Build your own chicken coop plans?

[Jersey_Fresh]

I found a coop that I liked at Southern States but they dont carry it anymore. The other commercial ones seem too small or the reviews say they are flimsy. We get severe weather here in the spring and summer and I don’t want to risk one that can be easily damaged and chickies hurt.

We want a coop for 8-9 chickens. I only plan on starting with 6 but I dont want them to be cramped and id like room in case I want to add it.

Does anyone have a good source for plans for one? I think we could build one that is nicer and sturdier than the premade ones.

[Jim_R]

I am looking at the same situation. Just saw on Backyard chickens a section for coop plans.

[S1969]

What kind of coop do you want? (General shape/idea?)

My good friend designed and built a mobile chicken tractor, but it was too heavy to move by hand and she doesn’t have a tractor - but I’m looking to build one of these this year. Some sort of A-frame like this: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bgs-little-egg-factory

But I’d like my chickens to be able to scavenge my horse pastures so I don’t want them penned in; something like this but lifted off the ground - so it provides heat/shelter and cover from birds of prey, and can be moveable.

[saultgirl]

My husband built one for me; he started out figuring what materials we had on hand and went from there.

I would suggest figuring out where you are going to put it, what size run you will have attached to or around it, and then take measurements and custom-build to your situation.

[moving_to_dc]

I would also suggest looking at any local backyard shed dealers. You can often find a small shed - 8x10, 8x8, etc. that offers MORE floor space & walk-in height for WAY less $ than pre-built coops or do-it-yourself coops.

Our 8x12 shed was $1300 delivered, and it we were able to “transform” it into a coop for ~$150 more. We have the floor space and roost space to comfortably lock all 30 chickens in during bad weather without issues.

[kalidascope]

Other options are children’s play houses and small kitset sheds. It’s pretty darn easy to add some roosts, nesting boxes and chicken-sized door. A lot less work than buying the whole thing from scratch :).

[Boo]

I went looking for cubbies when we started wanting to build one but was lucky enough to pick up a second hand 2x2x1m avairy for $50. We had a big woiden pallet that is now the base. We were also able to pick up second hand 6 portable fencing steel panels very cheaply. So my OH put some shelves in the avairy and attached the panel pen to the outside ad viola one easily moved cheap chook pen. Best bit is thats it totally fox proof. Probably not snake n goanna proof tho.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

We are in the process of building now for up to 4 chickens but it’s going to be oversized. The coop itself will be 4X8 and we used the underside of my kids’ playhouse (70 sq. ft) for a covered and mostly wind blocked run that they will always have access to. They are in that area temporarily now.

Front side of the run.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/45hKxoLfs8AinsN8c8FTOQu5YojcyqNyjQ6qRxx3efq?v=grid&ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy

Back side with access door.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/vhDMzpfPZGwey2OKC1HzoSD3xdBwJDdvTS7gPkmLfSV?v=grid&ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy

Platform of the actual coop.

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/pkC0wDutLIhXu79pCsoWHSKaV3cp4W9wN5oSJyuBj8h?v=grid&ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy

If I could have a stand-alone coop, it would be this.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/445004/woods-style-house-in-the-winter

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

[QUOTE=S1969;8594086]
but I’m looking to build one of these this year. Some sort of A-frame like this: http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/bgs-little-egg-factory

But I’d like my chickens to be able to scavenge my horse pastures so I don’t want them penned in; something like this but lifted off the ground - so it provides heat/shelter and cover from birds of prey, and can be moveable.[/QUOTE]

We rented some laying hens last spring to test the waters and they came in one of those. I can’t tell you how much I hated that thing. It was too small for the chickens, almost too big to move, very difficult to clean and, unless you pushed it to a new spot every.single.day, the chickens tore up the grass. The worst part, though, was that it provided my dogs a poop buffet. If they are going to eat chicken poop, I’d at least like them to work for it by moving around the yard. LOL

[S1969]

[QUOTE=CrazyGuineaPigLady;8594664]
We rented some laying hens last spring to test the waters and they came in one of those. I can’t tell you how much I hated that thing. It was too small for the chickens, almost too big to move, very difficult to clean and, unless you pushed it to a new spot every.single.day, the chickens tore up the grass. The worst part, though, was that it provided my dogs a poop buffet. If they are going to eat chicken poop, I’d at least like them to work for it by moving around the yard. LOL[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that feedback - my friend built a great one and then dismantled it because she couldn’t move it. It didn’t fence in the chickens so I wonder if they would be less destructive on a pasture if that was the case? But I definitely don’t want to ruin my horse pasture for chickens! Hmm.

My idea would be something shaped like that but on taller wheels so they could go under it, and get in it, but if they want they could just forage freely through different parts of a pasture.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

That would be great for mobile feed/water/nest/hawk protection but not for closing them in at night to roost, and I’ve heard A-frames are the worst use of space. If given room to roam, chickens won’t tear up your pasture except for where they create dust bath pits.

I let our 3 rental hens out for most of the day in our quarter acre back yard and they didn’t bother anything. That tiny coop was the problem.

ETA: I like this one with some modifications.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/on-golden-coop

[S1969]

[QUOTE=CrazyGuineaPigLady;8594690]
That would be great for mobile feed/water/nest/hawk protection but not for closing them in at night to roost, and I’ve heard A-frames are the worst use of space. If given room to roam, chickens won’t tear up your pasture except for where they create dust bath pits.[/QUOTE]

The one my friend built did have the roosting area, which is probably why it was so heavy. And, again, not a problem if you have an ATV or tractor to move it but she didn’t.

It wasn’t built like this (not as fancy) but something along this line:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1_hgbZnRkA/TxkzZ1zE-3I/AAAAAAAAF4E/JF-RQuISK_8/s400/pc1+chicken+coop+tractor+plans.jpg

I think hers had a little gangplank for them to get into the roosting area and at night it would be closed for protection. In theory, it would be pretty easy to close them in at sundown when I put horses out for the night.

The question is whether it is worthwhile to try to have them “free range” somewhere or not; or whether to just fence them into a yard. The other area that I would love them to have is too close to my black currant bushes, and I have a feeling they would pick them. I have other fruit in that area too, so maybe best not to consider them being near that.

[saultgirl]

Aside from the coop my husband built (mostly scrap wood), he also built a little chicken tractor/attached run. It is pretty small but we used it when the girls were little and waiting for their permanent home, and it is also going to be used again this summer – I want to expand the veggie garden, so I plan to put the chicken tractor on the area, then let them scratch/dig it up, and we’ll move it over a foot or so every day/every other day. They will remove most of the grass for us, which is a huge help! Digging up sod is hard work! I’ll link a picture of our little tractor.

http://imgur.com/4htbzU8

[Mosey_2003]

I’m here too. I’d really like one of those sheds, but $1300 is just way more than I’m comfortable spending. The prefab coops are SO small and flimsy, I don’t want to spend $300 on those, either :lol:

Dad is on it now and hopefully he chooses to build something reasonable, I never know with him. I’d like something about 4x8 with the nest box external.

I already have 6 Buff Orpingtons and it looks like they’re all gonna be hens, so… :uhoh:

[2DogsFarm]

Another vote for the prefab garden sheds.
You can get one cheaper than $1300 & still have enough room for 1/2 dozen hens.
Check Lowes, Home Depot, Menards, etc.
Here’s one for less than half that:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_577437-25-WR86_0__&productId=50161545&cm_mmc=SCE_PLA_ONLY--LumberAndBuildingMaterials--SosOutdoorStorage-_-50161545:Arrow&CAWELAID=320011480002332577&kpid=50161545&CAGPSPN=pla?k_clickID=3826bf9b-235d-7f69-d386-00001aa6705f

You can get wood for roughly the same price:

http://www.lowes.com/Sheds-Outdoor-Storage/Sheds/Wood-Storage-Sheds/_/N-1z0wg8a/pl#!&Ns=p_product_price|0&page=1

I was lucky to inherit a metal shed with my house & former owners had kept poultry so it had a stash of homemade chickenwire & lath partitions I just had to reinstall where I wanted.
Guesstimating it is 8X10 and I can comfortably stand up in there.
Floored with cement pavers.
I added a cheap basement window w/screen & tacked metal grating over that on the outside for protection from predators.
It had an attached run that was twice the size I needed & rusted so I had it replaced & that is tall enough for me to stand up too.
I used deer netting to “roof” the run (hawks won’t come through something they can see) & recently replaced that with a baling twine grid.
Snow load doesn’t break the twine like it did the netting.

I want a coop I can stand up in to clean, gather eggs, deal with hens, etc.
Former friend’s “DH” made her a fenced run that is barely 5’ tall - she is under 5’ so the message he sent was pretty clear to me: Chickens = Your Job.

IIRC, the Rule is 3SF floor space for each hen inside the coop.
So an 8X10 shed would have plenty room for a flock unless you wanted more than 2 dozen.

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

My coop is a section of the lean-to we enclosed off a garage. It is 8x8.’ It has a human door. If you build a big coop you will want to stand up in it. I would just get a garden shed. If you are building a smaller coop that you can reach everywhere from then that is different.

My first coop was a repurposed child play house, but it was incinerated when we burned a building on the property. It worked ok too, but I really had to duck.

The only thing I regret, and plan to remedy at some point is how I built the door.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SBx_L7syXTk/VLhnz4RmNvI/AAAAAAAAA9U/8ncg2nuuue0/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg

[Jersey_Fresh]

These are great. thanks everyone!

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

[QUOTE=S1969;8594703]

It wasn’t built like this (not as fancy) but something along this line:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B1_hgbZnRkA/TxkzZ1zE-3I/AAAAAAAAF4E/JF-RQuISK_8/s400/pc1+chicken+coop+tractor+plans.jpg

I think hers had a little gangplank for them to get into the roosting area and at night it would be closed for protection. In theory, it would be pretty easy to close them in at sundown when I put horses out for the night.

The question is whether it is worthwhile to try to have them “free range” somewhere or not; or whether to just fence them into a yard. The other area that I would love them to have is too close to my black currant bushes, and I have a feeling they would pick them. I have other fruit in that area too, so maybe best not to consider them being near that.[/QUOTE]

Something like that, a regular coop on wheels, would be great. It’s the scaled down versions that I don’t think work in the long run and end up being a waste of time and money.

Free ranging depends on your predators and understanding that they might start disappearing, or random dogs could come along and kill them all in one swoop for sport. With permission, we let the rental hens out unsupervised and see foxes, raccoons and hawks or eagles on a weekly basis. In fact, we already spotted racoon prints around the coop and these chickens just started staying out overnight last week. But nothing ever happened to the rented hens.

I don’t know that we’ll let them loose without supervision because it’s been a lot of work to end up with just two. My luck has not been great so far.

[hlra11]

Funny I just came across this! I’m currently taking a coffee break from building my own coop. It’s a “bonding” experience in some ways for my boyfriend and I… Not sure how it’ll be helping out relationship, but it’s providing for some pretty comical moments so far.

I made the plans totally from scratch and we e already edited the overal idea about 19 times since we’ve started. I shall post photos when / if we complete it!

I too wanted a nice one, but no way I’m spending that much on a commercially produced one. And the local craigslist options were less than ideal to look at in my back yard.

Luckily we have leteral tons of spare wood in our old barn on the property and were using that to build it. In theory that should make it free right?? Well somehow we have a 350$ lowes receipt from all the tools we just HAD to have for it. Haha I guess if I get chickens he can get tools right?

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

I can relate to all that, except we already owned the tools and had to buy most of the wood. $350 was also the last total price my husband mentioned but there are still some incidentals he doesn’t know about yet. LOL