Mobile Chicken Coop Kits

[z1wallyb]

Hello Everyone!

I have 8- 3 week old chicks and have been spending enormous amounts of time researching chicken coops and am now running out of time and need one fast!
I am not rich and need a good coop that will last a Montana winter with 8 hens cozy.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for a coop kit that I can buy online and assemble myself? I would hope to be at or under $800.00
Please help with any good advice for my girls!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I would go with a shed kit from Home Depot or Lowe's. You can't go wrong there, and you can always use it for other purposes if you change your mind on using it for a coop.

They will basically live indoors in snowy winters. So they will like the room a shed provides.

The metal sheds are VERY cold in winter. They rain out condensation in moist air as well. They get hot in summer. I wouldn't recommend them.

Double wall plastic sheds are warm in winter. But they get hot in summer. They are a bear to put together (at least ours was). The ground must be absolutely level.

I would go with wood myself. The only kind of shed we don't have is wood but my Mom has one and it is nice and "cool" inside in summer compared to my sheds. But she installed some vents.

 

[z1wallyb]

Thanks! I definitely plan to go with wood for sure. All of the coops that I am coming up with are $1,000 or more! I am just wondering if anyone has purchased a good wood coop kit, or shed kit etc that wont bankrupt me! Unfortunately living out of state means I am too far away from all the "handy men" that could help me put together something decent.

 

[z1wallyb]

Has anyone purchased a coop made of "top grade fir". Such as something like this from http://chickensaloon.com/the-ranch-backyard-chicken-coop/

 

[donrae]

That coop will only be good for 3 or 4 hens, max. No way you would want to cram your 8 birds in there.

Search for username bobbi-j, she is one I know has a nice shed converted to a coop with some good pictures. That's really probably the best way to go.

 

[Clemsonchickfan]

I realize that time is of the essence here, but I made my coop from cut up pallets and spare lumber from a local demo. All in I have about $45 in the coop and that's mostly in hardware like screws and barrel locks.

Look around the BYC coop pages for reclaimed wood coops and you may find some ideas that you can use. Also, most big box hardware stores have warped wood piles that you can scavenge from for deals.

Good luck.