Talk me off the Ledge... $2000 for a chicken coop!

[ThatTeowonna]

Y

..."And I still had to build the roost and nests myself!"

That's a good point. Your design doesn't look like it includes any amenities, like roosts, vinyl flooring, or paint? So you're still going to have to do a lot of finish work that may not be in your contractor's quote.

I think you could save some money by replacing the siding and roof with metal. You can always add insulation in the winter. ($60-70/4x8 sheet vs. $30/3x12 panel) It's loud when it rains, but mine don't mind it at all; and you probably have worse summers than winters, so the wood is more of a burden anyway.

For the same price as a sheet of plywood, you could by a 2 hole rollout nest box to hang on the inside, although you'll probably want four hole with that many birds.

For your run, you can do t-posts ($5 each) and 5' 2x4 welded wire fencing (50' is about $50 I think) for now. Pop a $25 50"x16' cattle panel on top for a "roof" and hawk barrier. Use a mesh tarp from harbor freight as a shade cloth, with pool noodles/pipe insulation on the fence edges to protect the tarp. (Those mesh tarps are nice BTW, I use them everywhere.) Or, if you *need* to cover it in welded wire all over, go with 3 cattle panels and t-posts, build an end door or buy a 4' chain link gate, and cover the panels with the cloth. Order the hardware cloth from the feed store or online, Lowes/HD don't sell long or tall enough rolls for a decent price.

You are reading my mind! For the run, I was definitely thinking abut the t-posts and welded wire. I already have a 10x10 dog fencing that is working well, but would like for it to be a little larger. Right now, I have chicken wire on top. You gave me many other good ideas! I'm sure I will implement. The roosts should be easy enough and the painting should be fun!

 

[Tankueray]

Y

You are reading my mind! For the run, I was definitely thinking abut the t-posts and welded wire. I already have a 10x10 dog fencing that is working well, but would like for it to be a little larger. Right now, I have chicken wire on top. You gave me many other good ideas! I'm sure I will implement. The roosts should be easy enough and the painting should be fun!

I think your quote is high looking around your Craigslist.

This outfit seems to be operating in your area, and their design is very similar in functionality to yours...I'm sure they could close in the back wall. You might give them a call for a second quote.
https://columbia.craigslist.org/grq/d/eastover-lodge-chicken-coop-pigeon-loft/7310099064.html

Also: https://columbia.craigslist.org/for/d/columbia-shed-8x12/7309258885.html
https://columbia.craigslist.org/for/d/north-metal-storage-shed/7308746161.html
https://columbia.craigslist.org/grq/d/west-columbia-leonard-6x8-steel-frame/7309961791.html
https://columbia.craigslist.org/grq/d/west-columbia-used-sheds-garagescabins/7320452174.html - This one for used/repo sheds looks pretty promising.

 

[Tankueray]

Y

You are reading my mind! For the run, I was definitely thinking abut the t-posts and welded wire. I already have a 10x10 dog fencing that is working well, but would like for it to be a little larger. Right now, I have chicken wire on top. You gave me many other good ideas! I'm sure I will implement. The roosts should be easy enough and the painting should be fun!

If you look at the background of my photos, you'll see that my two coops are currently in my very large t-post and welded wire backyard that my dog uses. I plan on expanding the fencing to the edge of the hill and around the garden (about 1/2 acre), and putting in some fencing and gates to keep the chickens out of the garden and the dog out of the chickens when I'm not there. There are trees in the expansion area for hawk help, but right now it's open air, and after the expansion I don't plan on cover wire either. So far, I've lost two to hawks when they were much smaller, one to a cat, one to a freak accident probably instigated by the ducks, and two ducks to the dog (who was playing, not predating, but still).

T-Post Tips: spend the $40 and at least get the cheap fence post pounder, trust me. I haven't tried it yet, but I bought one of those wire twister things too, twisting those u-shaped post fasteners with pliers got real old last time. You can't really use a fence stretcher with welded wire, two people work better, pulling it taught and fastening it from the bottom of the posts up. These corner kits look awesome and I'm going to try them, if they work, they're definitely worth the money. If they don't work, I will try the new rapid expanding polymer stuff instead of concrete in the $%##!*@ corner post holes.

I *might* put up some netting around the trees if I lose more birds, and I do plan on putting 1 or 2 electric wires around the entire area. I may even try to run that orange construction fence around as a dog moat so he can protect the perimeter while I'm not home. (I still have plenty of hawks that fly over, and now a new set of small, tasty chicklets in the yard. I bought that fence to let them free range without the big girls bothering them. They all run together now. Orange was all they had at the store, but I seriously think it's helped with the hawks, that's why it's just sitting there all haphazard in my photos. I haven't had a single close call since that fence showed up 6 weeks ago.)

So the reason for keeping everything open to the dog is his contribution to the overall safety of the chickens and ducks. Only a cat has been brave enough to enter the fence. I have every manner of creature that loves the taste of chicken moving around my creek area 50 yards away. There's even a family of raccoons that played in the water every evening last summer. My dog's contribution of urine all around the yard keeps things away, so I encourage him to pee around whenever I let him out there with me. He stays inside while I'm home and at night, and I've had no evidence of anything trying to dig around or under the coops at all, even the annoying herd of cats that lives next door. I guess we'll see when summer finally gets here and food and water get scarce. By then I should have a couple of roosters that are old enough too.

That's another thing that I love about all this. Every chicken situation is unique, none of us have cookie cutter copies of each other. We all use what works and what doesn't for other people and mold it to our needs, evolving and refining as we go. It's about as duct tape and bailing wire/mad scientist/MacGyver as you can get without actually having the responsibility and heartburn of a multi-million dollar ag operation. I suspect it's also a wonderful way for wives and husbands to secretly justify their respective chicken and tool addictions without the other one catching on.

 

[3KillerBs]

I suspect it's also a wonderful way for wives and husbands to secretly justify their respective chicken and tool addictions without the other one catching on.

I am the Tool Enabler.

I agree that he needs to buy particular tools and he uses them to make stuff for my hobbies.

 

[igorsMistress]

I’ll be honest, my coop wasn’t cheap and it was built several years ago. We did all the labor ourselves so if you’re paying for labor that’s a big part of it and you might find a cheaper quote elsewhere. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Are the plans something you designed or a plan offered by the builder? Will you have input on design elements that are important to you? If I was going to pay someone to build it for me, I better get what I want. Walk in, deep litter, pop door, flexibility due to weather extremes and my ease of use are important factors on top of safety for the flock.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Go on... tell us! Did it at least include a run?

I put the exact amount out of my head lol, but it was over 5k.

And no that didn't include the run, that was about another 2k.

Also that didn't include cost of hardware cloth on run and coop, netting, roosts, nests, uh... yeah, you get the picture. Ironically we moved here to get away from So California prices - ha!

On the flip side, my bedding is all free? As is my labor?

 

[Sierra G]

Lumber prices are crazy right now. If you can afford it it might be worth it just to buy it.

 

[Tankueray]

I am the Tool Enabler.

I agree that he needs to buy particular tools and he uses them to make stuff for my hobbies.

Shhhh.... he thinks is putting one over on you. Don't let him know or he won't feel guilty about it!

 

[MissE]

Shhhh.... he thinks is putting one over on you. Don't let him know or he won't feel guilty about it!

Ha! I used to buy tools I wanted to use, and then gave them to him for Christmas and his birthday.

 

[FLXCHIX]

I’m so lucky to live by an Amish community. I was able to get a 4 x 8 coop, that has two windows, a metal roof a man door, etc. $540. I did get it last year, but i Don’t think the price would be much differen, as they cut and mill their own lumber.