Cheap Chicken Coop DIY Ideas?

[cskiles]

Here's the coop that I built for our (10) laying hens. I think I have about $1,200.00 in the coop and $400.00 in the run. After three years, I can tell you this for certain - Unless you are going to sell the eggs on a regular basis or you consume a LOT of eggs, it's cheaper to buy them from the store! We did this as a hobby thing for my wife, we feed ours well (they get daily freeze-dried grubs, always have chicken feed available, and they get fresh greens, frozen corn or peas, and apples/pears EVERY DAY) because that's the way my wife is with all of our pets...it could definitely be done cheaper.

IMHO - Whatever you decide, I'd think through the cleaning on the coop (unless you don't care about that kind of thing), cleaning should be paramount when you are deciding on the design of the coop. My wife gets inside the coop once or twice a month and completely cleans it out, it's a chore!

 

[alnen]

Interesting, I'm learning a lot here! I'm leaning towards a used dog kennel, plus some sort of cover, plus some sort of free lumber build for an easily cleanable coop and nesting buckets.

I'm scheduled to pick up some lumber tomorrow. Still searching for everything else. Thanks guys!

 

[Greybeard2]

We put River sand as a floor in both our coups. Get a long handle litter scoop and sift every morning. Stays really clean and doesn’t smell like a chicken house 😬

 

[cskiles]

We put River sand as a floor in both our coups. Get a long handle litter scoop and sift every morning. Stays really clean and doesn’t smell like a chicken house 😬

We did the same, put about four inches of sand in the bottom of the coop and about three or four inches of hay on top. We change the hay out once a month or so, and sift through the sand for any solids...Keeps the odor down for sure

 

[BEREZKA]

We have the gift of chickens that will one day give us eggs.

We also are not exactly rolling in $. I'd like the eventual ability to house 12 chickens.

I don't have any pallets, sheds, etc laying around and only a minivan to transport the DIY materials i might find on craigslist/fb in the free section.

Any creative ideas? I'm capable of DIY skills, but heavy stuff is not possible at this moment.

I like the "tractor", or mobile idea- but I'm not set on it.

Thanks!

I have some stuff i can give you. Its a shingled roof from my old coop.

 

[Cadcom]

Y'all do know Kroger sells this stuff for about $2 a dozen?

 

[IceColdEric]

I'm embarrassed to admit how much I spent building mine. You could buy a cheap one on Amazon ($100) that won't last or your best bet is probably to find somebody selling a used one.

I am scared to add up my receipts of my newly built coupe, but I have a happy wife!

If you can find old trampoline frame turn in upside down add some chicken wire and a make shift roof on it! Boom chicken coupe.

 

[roydamnmercer]

Y'all do know Kroger sells this stuff for about $2 a dozen?

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Those bougie ass free range eggs my wife buys are closer to $7/dz…but they’re dang good!

My neighbor had a coop with fourteen hens laying over a dozen a day and he couldn’t get rid of the eggs fast enough. He gave us a 36 count flat every week…and it’s just the wife and I. Then he lost all his hens to possums and he hasn’t tried again. Miss those free fresh eggs

 

[alnen]

Y'all do know Kroger sells this stuff for about $2 a dozen?

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The idea is to gain independence from a vulnerable food supply chain. And also the small farm eggs I've had in the past were just better, and likely healthier to eat.

 

[lostchild]

When I was a kid, we raised chickens and ducks. Nastiest, dumbest critters God created.
Much better now, go to store, pick up a dozen large Eggland’s best, helluva lot less trouble.