need help gotta build a coop FAST

[zoo mama]

hi everyone i am fairly new here, have been lurking for a while

i am in desperate need of ideas on the best way to build a really fast and super cheap coop design or ideas. my dad says if i dont get a coop for my chickens he is going to give most of them away. we live on his 5 acres, gotta go by his wishes. i think the couple of roos roosting in his man cave was the last straw, he didnt like poopies on his tools. anyway i have plenty of pallets and a couple of cattle panels and maybe a couple of tarps and some chicken wire. i really need some help and ideas to get me started. my girls are starting to lay pretty good and i need to have the eggs in one spot. i have about 60 hens and will be keeping about 6-7 roos to breed with later.
thank you in advance, alisa in idaho

 

[wenlo]

Alisa,

Have you tried Craiglist? Searches for "shed" often come up pretty reasonable if your Dad will help you go pick it up... I found a homemade wooden playhouse that works for my little flock, but I imagine you need something bigger.

 

[Hunny]

Where in Idaho are you?

Just lay out all your materials, pick a spot and put something together

You can do it !

They need shelter, nesting boxes, roosts, and a safe area behind chicken wire/hardware cloth. Get something up, to put them in for now (safely) and you can buy yourself some time to really consider a well built better suited home for your flock.

 

[zoo mama]

i have been looking but the problem is that my husband hasnt had full time work for 16 months.every once in a while he has been able to find day work but nothing regular. so anything we do has to be free or super super cheap.

 

[zoo mama]

we are in south central idaho, jerome to be exact, about 30 minutes from twin falls

 

[Big C]

4 sq ft per each for your coop minimum
You could search the group for designs but here is a suggestion...
Use your pallets as your sides, interlocking the edges then screw together
Use your 16 ft by 52 inch cattle panels as a roof (angled for rain runoff, like a roof, you may need more)
Secure the tarps over the top of your panels. If they are the blue plastic tarps they will lats for sometime but will eventually wear out.
Nest boxes, again search here for ideas, there are many many home made solutions for cheap.
Almost 70, you will need at bare minimum 280 sq ft of coop space. Coop being a place to sleep, eat and lay only. Use your chicken wire for a run. Double, triple or quadruple this space.

 

[greyartist]

I have seen one where they built a wood frame on the ground with a vertical in front and back, used wire to arch over it like a hoop house then cover with a tarp. I think they had a solid back and front went into a small lot.

oh, I found the link.
http://www.plamondon.com/hoop-coop.html

 

[HennyJenny]

zoomama
I think you have all or most of the makings of a hoop coop! Use the search function to see how others have constructed them.

Below is the link to an excellent source of hoop coop information.

www.plamondon.com/hoop-coop.html

Jenny

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Quote:
Yep, something like this...

 

[PrinceSandwich]

Heres a pallet coop my dad and I made. it was pretty simply.