What do you think about this coup?

[BarnyardPunch]

I am curious about how much y'all say this *should* cost to make. Just $100 in materials, really? Is that using some salvaged/free stuff? I ask because just the siding alone to make our coop that's about the same size was about $100 at our area Home Depot. We actually shopped around too, and they were the cheapest. Granted this is the San Francisco Bay Area, so everything is more expensive than it should be for no good reason. Heck, we went to a salvage lot to try to get some recycled materials. Everything there was 2x the price at Home Depot and they had a sign saying "no complaining about being more expensive than Home Depot, you're saving the environment by buying used!"

We haven't totaled the cost of our coop, but it was a few hundred for supplies and probably 5 or 6 full days of work. (Caveat with that: Husband is extremely handy, but also overly nerdy about the details, so it might have taken a little longer than really needed.)

So with all that mind, if the coop is in great condition, it doesn't seem too outrageously priced to me.

 

[redoak]

If I made that coop to sell for $500, I'd come close to breaking even or make a couple bucks. (If it was made up to standards, pressure treated foundation, 2x4 walls, T1-11 siding, etc.) Looks like a nice coop at a very good price.

 

[70monte]

I did end up buying the coop for $450. It might be more than its worth but its very well made and not flimsy at all. Its only two years old. The temps around here right now are in the low to mid ninties with high humidity and there is no way I'm building anything in this heat. You sweat just going out side. I'm sure I could have built one but I don't know how much cheaper since building materials are not very cheap around here. I'm happy with it and it will do for now.

The coop was pretty heavy but the guy and I got it on my 18ft trailer. It helps that the trailer has a two foot dovetail. My girlfriend and I managed to get it off of the trailer by using some aluminum ramps.

I'm going to clean it out pretty good and I'm going to cut out another window like the one next to the door on the other side for some more ventilation. This coop is a tractor design and it has wheels on the entry door side. They are not really visable in the picture. I think I'm going to try and install some more wheels on the run side. I will try and post some pictures soon.

Wayne

 

[georgialee]

Congrats on getting the coop. My DH is building ours right now in 90 degree HUMID weather.... I feel so bad for him! It sounds like you went the right route! Can't wait to see some pics with chickens

 

[sianara]

I should have been more clear as to why I thought you could build it for around" $100. This would be assuming they:

used OSB and not actual siding (kaChing!),
used chicken wire and not hardware cloth (kaChing, kaChing)
did not use pressure treated poles for inside/outside stucture (kaChing, kaChing, kaChing!)

If you are happy with the coop and it looks well built to you then - good choice!

It's so hard for us on BYC to really tell how well something is built just by photos alone. Hope you enjoy your coop.

 

[Big dreams]

Also prices are so different in many places, what cost 100.00 for you may cost 200.00 for me.

I don't even want to know how much we have in our coop "so far" not even finished yet... At least you have it, ready to go, no tarps on the roof, or boards nailed over the door!!!

It should last and keep chickens for many years to come.

 

[70monte]

Eventually I would like something bigger but I want to start out small since I haven't had chickens since 1985 and this coop is fairly small. The building part is 5x5 and the run is 5x5. I want to let my chickens free run like I did years ago but I don't know how it will work here on my GF's farm since we have all kinds of predators around. The neighbor down the road lets his free run and doesn't seem to have a problem.

After I bought this coop, I found two others for sale by the same person that came with chickens. One was a 6x15 coop and run for $650 that came with 20 hens and one rooster and a 6x9 coop that came with 12 hens and 1 rooster for $550. These are premade coops. They are made with a lot of metal which I don't really care for but are a pretty open design with alot of ventilation.

Wayne

 

[Grampa with chickens]

Folks,
You have to remember too. How many hours does it take to build one?

Free pallets and wood, but it took me about 9 hours of constatnt work. If you were making it for yourself is one thing, but if your going to get paid for your time. What would you charge for 9 hours of your time?

Edittde to add 9 hours per coop