My daughter is getting 4h chickens and we need to build a coop

[Jtp79]

If money is a deciding factor (and it is for 90% of us) I suggest that you look into building a cattle panel coop. You can build an 8 x 8 x 6' coop for a fraction of the cost of stick build construction. The beauty of a CP coop is that it is built right on the ground, so it is perfect for DLM. You won't ever have to clean your coop!

Cattle panels are about $22 each. You'll need 2.

Miscellaneous screws, fencing staples, zip ties. A few ratchet straps and clamps to make the job super easy.

Framing lumber for the base, and end walls, and the center ridge pole. Easy peasy.

1/2" hardware cloth to cover the structure, including a skirt.

Build a door.

Cover the structure with a tarp.

Set up a safe construction grade electrical cord so you can brood your chicks in the coop with a MHP style brooder.

Done.

Fun family project that will most likely be completed in 1 or two weekends.

Where do I find plans on this type of construction?

I am capable of building and doing wiring. Im not fast at it but i am capable. Problem is, the wife wants cute!!!! lol

 

[lazy gardener]

Wife can have cute. that's all in the little trim work! For cattle panel, simply do a google search. For wood frame:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/sh..._6nn-rTASYwFNbEEIepCjSI0Wj6S21qgaAnTtEALw_wcB

@Blooie and her husband made a real cute cattle panel run, which would easily work as a coop. I'm sure she'll respond to her tag with details. Or you can do a search for her name. I think her build is in her signature line.

 

[Blooie]

Thanks, @lazy gardener! Guess I am a little "setup" proud. As she said, you can click on the link under my Avatar to see the entire coop/run build, but feel free to skip down to the part where we built the run if that's more helpful to you.

LG is right...cattle panels are so easy to work with and give you so much space for limited resources, time and effort. Just pound in a few steel fence posts, arch the panels between them, close off the ends and you're done! Well, almost, with the addition of some protection from overhead predators and climbers at the top and a hardware cloth skirt and apron at the bottom for other predators and diggers. Add a little vinyl lattice, some landscape fabric for shade, and you're good to go. If you need to expand it (chicken math) just take off the end piece, pound in two more posts and arch one more cattle panel, then put the end back on.

We learned one thing - the reason mine works so well in our wild Wyoming winters with lots of snow load and heavy winds almost daily is because we didn't give in to the temptation to brace, brace, and brace some more. The way we built ours, it flexes with the weather instead of fighting it. That also made it less complicated to build. Ken and I were both in our late/mid 60s when we built it, and we both have some degrees of disabilities. We were still able to put it up in a weekend by ourselves.

The added benefit is now that I have had to rehome my chickens, the setup still won't be one penny of wasted money - the cattle panel hoop will now function very nicely as a greenhouse and the coop will hold our gardening equipment. Nobody ever thinks "Someday I'll have to get rid of my chickens", but believe me, it happens.

 

[lazy gardener]

And contrary to Blooie's building style, (keep it loose so it can move with the wind) I built my CP green house and coop braced every which way. both have a center ridge pole. And the end walls are framed up with 2 x 4's, using both vertical, and horizontal framing, with a good measure of diagonal or triangular framing as well, b/c my hubby designs trusses for a living.

 

[Blooie]

Yep, it's whatever works! When we had those winds in excess of 90mph last January and watched that hoop give and flow with it instead of collapsing, that made me even happier!

 

[Jtp79]

I see, so the cattle panels are to make the run quicker and easier to build so it is covered?

 

[lazy gardener]

You can use the CP to build a run (as Blooie did) or to build a coop. (as I did) Other people use CP to build mobile chicken tractors, green houses, trellises, storage buildings...

 

[Blooie]

There is a good thread on BYC that @lazy gardener started....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/cattle-panel.1140564/

Mine was covered in summer with landscape fabric attached in such a way that we could roll any or all of the 3 sections up like window shades. In winter we used a greenhouse type plastic, reinforced with mesh, and kept the south side a separate piece which could also be rolled up or down for nice days.

 

[Jtp79]

I haven’t updated the thread in a while so thought I would add a pic. We went and picked this up Tuesday afternoon and got it unloaded yesterday. It’s a used 8x12 chicken coop built by Amish builders.

 

[aart]

I haven’t updated the thread in a while so thought I would add a pic. We went and picked this up Tuesday afternoon and got it unloaded yesterday. It’s a used 8x12 chicken coop built by Amish builders.

Looks pretty good!
More pics of inside?