cstronks
Songster
BYC,
Last year, my friends and I decided to build a chicken coop in my yard so that I could raise hens. At first, my family thought the idea was ridiculous and they laughed...but two months later there was a coop constructed in the backyard. When May came, the hen house became home to five lovely pullets who are now almost one year old! The whole experience was great, between the build, finding birds, interacting on BYC, and teaching everybody in my family and neighborhood about chickens. My family loves the birds now, and the fresh eggs are awesome! I've given quite a few away to neighbors and they think it is just a phenomenal thing. But anyways...
Like most chicken owners, I want more birds! My house is simple now (5x5 with a 5x5 run), and it can't fit much more than one or two more hens, so I'm contemplating a new one. I was hoping to have a flock of 15 or 20 birds, and I believe a 6x10 or 8x10 coop would fit the bill perfectly. I'm trying to find some materials to cut down on price, and the one neighbor is a contractor, so hopefully I can find a bunch of stuff to supplant buying it. I've looked at designs already and plan on modeling my coop after a shed, but if anybody has built anything creative that is within those general size guidelines, please let me know! This site was pretty much my inspiration for raising chickens, and I've been here since day 1, so I'd appreciate any advice on new coops, or just some general words of encouragement! Hoping to break ground in May when I get back from college! Thanks!!
Last year, my friends and I decided to build a chicken coop in my yard so that I could raise hens. At first, my family thought the idea was ridiculous and they laughed...but two months later there was a coop constructed in the backyard. When May came, the hen house became home to five lovely pullets who are now almost one year old! The whole experience was great, between the build, finding birds, interacting on BYC, and teaching everybody in my family and neighborhood about chickens. My family loves the birds now, and the fresh eggs are awesome! I've given quite a few away to neighbors and they think it is just a phenomenal thing. But anyways...
Like most chicken owners, I want more birds! My house is simple now (5x5 with a 5x5 run), and it can't fit much more than one or two more hens, so I'm contemplating a new one. I was hoping to have a flock of 15 or 20 birds, and I believe a 6x10 or 8x10 coop would fit the bill perfectly. I'm trying to find some materials to cut down on price, and the one neighbor is a contractor, so hopefully I can find a bunch of stuff to supplant buying it. I've looked at designs already and plan on modeling my coop after a shed, but if anybody has built anything creative that is within those general size guidelines, please let me know! This site was pretty much my inspiration for raising chickens, and I've been here since day 1, so I'd appreciate any advice on new coops, or just some general words of encouragement! Hoping to break ground in May when I get back from college! Thanks!!
