What have you repurposed while building ?

[RaZ]

A couple of photos showing the completed coop. Except for buying screws and nails, this coop is all re-purposed materials.

 

[TomZilla43]

A couple of photos showing the completed coop. Except for buying screws and nails, this coop is all re-purposed materials.
View attachment 1571995 View attachment 1571996

That's really cool! The siding is lumber slabs?

 

[Birdsong 82]

A couple of photos showing the completed coop. Except for buying screws and nails, this coop is all re-purposed materials.
View attachment 1571995 View attachment 1571996

That looks amazing! I love how creative repurposed coops look better than new ones ..... probably hold up better too. Nice job ( slightly jealous lol ).

 

[RaZ]

That's really cool! The siding is lumber slabs?

Yes. From a local timber / sawmill operation. Several thicknesses and lengths so siding the coop was like a jigsaw puzzle.
Also there were pieces like 4x4, 4x6, and 6x6 that I'll be using for fence posts.
Stay tuned scrap fans.

 

[wildwestcoast]

We used some parrot cages that were made of a heavy gauge wire that my husband had gotten cleaning out a customer's place and took them apart to make the bottom walls of the coop. Leftover roofing tiles from a friend and some misc scrap boards. This coop was 100% free..even to the screws and foundation blocks. Hubby provided the free labour.

 

[paintedChix]

I keep baling twine from all my bales ( go through about 3-4 a week) Someone once said bailing twine makes any Homesteader MacGyver. And it’s so true. I love that you crochet slippers and such out of them. That is an awesome idea and I’d love to crochet when I actually have time. I have fixed many Goat and pig fences with it. Along with various other things I have used it for.

This is months later and I hope that you are around still... I braid collars for the ponies (several styles - flat, round, 3strand, mix), headstalls (bridles), reins, driving lines, parts of the harness (have made all parts of a pleasure driving harness except for the gig saddle), bits (instead of a steel mouthpiece), the in/out slippers, woven panels for the various pens - I think that's everything? Have also used it to do wrapped baskets (in place of the jute twine or clothes line cord - both of which disintegrate quite rapidly if get and stay wet).

Just built 2 new chicken coops (4' deep x 8'wide & tall enough to walk into w/o bending over). Did them in the hooped coop style - borrowed "Blooie's" idea of using T-posts to hold the sides of the panel in, instead of attaching to a square wooden frame.

I haven't broken all the costs down yet - haven't located two receipts (that should have been on my phone). But free items for 1 coop - 3 wooden pallets, lumber i used around the base of 1 (forgot to do the 2nd one) - mostly landscaping timbers, trash can lid (used as the base of a new feeder).

Repurposed from other uses - 2x4 wire had used for temporary fencing this summer (original pricing - 16' attached to cattle panel @ .70=$11.20; approximately another 16' = $11.20 + another piece for gate - $? - have to measure).

Purchased items - 1 cattle panel @ $21.99; 4 T-posts @ 4.59 =$21.96; 1 6x8' tarp (need it to be longer than 8', but went with what available)- got on BOGO so $5. TSC bucket w/ lid for #25 of feed - $ 5.28; zip ties (purchased 1,000 @ $8.98 - pretty sure I've used less than 200 - didn't really count, though); 3 screw eye rings - purchased for use in barn at previous property - not used - have no idea what I paid will be used to hang the "mini farm gate" I created from partial CP/2x4" wire; part of 16' CP - used for gate - not sure what the cost break down is yet; smallish rubber tub for water - can't find the receipt but think around $5? 10' 2x4 cut into 2 - 4' lengths. Paid $3.50 for 10'board. These are the roosts. Will rep urpose the other 2'.



Have to finish doing the wire on it this weekend. The 2nd one actually uses less wire - instead using 2 ltr soda bottles to make a wall that will keep them in.



For now this works w/o extra wire or HC on the bottom portion(s) of the coop. Can add later if we find it necessary (probably will)... Could also do HC on ground around coop if needed. There will be an 8' wide run that is 64' long (approximately - nothing actually measured) connecting these two coops. Can make coop #1 larger from the front of it to become approx 8x8 or even 8x12. The 3nd one the same way except that it would be done at the rear (where the bottle walls are) and it would take away from the run... The pine tree in the center already provides a lot of pine needles for DLM, can add more too.

Can you see where the two coops are? This is in our front yard...



and want to try to build 2 more this weekend. I have too many birds in a couple of other coops AND wanted to put together some smaller breeding groups (trios/quads - several different breeds). Have Ameraucana (BBS & Lavender), Australorps (blue/splash - currently no black), CLBs - Jill Reese line; CLBs - Production line (currently in a larger coop run/mixed with Rhodebars). Already have a coop for the Orpingtons (Lavender) - Mr & Mrs Cluck and 2 of pullets may be their daughters or from a different pairing of Mr Cluck and another 2 hens.

 

[culturalinfidel]

Managed to get a bunch of corrugated roofing from a neighbor to cover most of our run. Hoping to get the lumber this way as well. Stoked to build cover over the run and cut down on the mud pit that it becomes during the fall/winter.

This is what we did originally (2 years ago) and it didnt last long. All the side boards are from a neighbors fence that was torn down. The corrugated will be higher than the coop roof to a give a better angle for runoff.

Next step will be collecting used windows to build a pepper house attached to the run. Hoping to increase the size of the run (want to add an additional 4'x16' min) in the next year or so to give the girls a bit more room. Next dry day that we have, I plan to start painting the inside of the coop with our leftover paint.

Just wanted to post this to show the use of the old fence boards that we used to build it and the fancy shmancy door latches we came up with.

Finally at a point where I can start updating/upgrading the coop and run. Always a work in progress.

 

[culturalinfidel]

Started reworking a few things. Nest box roof was leaking a lot into the nest box. Had some extra roofing and built this quick roof to match the first section of run roof that I installed. I have a thin rubber gutter that I came up with that will catch and deflect the the water when the lid is lifted so that it doesnt get into the boxes/coop when the weather is nasty. Also, the kids kind of went overboard with the nest box shavings... girls had fun with it though lol.

The run roof will be extended another 8' section once I have the time to do so. The post in the middle of the run needs to be measured out and reset in some concrete. Just covering the area around the coop itself.

 

[MissChick@dee]

Love the nest boxes

 

[PouleChick]

Looks great!