Thoughts on cheap coop ideas?

[talkinboutchickens]

You seemed to have disappeared... I'm not sure if you ever built your chickencoop & run or if you are still researching.

I thought I'd give an answer... if coop & run are combined, such as in an open air coop, you would go with run size of 10'/bird. If you are going w/ dog house coop - whether attached outside run or put in run - you would need to do minimum of 4'/bird of floor space (nest boxes, waterer, feeder can not be on floor or space for them needs to be added) and 1'/bird roost space.

The dog house article stated in comments that their size was 4x2.5'. That only allows for 2.5 birds OR could probably do 3 birds if bantams... Honestly, with harsh winter conditions, sounds like they'd be cooped more often then allowed into run or free ranged. Then, you would want a lot more space, to prevent bullying and boredom.

We, as a group, don't know where you live.

Even in most winter conditions, a CP hoop coop could be a good choice. There are many here on BYC in all 4 categories - small, medium, large & tractors. They can be more affordable then "regular" coops - even built to "Ft Worth" standards. They can be built to handle snow & wind - using a variety of materials. And if you are thrifty, you can get material from lower costs to free.

There are other options as well w/ dog kennels not the house, but the kennels. Again a variety of ways to do a coop & the roof. Supposedly, A 10 x10' kennel would handle 10 chickens, but I can tell you that that.is.too.many.chickens.for that size...

Pallets - wood or plastic - range from free to $25 here. Can build to your size requirements, variety of roof styles.

I've had my own chickens rip out of chicken wire. Most expensive part(s) of your build will be hardware cloth (HWC).

You can build any of a number of chicken tractors. However, with harsh winter conditions, I expect you wouldn't be able to move it daily. You would need to be able to be able to add run space to accommodate them.

If you are still on BYC, would love to know what you came up with.

Don't worry I didn't go anywhere lol...Thanks so much for all the great info! Also I live in the Midwest so it can get very cold here lol!!

 

[paintedChix]

Midwest - yep, areas of cold & wind. Some blizzards like our hurricanes - dangerous & destructive. My grandparents farmed in Kiron, IA. My cousin still lives in Denison.

I still stand on CP hoop coops in a variety of ways...

Our oldest daughter, SIL & 2 grand daughters are in MT. Some years, lots of snow & cold, others not so much...