there is no way that I will post any pictures of my montrosity on this site! !LOL

 

[Beekissed]

Hey! I did! If they can bear to look at MY mistakes and hobbled up structure, yours won't be a problem!

Mine looks like a bus stop compared to some of these Taj Mahal's.... Post that pic and be proud....your chickens don't care what it looks like and they have to live there.

 

[Reyvaughn]

Oh, this is great! All of mine are built by me. I had kid and husband help with painting the 1st build. After that, I only allow my husband to hold things and be my gopher.

Build #1 : The Cochin Condo
Specs: 4x8, divided into 2 sides, each side w/ 4 levels.
Level 1: Underneath run.
Level 2: Main Coop floor.
Level 3: 2x4' Loft.
Level 4: Roost bar.


Time: 3 Months; mostly weekends.
Price: I lost count after $450.
I did repurpose some small pieces of plywood and the roofing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Build #2: The Swing Frame
Specs: 2x5 with 3 levels
Level 1: Underneath run.
Level 2: Main Coop floor.
Level 3: Roost Bar.


Time: 2 weekends.
Cost: Less than $2.00.
Everything was leftovers from other projects except the $.51 culls at HomeDepot.


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Build #3: The Pool Table
Specs: 3x8, 2 levels.
Level 1: Main coop floor.
Level 2: Roost Bar.


Time: 2 weeks, including week days.
Cost: Under $120.
Most of the materials were new.

I have an engine crate to turn onto a 2' x 2 1/2' pen or rip a apart, 3 homemade 4x8 'pallets' with 3 full sheets of plywood and
good 2x4's to use. I also have a lawn tractor someone turned into a lawn cart sitting here. The tires are junk and
most of the wood was rotted off. My husband stripped it and once he finds new tires for free for it, that will
be a nice 4x5' mobile pen. On top of that, I still have some of my lumber pile to use (some 2x4's, 2x2s, 1x2s, 4 sheets of
plywood, some 1x6's...). I scour the cull piles at Home Depot and Lowes. I got 5/8" Plywood that normally
is $20 a sheet for half off this last time.


​

 

[wilbilt]

Quote:
Actually, HD does list something similar, but I don't remember what they call it. 3/8" with 4" OC grooves. When I went, they didn't have any.

The next closest HD or Lowe's is 30 miles further away and I was driving the gas hog 10 MPG truck, so I just brought home the OSB instead. If it looks like it isn't going to weather well, I'll cover it with some other siding. It's only money, LOL.

 

[Shortie513]

I cheated and ordered one thru an Amish Market

 

[WoodsCrawler]

Today is day 5 of coop and run construction (work on it on our days off). The first trip for lumber I actually got sick to my stomach...ugg! We have fox, hawks and rats (from the feed mill 3 doors down) so we knew we had to make this a fortress...all hardware wire on sides...buried 18" into ground to keep chickens in and critters out and will be lining the floor of the run with it as well. Thank goodness my man is handy. A $600 coop and run for $25 chickens. I must of bumped my head

 

[joan1708]

Amen. There are a lot of folks that have bumped there heads. Me too.