Virginia

[Bulldogma]

My little blue coop is an old wood dog house and scrap lumber. I'm currently converting an old horse trailer into a coop. Biggest issue is getting enough ventilation, but I'm going to replace some of the solid doors with hardware cloth panels.

Yeah - there are lots of folks out there who spend a lot of $$$ on coops... I'm not one of them, but I'm not afraid to work or try something new. No - I never took "shop class" in school or officially learned to build anything... but somehow I've managed to end up with some halfway decent coops!

Have you considered a hoop coop? We just built a 10' x 10' coop out of 2 cattle panels, some welded wire, hardware cloth, a few pieces of lumber, an old tarp and some free windows. It isn't the prettiest coop out there, but it is far more usable than the 4'x4' coop.




Proof that we're not that handy... it's uneven - LOL! But I just might sell it to you for a really good price! You'd have to pick it up, though.

 

[ki4got]

We're buying this coop tomorrow. He said it was 2 SF per chicken, so 8 chickens? I'm guessing, by what you're saying, its not that at all. We plan on having them free range all day(or most of it) because we have a very large, fenced yard.

http://roanoke.craigslist.org/grd/3613582317.html

We h ave no idea what type of chicken we want. I've read in the past there are chickens that are more friendly with kids (lap chickens?). I guess that doesn't really matter, lol. But I do have little ones running around!

well, even if you're planning on free ranging, you should still have a smaller pen for those days they can't range, and also to 'train' them to where home is for the first week or so...

the best prices i've found on wire are southern states for the 1x1 chicken wire. good as a temporary fence, in sizes from 2' to 6' tall.

the coop looks ok, but also looks like it'd be a PITA to clean, for lack of access space. the door doesn't look to be much more than 12-14" wide... unless there's another access door elsewhere.

for a quick and easy pen, you can use pieces of electrical conduit (1/2" grey pvc) and build a wooden 'box' frame on the ground, attach each end of the conduit to the frame and roll your wire over the top and up the sides. i used electric fence wire to attach it to the conduit, and also used 1x1 wire on one of the ends because it's easier to cut a door into, to let them out if i'm going to...

materials required for a 4x8 pen are 6pieces of conduit (5 for the ribs spaced 2' apart and lengthwise to keep the ribs spaced evenly) and 3 pressure treated 2x4. coated deck screws, 4' chicken wire, 2' roll of 1x1 welded wire, and a small roll of electric fence wire (lightest gauge is fine).

i also put a roost about mid-way and ended up putting a tarp over it to keep the food dry and give them a place to get out of any rain without having to go in the house.
at the time i also hadn't finished building the house pictured just to the left of it, so used a doghouse with roosts installed. with a 4x4 house, it would be adequate for probably 3 LF hens, or a few more if they're allowed to free range more often than not. mine currently houses 5 bantam cochins. a roo and 4 girls. but they're also allowed to roam periodically too. their house is about the same size as what you're getting.

 

[ki4got]

My little blue coop is an old wood dog house and scrap lumber. I'm currently converting an old horse trailer into a coop. Biggest issue is getting enough ventilation, but I'm going to replace some of the solid doors with hardware cloth panels.

Yeah - there are lots of folks out there who spend a lot of $$$ on coops... I'm not one of them, but I'm not afraid to work or try something new. No - I never took "shop class" in school or officially learned to build anything... but somehow I've managed to end up with some halfway decent coops!

Have you considered a hoop coop? We just built a 10' x 10' coop out of 2 cattle panels, some welded wire, hardware cloth, a few pieces of lumber, an old tarp and some free windows. It isn't the prettiest coop out there, but it is far more usable than the 4'x4' coop.




Proof that we're not that handy... it's uneven - LOL! But I just might sell it to you for a really good price! You'd have to pick it up, though.

ok, so yours is bigger than mine.

well, at least my little one...
here's my bigger hoop coop... used 1 1/2 pieces of conduit for each rib, made this one 8x8 and built another wooden house for it with external nest boxes and a large double door on the back.

i also agree, ventilation is essential. my coops have raised wire floors and vents at the peaks (ok not vents really, just wired over ends. but still)
we framed the ends and used 2x4 welded fence wire there, 1" chicken wire on the rest (i had plenty). and the roofing piece leaning on the coop is now on the nest box. and i ran 2 2x3's lengthwise for roosts for the birds. the feeder hangs in the center and i've got a large plastic tub now in the nearest corner for water, with a 250 watt 'paddle' style tank heater in it. the door is in the far right end, as part of the framed end.


i actually thought about making some quonset hut style coops like bulldogma has, but i like the idea of separated houses. it's just me.
it was also the last one i painted... LOL

 

[mabelino]

Thanks for your help, everyone!

So if he could make it offer more ventilation it would be better? http://roanoke.craigslist.org/for/3624645360.html this links last picture shows the size better.

If this one doesn't work out, how about something like this: http://roanoke.craigslist.org/grd/3574259511.html Sufficient for 8 or so chickens that free range most of the day?


I appreciate everyones advice!!

 

[mabelino]

I don't care if its pretty, i'd consider buying that one, Bulldogma, but we have NO way to transport it! We moved here recently from out of state so know noone with a truck&trailor!

 

[ki4got]

Thanks for your help, everyone!

So if he could make it offer more ventilation it would be better? http://roanoke.craigslist.org/for/3624645360.html this links last picture shows the size better.

If this one doesn't work out, how about something like this: http://roanoke.craigslist.org/grd/3574259511.html Sufficient for 8 or so chickens that free range most of the day?


I appreciate everyones advice!!

the second one you linked would be the LAST i'd pick for that many birds... the house itself is only about 2x4 and maybe 2' tall from the looks... if you don't want to build something i'd go with the first one *(or the wacky, it's cute!)

ideally you would like to give your birds a minimum 2 sq ft (4 sq ft is ideal) for coop space and 10 sq ft pen space. bantams need a little less depending on the breed... (my dorkings are between 7 and 10 pounds, the cochins between 1.5-2 pounds... jsut a little difference!)

my breeding pens i'm building will have roughly 55-60 sq ft of ground space and 10 sq ft of coop space. and i'm planning on putting no more than 4-5 birds in each. (again my bantam cochins can handle more crowding, but i still probably wouldn't put more than 6-7 in one pen)

 

[ki4got]

oh and i also have this one available, pm me if you're interested... it's 4x6 pen space and 2x4 house. big enough for probably 4 large birds short term, or maybe a couple more long term if you free range them daily.

not a very good pic, but it's the one closest to the camera. it's been used but is solid.
the far end one is currently in use and the middle one had a bit of an electrical fire (faulty cfl bulb - that's the smoke you can see above it..)
see the diagram below to see how it's built. the pic doesn't do it justice IMO. 8)

and it would fit in the back of a pickup truck too... depending where you are, delivery could be arranged possibly.

 

[mabelino]

ki4got, i'll def LYK!! =)

 

[cubalaya]

very similar to my tractors (breeding pens) :

i build the house part above the ground and have chicken wire under the perches so their poop just falls through to the ground.
i prefer to keep 2 hens and a cock in each tractor. the picture shows 4 chickens and that is max. i like the idea of your cage top being hinged to just lift up and not have a door.

 

[lori stetson]

THANKS newfarmgirl! I just called Middleburg and Purcellville Southern States and am going to take the plunge into babies! I was originally wanting started pullets, but am finding they are expensive to order from a hatchery or I can't find the breeds I want. Middleburg has Black Australorps coming in two weeks!! Now to research and get the house ready for babies