Wait...why didn't I just buy a coop?

[foxinachickenhouse]

Well, made some progress today after all. I nearly threw in the towel there and considered just stacking some rubbermaid containers on top of each other with a tarp thrown over the top and calling it good 'nuf. Thanks to everyone for the support. Exhausted but got the venting and the window done. The pop doors are at least cut out. I decided not to paint and am going to side with recycled cedar fence boards, which means I have to use cedar for trim too ($). It's getting there. Will post pics tomorrow. Even after using mostly recycled and scrap materials and the hardware/ hinges/ fasteners etc. that my grandfather left me I can't believe how much this is costing. No clue how those guys on craigslist make any $ on the coops they build.

I can't wait to post pics of the eventual $1000 egg! All subsequent eggs will be free but that first one will be spendy. The lucky lady that lays it will get something delicious.

At least I got to hang with the chicks today. Their voices are changing... adorable!!

Do I dare say I see a light?

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

Well, made some progress today after all. I nearly threw in the towel there and considered just stacking some rubbermaid containers on top of each other with a tarp thrown over the top and calling it good 'nuf. Thanks to everyone for the support. Exhausted but got the venting and the window done. The pop doors are at least cut out. I decided not to paint and am going to side with recycled cedar fence boards, which means I have to use cedar for trim too ($). It's getting there. Will post pics tomorrow. Even after using mostly recycled and scrap materials and the hardware/ hinges/ fasteners etc. that my grandfather left me, I can't believe how much this is costing. No clue how those guys on craigslist make any $ on the coops they build.

I can't wait to post pics of the eventual $1000 egg! All subsequent eggs will be free but that first one will be spendy. The lucky lady that lays it will get something delicious.

At least I got to hang with the chicks today. Their voices are changing... adorable!!

Do I dare say I see a light?

 

[DaveBeaty]

For me, it is because I am too dang cheap!

$ 160 in purchased materials, recycled lumber from a pile of scrap wood on my father-in-law's property, and 2 MONTHS later I am finally able to move the chickens into it. So what if a few of the boards twist 30 degrees from warpage? Professionally made coops that don't look like they were constructed by a drunken beaver cost hundreds of dollars.

If I ever take some pictures of my abomination I will post them in the tacky coops thread.

 

[skya328]

Quote:
I'm glad Texans are able to help, but I'm not one. I'm actually a transplant from Portland, Oregon. I guess I'm fitting in well with all the Texans, though! (Just like E.T. fit in with the stuffed animals!)

 

[skya328]

Quote:

That's great! The motto for our first coop (which we had no plans for, just kind of winged it) was "Screw it, it's just a chicken coop!" That has been the motto for the other two as well! The PVC coop that we're finishing up now has cost us $85. That's a whole lot of cash for some pvc!!! My broodies and their babies will be happy in there tomorrow, I'm sure of it!

 

[anniem]

I was so set on building our own....got plans, it looked fairly straight forward....and 1/2 way thru I was wondering why why why? I like it, glad we have what we want but it's gonna take a bit for the frustration and anxiety over it to wear off. Although mine had a few wrenches thrown in....my husband did the majority of the work--we have young boys so it works best if one of us is distracting them from the cool tools while the other works, and about mid-way he decided he had the basic concept and didn't pay much attention to the plans (which would be fine if we didn't lose precious floor space b/c of it and have no door while he went out of town

) And that upped the cost of the coop $100 b/c I hired someone to fix/finish it while my hubby was out of town--the coop was not quite finished enough for the girls to move in, and they were 7 weeks old and living in a dog crate in the garage, I was on the verge of a panic attack about keeping that set up for 2 more weeks!
Our in town property is also set up so there is no real privacy in the yard, so I felt like I had to have something that looked nice since it'd be on display to all the neighbors.
You'll be happy you did, maybe not right away, but eventually!

And the next one will be that much easier.

 

[Alaska animal lover]

Don't feel bad about the costs. Our coop cost us a LOT of money. We live in Alaska. We built it to withstand 30-50 below, 80 mph winds and snow load from heck. People call it our chicken palace, it has insulation, treated foundation, even my egg collecting door is insulated. I see those coops on craigslist too, and I think, "well someone is going to be pretty sad when their chickens freeze to death."
You get what you pay for.

 

[mylittlechickpea]

I built chickpea and wilamina (before she turned into a william) the most hideous thing i have ever seen in my entire life. I call it the "frankencoop" and even though william has gone off to the farm and now i let chickpea roam the house i still will not take it apart, it's made of pvc piping, plastic poultry netting, zip-ties, and one end has a sheet!! I had run out of the poultry netting and they were getting too big for the big bin i had them in. But even though it's not in use, and the ugliest thing i have ever seen, I am still proud that i made it

 

[foxinachickenhouse]

Quote:
I'm glad Texans are able to help, but I'm not one. I'm actually a transplant from Portland, Oregon. I guess I'm fitting in well with all the Texans, though! (Just like E.T. fit in with the stuffed animals!)

Hahahaha! That's hilarious. That's how I fit in in Texas too! I love me some Texans though and have spent much time there. My other half is from there and Portland is my hometown! Opposite worlds.

 

[skya328]

Here's a picture of our "Uh oh, babies are gonna hatch in 2 days..we need a brooder" coop. We made it out of PVC pipe. Pretty simple. Not nearly as fancy as the first one, but just as functional! (and MUCH more portable.)

In the background you can see the red tractor that we made. It weighs a ton!

And here's why we went to all the trouble...

They hatched Saturday night, May 8.