Who builds your coop?

[marthas_ear]

There are as many ways to build a coop as there are readers of this forum!

I built my first coop and run from scrap wood...
I have no "official" skills. I barely had a hammer and nails (I didn't even have a saw)....amazingly that coop and run protected my chickens for over 15 yrs...finally gaps in the floor and sides let predators in ....
This time my coop is pretty simple...with an attached floor- Sides are made from recycled wood fence panels...it is small- for only 4 RIRXDel pullets and a few banties. It has height not width for small yards.
it is solid and heavy...just an idea-I have photos on my page. Note that the run area has not yet been predator-proofed. There are gaps at the top of the fence of the run that I will cover with wire.
Wood privacy panels are an easy way to go...moderately priced if you are buying new materials- 4X6' panels to work with. Easy to paint and looks good.

 

[txchickie]

I have NO skills at all. I am lucky to hammer a nail in the wall correctly.

BUT

I did watch my DH build our current coop. Since we are in need of a new/bigger coop & run now I am on my own. I have drawn out plans, and am totally confident that I can do this. It's going to cost less than $200 (I already have all of the wire).

The only part I am NOT looking forward to is setting all those stupid posts and digging the holes (GAAAAAH I am sore just thinking about it) and tamping the posts, which is even worse. DH doesn't believe in concrete (

) so I may just wait till he's gone and do it anyway. He did recently get one of those nail guns that runs off the compressor, so I'm thinking that's going to save some time.

YOU CAN DO IT! I am a total floosy when it comes to things like this, and while I'm sure I will have several mistakes, I am very excited!

 

[countrygirlatheart]

look on craigslist.com or your local "want ads", we built ours for less than $500 from bottom up, some things we had leftovers of, some things we had to buy and we weren't "builders" either but we got it done

even though there were times i wanted to

my husband (because he's a perfectionist). it doesnt have to be fancy but it doesnt have to be "crappy" either. look at the coops here and see what ya'll can do. some of the coops here have detailed wonderful plans.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Were on coop number four right now. My hubby is smart but he's never really built anything before this. He did a great job. His dad helped him and this is what they come up with. It's 8x8 and insulated. Nothing real fancy and it took them about nine days about to finish it completely (that is including making the run) That was about every day for 7 hours a day. Mostly just one person doing the work....he did have two helpers on the weekends though.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

How many chickens are you going to have? Coops can be anything from a large dog house for a couple of chickens to a garden shed for a dozen or more. Playhouses are good for flocks in between those sizes.

It's very easy to find a lot of garden or storage shed plans. They come in many styles, to go with any house or yard. They can be scaled up or down, depending on your needs. Playhouse plans are also readily available in a variety of styles.

The main alterations that a building used as a coop will need are a small door for the chickens to use and ventilation openings. They are part of the main structure of the building and involve openings in the walls. If you hire someone to build it for you, the chicken door and ventilation openings are the two things you'll need to tell them about, if they've never built a coop before. Things like roosts and nest boxes are super easy to add anywhere inside.

There are an assortment of plans on the web. There are also a lot of how-to sites that show how to frame a building. Places like Home Depot have those little books on how to build garden sheds, with a lot of pictures. That's how I learned to frame. If you click on the Coop Designs link at the top of the page, that will help you, too. A lot of the people on the forum have taken pictures of their coops as they were building it. You can see how they framed things in, added the plywood to the outside, roofed it, etc.

 

[lilchick]

I had the Amish in Illinois build my biggest barn. 12ft. by 30 ft. They let me choose size, no. of windows and color of roof etc. It even has a porch on it. And 2 lofts for the banties..It is what people use for getaway cabins by lakes or river resorts...
The Amish will even arrange for someone to deliver it or will build it on your lot..
Since money is tight I also got my 2nd barn cheaper.. I bought a demo shed at Lowes for half off the standard price and not charged for the added features..
Had all the features in it including window boxes, skylights, loft and work benches and upper shelves. The floor was treated and since it was a demo it was WELL made for show...
I paid same guy who delivered my Amish barn to go to Lowes and load it and deliver it and set it up... He took the cupola off during transport. It even has a chicken weather vane on it!
I think the company is called Heartland and you can go to their website or call and see where they are selling demos. I have my eye on another at Lowes and I drive by it each time to look for the sale sign!
My hubby first built me 2 smaller barns and after that he said no more so I rather enjoy the hunt for new ones.... good luck

 

[CTChickenMom]

songbird, where do you live?

 

[songbird]

WOW! Thank you all SOOO much for your time and your help. To answer your questions, we will have about 10 hens, mostly standard but a couple of bantams for the kiddies. I have looked on Craigslist and Freecycle with no luck, but I haven't recently so i will try that again. I might also contact the builder who did our stalls to see if he could give me a cost estimate. That's the scary part!

 

[happyhensny]

I got a prebuilt outside display 8 x 8 shed with a gambrel roof for $200.00. It was probably at least 2 yrs old but it is built with decking and shingles. Check your local big hardware stores/discount stores etc now that they are getting in new shed models they may sell you the display cheaper. Good luck!

 

[NJbirdlover]

dh is building our coop-mostly scrap lumber, left over roof shingles for the coop roof. My grandfather had cedar siding and a solid wood door in his garage so we will use them and I found 2 new insulated double hung windows on Craigs List.
We are almost done, just a little more to go.


We are able to build our 8x6 coop with 10x14 run for less than 300.00 all because I spread the word- I just told friends and family what I needed and if they had anything just "laying around" I would take it off of their hands! This has worked so far!

good luck