Moving to cold weather and need advice

[MamaChic21]

Quote:
I checked out the websites and the coops are GORGEOUS...just a bit out of our price range at the moment

Although I couldn't read the second since it is in turkish...

That price is also out of our range too, that's why I'm checking every website that sales dog kennels and emailing them, ugh !!! I send you the Turkish one just to get an idea of how it looks like. /www.barnraisersheds.com/animal-shelters.html The price list link wouldn't come up in my computer, I've emailed them, so let's see.
http://www.myamishgoods.com/pro_details.php?proid=13&subid=3 this one has better prices then Horizon structure. Or you can build something like this if you're handy http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/367964177/Large_Outdoor_Wooden_Dog_House_with/showimage.html

I'm sorry you're giving away your rooster. But hope for the best

 

[myrtletheturtle]

Thanks again

My husband is extremely handy so I will check out that link, just hate for them to be in the basement for too long while we construct something! You are right about the turkish site...beautiful craftsmanship!! As for my roo...I hate that he may go to a new home too as he is a very sweet roo...I am just concerned about his well-being since all of the girls just peck him when he approaches them

 

[Beekissed]

You can make something very snug, warm and easy out of cattle panels, straw/hay bales, T-posts, tarps, zipties and a cargo net for your gals. Cattle panels only cost $18 per and are 15 ft. long, 4.5 ft. wide and are stronger than any kennel fencing for large predators. You may have to line your run/house with additional chicken netting or even hardware wire to make it even more predator proof but you can still get by pretty cheaply.

I'll post a pic of my sheep run-in shelter and you can see how nifty using these panels can be. Show it to your hubby and have him adapt it for chicken life...smaller, lined with hay/straw bales and completely portable and temporary. You can either fasten it to T-Posts, or a wooden frame for moving it to different locations in your yard.

This whole shelter costs me less than $70 and only took an hour to make. It is held together with zipties and it barely moves in the high winds we've been having. Yours would be cheaper as you won't need one so large for so small a flock.

 

[myrtletheturtle]

This looks GREAT!!! I will show him the pictures....they may need more of a 'building' for their roost at night but this is a superb idea for a run!!! Thanks so much

 

[Beekissed]

Actually, if you line the inner walls with straw bales they can either roosts on those or you can fasten roosts in between the walls, crosswise, at the back of your coop using the fencing. Wouldn't take two shakes to place a roost or two separate roosts at the corners....these would even stabilize and reinforce the sturdiness of the whole structure. Heck, you could line the back wall with straw bales and make their nests right into the top of the bales...they would LOVE this! Plenty of options for ventilation in a coop of this nature also. It's a win/win situation.

Cozy, cute, temporary as you want it to be or even last a very long time, depending on the quality of your tarping. They make a waterproof canvas tarp that is nigh indestructible and big enough to come all the way to the ground on either side of a smaller version of what I have and even cover the backside and the sides of the front. Your ideas for a structure like this is only limited by your imagination and supply of zipties!

 

[sharol]

We live in Kansas, so the weather here is either really hot or cold and wet.

My coop is an adapted metal building. We were considering adapting one of the pre-fab buildings from Lowes when we found this one, though. They have a couple of nice ones for 600-700 (of course you have to be able to assemble them and that doesn't include any sort of run).

I would also suggest Craigslist, but you would have to be careful that the coop you buy on Craigslist isn't infected with anything and disinfect very carefully.

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Another place to check for coops is craigslist or find a feed store in the area and give them a call. Usually the guys that work the feed stores have a good idea who the local builders are and they are usually cheaper than the assembly-required stuff listed. They can also build to order and would know if there are any specific requirements (legaly, predators and regonally/weather) for the area you're going to.

Honestly, this issue is part of why I bought an Eglu Cube. I can load it up and take it with us when DH gets transfered. Shouldn't be for a while but I figured the expense would be made up for by not having to get a new one every time we move. Only down side is it fits a max of 3 hens so it wouldn't work for you.

 

[halo]

Bee, you are just the handiest little farm girl....great idea there!

 

[Beekissed]

I think it would be a nifty greenhouse when the sheep are no longer using it, huh? My sis saw it the other day and said she could have kicked herself for not thinking of it....she has tried all kind of temporary shelters for her sheep and pigs until she can get a barn built.

I'll tell you how I came to this...I was placing cattle panels in between my shed and my large garden fencing to connect the two pennings and so provide more run room for the sheeples. When I saw this little hallway between the two, I thought to myself, "Self, why not cover the hallway to provide more lounging places out of the wind for your spoiled sheeple people? You have the extra cattle panels and several packages of zipties, that old cargo netting that you keep picking up off the floor of the outbuilding and the shed is full of hay and has no room for getting sheep out of the snow and rain."

And an idea was born!

 

[MamaChic21]

I searched google to find you the cheapest chicken coop or ideas you might get to build your own. Hope it's useful.


http://www.google.com/products/cata...log_result&ct=image&resnum=5&ved=0CEMQ8gIwBA#

http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/chickens/Small-Chicken-Coop-Plans-up-to-6-chickens-p860.aspx

http://www.henspa.com/

http://www.easychickencoopdesigns.com/top-8-small-chicken-coop-design-tips.html