EASY and CHEAP coop ideas

[itsmaddiejohnson]

Hello! I am not very handy but would like to attempt to build my own chicken coop for 4 hens. Please share with me your tips, plans and advice for building a EASY and CHEAP chicken coop that a beginner could do.

Thank you!

 

[nuthatched]

For what climate?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hoop coop. I think it's the current focus on the BYC home page...

 

[McChooky]

Hello! I am not very handy but would like to attempt to build my own chicken coop for 4 hens. Please share with me your tips, plans and advice for building a EASY and CHEAP chicken coop that a beginner could do.

Thank you!

The 4 things you want to avoid are over crowding, poor ventilation , moisture and drafts.

 

[raingarden]

For a 8 ft x 8 ft x 5 ft high hardware cloth open-air coop with 1' apron, materials would be:

15 pieces 2x2x12' lumber $120
100 ft x 3 ft x 1/2" hardware cloth $200
fasteners $30
blue tarp $30
total $380

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

This coop is not a fully-secure setup, but could be made into one by using hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, covering the roof, with wire, and adding an apron.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/camp-cockerel.77789/

For 4 hens you need:

4 hens

• 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
• 4 feet of roost
• 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
• 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

These numbers are usually considered minimums so if you can go bigger it would be good. Additionally, in your climate, the recommended ventilation is almost certainly inadequate. Here are two more articles for you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

If you were to acquire some kind of a shed you'd probably want to pull all the siding off one wall and cut large vents at the top of all the walls. This would be a fair amount of work, but might work for you.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Central Florida....I vote hoop coop.

They are easy enough a beginner can do it and they go up quickly.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Took me a hot minute to find this but it's an article worth looking at.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...building-a-chicken-coop.1180480/post-18609544

And this one.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/top-10-hoop-coop-ideas.76490/