Need plans for a walk in coop

Apsrn

Chirping
Sep 14, 2018
20
57
74
Northern Illlinois
Hello
I am looking for a plans for a walk in coop. I'm not very knowledgeable in the construction area. But I have looked at so many sites and coops but no plans were available. I did get a response from another thread but the one site had no plans just pics of the awesome coop they built. I would really love to get some plans for a coop that is created for the midwest. We have nice cold and snowy winters and sometimes really hot summers. With a flip of the switch you can have all four seasons in one day sometimes. I want the best for my girls. Right now they are in an Innovations coop that I have winterized for them (and will no way hold 18-20 chickens). I think they like what I've done as they don't go in the coop at night on their own. Most of the time I have to put them to bed. I'm worried about some of our wildlife visitors to my yard. I have a couple of coyotes (one that looks like a white wolf, he/she is huge compared to the gray one) that like to actually lay in my yard. I want a predator proof coop/shed. I have read reviews on the one I have and it is not so predator proof. They reviews were right. The doors warp and then the barrel bolts don't match. I have added hasps with a key lock on all doors. Can anyone help me. I'm hoping it's not too expensive as I have 3 medically challenged dogs and one of them cost me big money to have her surgery. I appreciate your help.
 
Building a decent coop is not going to be cheap....
.....from scratch with new material $500-1000.
Look for shed plans rather than coop plans to build the basic structure,
add big roof overhangs with open eaves for ventilation.
A Woods coop might be worth looking into.
 
A shed is a good way to go, for a walk in coop, but like @aart said $500 -$1,000., then you have to make a run also. I have about $1,200. in my coop and run. I built everything myself and used 1/2" hardware cloth (amazon or walmart.com) for the whole run and have a plastic panel roof. Here is a short video on building a shed, but you would have to make some modifications for a coop.
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Look up “Wood’s Coop” on the coop article page and you should find some info. Search same on this forum and you should find one long thread with a lot of great info. The Wood’s style coop was designed for cold weather areas and was introduced about 100 years ago. It is a walk in style that is generally longer than wide, and is also referred to as an “open air” coop due to the open (covered in strong HWC) front.

Good luck!
 
New material is going to cost you, but i would recomend you start watching craigslist and checking out the materials and free section. I checked out Rockford illinois craigslist and There are right now a listing for large pallets for free in Janesburg and they will help you load them. Taken apart these pallet boards can build a nice shed/coop. gathering your building materials from restores, yard sales and auctions can yield you lots of material and hardware cheap.
Windows can be found free many times out for trash pickup and these are fine windows for chicken coops.
Watch for leftover bundles of roofing shingles or used tin roofing panels. I found a full roll of construction grade tar paper for 2 dollars last summer. The first winter my coop was only covered with tar paper and our chickens were fine.
Do you have a habitat for Humanity Restore near you? Great place to look for doors and door hardware.
A coop can be build very cheaply as people discard some good stuff. What may be harder to find or cost you, would be longer length 2X4 and roof joists.
I would not insulate your coop, just make it draft free as chickens can stand cold, but not dampness and drafts. In general insulation adds to rodent problems and a harbor place for bugs.
Coop plans are avaliable, but your creativity and imagination with the materials you gather for something that can be functional rewarding and unique.
Would love to see what you come up with.
 

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