I wholeheartedly agree with Pen Turner and Rocket Dad.
But I still wish I could have used a bit more recycled material on our coop. Both for the environment and my wallet. I didn't have time to actually search for and clean up used lumber. I had to build the coop in the time I had,hich meant buying almost all of the material new. Was it less work? Yes. Did it cost more? Yes.
And to all of you complaining about the coops your DH/etc are building FOR YOU, remember a couple of things:
They are spending THEIR time working on the coop. They probably would rather be doing what they want to be doing, not what you want them to. "Honey, I need a chicken coop built by ________" sounds to me like "I need to tell the guys I can't go watch the game because She wants a chicken coop built, and it's the only free day I have this week." However, given enough lead time, it's okay. "Honey, these chickens will be ready to go outside in two months. Do you think we can build the coop before then?"
Offer to go to the lumber store with him. Offer to help with the actual construction. Spend your time helping him. If he doesn't need help, spend your time doing something for him. Make a special dinner for him, buy him a bottle of his favorite drink, or [self edited, it's a family board, but you get the idea,] do something other than just demand a coop.
Plans: Sit down and have a design meeting. Show him pictures, and tell him what size you expect it to be/what size you need it to be. "I was hoping the coop would fit between the garage and the fence, and the run would go along the fence to the garden. Would that work for you?"
Then start drawing (rough sketch on paper) the coop the way you want it, where doors/windows/nest boxes/pop doors/etc go. Which way do you want the door to open? How big does the pop hole need to be? How do you get into the nest boxes? What kind of roof? What do you want the outside to look like? What color paint? Relay all the info to him, then let him do the actual design. Trust me, it's just easier for him to design it if he's building it.
Option B: Spend the cash and hand him the plans.
Also, realize that you might not get exactly what you want. "I want a small coop that I can move myself. It has to hold 10 birds, with water and food, have terra cotta roofing, and be insulated for winter" UM no. That's just not gonna happen. (sure, that's an extreme example but you get the idea.) If you ask for a 5'x7 foot coop, realize a 4x8 coop will be easier to build.
"The hardware cloth needs to be buried in the ground 8 inches, too" Would sound a lot better to me if it came out of her mouth like "Where's the shovel?" Don't expect him to do it all because it's 'labor.' You can do more than just paint! I promise. You can do the construction too!
but in the end, realize they're just chickens! They'll be fine in just about every coop you put them in.
[rant off]
B
