Zero Cost Coop

[Penpal]

A board between 2 stumps would work fine. I have a board between two cheap end tables.

 

[babyratt]

So, when I decided to become a crazy chicken lady, I challenged myself to create a zero cost coop (for chickens I knew would free range all day on two acres) using things I already owned or could get for free. I divided my existing shed down the middle with a tarp. (If I keep adding chickens, I will have to give them the whole shed.) I put three wire baskets I found at the dump (enclosed them with roof shingles and wood) on the shelf in the shed for nesting boxes and added two buckets for additional nesting boxes. For roosting, I got four large tree stumps for free from a friend. (Each one should accommodate at least four chickens comfortably. 5-6 if they want to huddle). The concrete floor is covered with clean pine straw from my property. I am pretty happy with my zero cost coop setup and the chickens seem super comfortable. They return to their budget motel coop every night like clockwork at 8:30 to the minute! I can set my watch by them. Suggestions or criticisms are more than welcome. (Photos Attached)

I think you're amazing!

 

[DesireeB]

Thank you so
much!!

Azygous, I attached two boards to the stumps and put a branch in one corner and a board in another corner. Hope you can see all four. Better?

 

[DesireeB]

Partially drive 2 deck screws in to make a V the right width and set the perch into it.

Or scrounge up some concrete blocks for a perch like this:

I attached two boards to the stumps and put a branch in one corner and a board in another corner. Hope you can see all four. Better?

 

[babyratt]

I think you're amazing!

I'm not a farmer. I have 2 bantams. They are pets. They cannot run free, but I think that they have more space than any canary. I will try to share pics.

 

[3KillerBs]

I attached two boards to the stumps and put a branch in one corner and a board in another corner. Hope you can see all four. Better?

That should work.

 

[DesireeB]

Fantastic setup on your Zero Cost Coop! Really appreciate threads like this that encourage people to NOT spend a fortune on their backyard flock.

In keeping with your Zero Cost Coop idea, here are some of my zero-cost suggestions/modifications I would consider given what has been discussed thus far.

First of all, I am also concerned that your nest boxes are higher than your roosting stumps. My chickens will always prefer the highest roost for the night, and, I suspect, your chickens will sooner or later start roosting in the nest boxes overnight. The problem is that they poo while sleeping and you really don't want poo in your nest boxes. My zero-cost suggestion is to remount all the nest boxes much lower to the floor. I have my nest boxes one foot above the floor, and their roosting bar is 4 feet high. So they never consider roosting in the nest box overnight.

I used to have a few stumps in my coop, for the chickens to jump up on as desired. Eventually, I just got rid of them because they got too dirty and were too hard to keep clean. Even though you clean off the stumps daily, the fact is that the roosting chickens will be pooing on the stumps and sleeping in that mess until you clean it the next morning. My zero-cost suggestion is to scavenge up a 2X4 to use as a roosting bar. I laid my 2X4 on the flat side, which allows the chickens to tuck their feet up into their body at night, and their butts hang over the edge so when they poo it all just falls to the floor bedding.

Again, your scavenged 2X4 roosting bar should be higher than your nest boxes. Do you need a new roosting bar right now? Probably not. But I would start looking for scavenged wood that you could use.

FYI, I have been getting free shipping pallets from Harbor Freight. Every once in a while, they put out free pallets that are 6.5 feet long and made from good 2X4's. I just used a couple of those pallets to make a zero-cost workbench for my garage. If you don't mind putting some work into breaking down a pallet and removing all the nails, then you might get some good wood to repurpose for your chicken coop. Zero-cost.

Here are some zero-cost suggestions for augmenting your coop bedding. I'm all for using whatever free resources you have for coop bedding. Pine straw sounds like a great option. I have also used fall leaves that I rake up and bag for winter use, dried grass clippings work well, I can get free wood chips from our local county landfill, and last winter I had great success using paper shreds I make at home from our waste paper products (newspapers, junk mail, light cardboard food boxes, office paper, etc...). Of course, you don't need to have just one litter material and I often mix different kinds of coop bedding together. I, too, use whatever I can get for free.

BONUS zero-cost idea. If you find a source for free pallets, you could make a pallet compost bin which you could use to turn your soiled coop bedding into compost for a garden. I tell people that I have a backyard flock of composting chickens, and I get eggs as a bonus. This spring, I harvested about $200.00 worth of chicken run compost from my chicken run and used that in my new raised garden beds. I've got a bumper crop of produce starting to grow. Zero-cost compost from the chicken run instead of spending all that money on bagged compost from the big box stores.

Will be looking forward to other comments on this thread.

Even if you don't use any of the suggestions offered, I still commend you for your Zero Cost Coop setup! Very nice.

I attached two boards to the stumps and put a branch in one corner and a board in another corner. Hope you can see all four. Better?

 

[gtaus]

I attached two boards to the stumps and put a branch in one corner and a board in another corner. Hope you can see all four. Better?

I hope your boards work good as roosting bars for your chickens. I use 2X4s, and it looks like you are using 2X6s. Would be interesting to hear how that works out for you. You just want to make sure that the poo is falling off behind the roosting bar at night and not getting on the boards themselves. If you find the boards are getting soiled, maybe you could rip them down to a 2X4 size. At least I can tell you that my 2X4 boards do not get soiled, but I have never tried 2X6s as roosting bars.

One recommendation, the stump with board in the back of the picture looks like it is very close to the wall. You want enough distance between the roosting bar and the wall or your wall will soon be covered in chicken poo. Keep an eye on that. Looks easy enough to move the stump if needed.

One concern, in your picture, there is a screw sticking up about an inch on the board on the front stump. That could really cut up a chicken, so it needs to be screwed down flush or removed.

Chickens don't weigh very much, but the way you have the boards attached to the stump appears to resemble a teeter totter. If all your chickens decide to roost on one side of the stump, it might tip everything over to that side. I had 10 chickens, and they would often crowd together on the last 4 feet of their roosting bar despite there being plenty of room on the other side. I don't remember how many chickens you said you have, but I would keep on eye the possibility of tipping the stump over to the heavy side.

But, hey, I love your approach with the Zero Cost Coop. Hope the changes you are making work out. Keep us updated on your results. Always interesting to read what others find works for them.

 

[3KillerBs]

I would keep on eye the possibility of tipping the stump over to the heavy side.

I've had them do that with the lid of the integration pen when I'd sat it at an angle to let the little ones in and out.

 

[azygous]

This is a great thread, full of great ideas. This sort of coop is far better than one of those doll house tiny chicken coops Tractor Supply sells.

I have a general suggestion. When you are ready to build a coop or enclosed run, ask around about materials that often end up at the dump such as old doors and windows, as well as old lumber. When I built my fabulous run and an addition onto my coop, friends gave me a bunch of windows and glass doors from their home remodels.

I used one window as a door in my coop addition to let in lots of light. I used the glass doors in the run as permanent wind breaks, again, to let in a lot of wonderful light. A cast off aluminum door is the door to the run. None of that cost me anything, and it probably reduced the cost of building the run by half. But the final product looks way more expensive than it actually was.