Struggling with affordability of coop

[Wryen'sTheBomb.com]

My sister actually made her coop out of pallet wood (option 3) it was really inexpensive (Mostly only time consuming)

Although it doesn't exactly look gorgeous it does it's job, and that's honestly all we could ask it to do.

Scrapped wood comes in all shapes and sizes so it's something really easy to build the coop of your dreams.

My only caution is you have to be careful about the wood and other things you want to use (fencing, wire, etc.) As if it was used with chickens before it could spread diseases.

Hope this helps to some extent <3​

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I'm the wrong person to ask. My coop, linked to left cost....

A lot.

Good luck.

Gary

 

[henaynei]

I provided materials to a local private school woodworking class and they built my chickshaw. Wasn’t perfect but the instructor came to my home after delivery to implement needed corrections/modifications.

 

[Chickiemom25]

I was going to get a premade coop, but they just arent that durable long term. in the end, I spent the 500 on materials and 300 labor to get a 4X8 coop with 8X16 attached run built. It has survived straight line winds and the rain and works great.

 

[henaynei]

I’m going to be making a 8’x8’ breeding pen for this summer with 16’x50” cattle panels and 4x4s, covering 1/2 of it and back with heavy tarp.
Cattle panels run about $25 each. Lumber price depends on your area or source.

 

[Sublight]

Remember that your chickens don't care what they live in. It doesn't have to be fancy.
It doesn't have to be tall. it doesn't have to be huge.
Consider making it expandable. Buy 6 sheets of plywood. Make your pen 8x8, and 4 feet high. exactly the size of the plywood. Cut windows, etc.
Put it together with screws, not nails so you can disassemble later. Then you can use that wood for a bigger coop down the road. Try to cut on only one or 2 sheets of plywood to make doors and windows and stuff.
If all else fails, call your local feed store. They may have something for you.

 

[Sublight]

Or go online and buy a used storage shed, and convert it to a chicken pen.

 

[Minnimoo]

I don’t know what’s available to you but second hand sheds and Wendy houses are easily accessible and cheap here, a 10x12 shed is £50 second hand, that could hold around 30 chickens with 4sqft per. It doesn’t cost much to add predator proof ventilation, roosts and nesting boxes to a used out building. We go to auctions and second hand sales for bits and bobs useful to use.

I noticed on Gumtree there are sheds that people are giving away. I assume it would be the same in the states. No luck here, and DIY materials are either hellishly expensive or non existant. Pallets stuffed with hay for mine i think.

 

[Watson Family Farm]

Just my opinion, but option 3 has always worked out best for us. Craigslist often has ads where people are giving away old scrap lumber, remnants from a renovation project, or offering a free shed if you will take it down. Understandably the third is more time consuming, and these offers may not be as widespread in your area. Just giving an opinion. Ours may not always be the prettiest coops, but in the end for the most part it's free, and that frees up more money for new chickens lol.

 

[Kuntry Klucker]

I've looked at all sorts of sources from Amazon to Walmart to local feed stores. I've also looked at local buy-nothing groups, Craigslist, and things like that. I've got a fairly basic (if large, 8x8) coop design sketched out but might want to go with a kit since it's my first coop and it seems like my options are all quite expensive.

Option 1: Buy kit
To get a kit for 10+ chickens seems to start at around $800

Option 2: Buy building materials from the hardware store
I threw everything (studs, OSB, plywood, roofing, treated posts, hardware cloth) into an online cart at Home Depot and came to about $500. I imagine my actual cost would be higher because I'm sure I'm not accounting for everything.

Option 3: Spend weeks digging through free ads for construction materials to scrounge together most of what I need
This would be time consuming, gas consuming, and would probably leave me with lower quality materials.

Am I missing something, or is a coop of any size beyond about 4x4 feet gonna hit my wallet pretty hard? Are there inexpensive prefabbed options out there? I'm in a very mild climate so I don't need anything fancy. I'm also planning to free range them most of the time, so all the coops with big attached runs are overkill.

I use prefab coops and love them! Tractor supply right now has some really nice ones on sale. I just bought one for 10 chickens for $300!! An amazing price. Check tractor supply out. Don't be afraid to go the prefab route. I have 4 prefab coops some 5 years old and still going strong. With a little love they make great homes for chickens.