Newbie with Questions

[LILCHIKBIGCHIK]

Hello all I'm a newbie to this awesome site and to chickens, so I have a bunch of questions when it comes to coops. I plan on getting 4 female Black Australorps. I already learned so much from just reading this site, but still have questions. I found a nice coop from online, so I was curious to see if anyone has one http://chickensaloon.com/the-general-store-backyard-chicken-coop/ I had some estimates to have a carpenter build a coop for me and were talking about $750 plus for a similair sized coop as this one.

Thanks for any help

 

[KrisH]

Welcome to BYC! I built my own, but you don't have to get that fancy either. a large old doghouse with a roost and nestbox may do and give you more time to work on your own. Part of the fun is building your own. nothing fancy to start, just secure from preditors. there are lots of options. check local papers and classifieds online and printed. you will be amazed what you will find

RobertH

 

[bobbieschicks]

Looks cute.

I purchased a small coop from eBay. It was not worth the price. It leaks and isn't predator proof. It said it fit 4-6 hens but that's not true for standard size hens. I haven't used it yet. You could build a coop with free pallets from Craigslist fairly cheaply.

I can't link to pictures from my iPad or I'd post the one we have. You can check my page for pics.

 

[teach1rusl]

You've been talking to the wrong people if someone wanted to charge you $750 to build a coop the same size as the one in that link, which is basically 9 sq. ft total of living space - if it was a square rather than a rectangle (32 x 39 inches), it would basically be 3ft x 3ft. Nest boxes do not count as living space (because you certainly don't want chickens living in them and pooping them up). I've seen decent little (newly built) 3x4 coops on CL for $300 - $400 in my area. I'm sure someone could build you a simple little coop (larger than the linked one) for under $500.

 

[GermanChick]

I think that 750,- sounds a little bit overpriced for that size. Check out Craigslist and see if you can find a used playhouse/gardenshed to start with. That way you don't have to invest too much and have time to start your own coop project. It isn't that hard to build your own coop , and a lot more fun

 

[LILCHIKBIGCHIK]

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm thinking a chicken tractor would be easier to build and give the girls more room

 

[mtnhens4]

Chicken tractors are fine if you paln on, or need to move it around the yard, it's personal preferance. Ours is a coop and there to stay but we are thinking about a mobile pen so the girls can get grass, we cannot free range due to preditors. Just remember that tractors are notoriously heavy and can be hard to move. I hope this helps, this is a great site for getting info and opinions.

 

[jlovelady]

I know some people have had great success with chicken tractors, I have no personal experience with them. I have heard several complaints about them from buddies of mine. The main complaints seem to revolve around they are too heavy or too light. They are too heavy making them difficult to move, thus letting waste build up and defeating range advantages. They are too light making it easy for a predator to invade. I would just pay very close attention to the way the structure is built.

 

[JackE]

If you are going to build a GOOD tractor coop,(Heavy). You are going to need a tractor to move it.
Jack

 

[mtnhens4]