Posted: 3/23/2009 6:49:03 PM EDT
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I posted this in GD and it was suggested that I post it here....
So I want to save some money and be more self sufficient. I'm going to expand my gardening and will be adding a flock of 4-6 chickens for eggs and eventually some fine dining. I'm looking for pics of homemade chicken coops or chicken coop plans. I'm sure there are a bunch of you out there that have small flocks and have done this on the cheap. Thanks for any help you can provide. |
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No big complex plans needed. Its simple. I use four square feet of floor for each bird. You need ventilation, but no drafts. Plan for a roost inside the coop. I like a concrete or patio stone floored outdoor run, maybe 8x8, all enclosed with wire.
You can make the shelter out of a small shed, the abandoned cap off a pickpu truck, an unused building, whatever. Its low tech. |
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Quoted:
I posted this in GD and it was suggested that I post it here.... So I want to save some money and be more self sufficient. I'm going to expand my gardening and will be adding a flock of 4-6 chickens for eggs and eventually some fine dining. I'm looking for pics of homemade chicken coops or chicken coop plans. I'm sure there are a bunch of you out there that have small flocks and have done this on the cheap. Thanks for any help you can provide. Almost done with my pig pen, starting my chicken coop after that. As mentioned above, I'm going bigger than I need with the coop, and only starting with 3-4 hens. I can add more as I get comfortable with the process. I'll take pics as I build the coop and then post a thread. Fun stuff. 
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I built these 2 basic ones to house 2 rhode island reds and a asian chicken
message me if you have any questions and I would be happy to try to help. worked well keeping the chickens safe at night and during the day when we had the dog out (he likes to play), easy to prop up for the chickens to go route around some. usually just threw out scratch and seed for them. wife even managed to spoil them with veggy scraps that didn't go to composting. got smarter on the second build after becoming increasingly paranoid about snakes and sticking my hand into a 4" hole I could not see well into. |
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I built these 2 basic ones to house 2 rhode island reds and a asian chicken http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716955/fullsize/chicken-tractor-004.jpg http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716956/fullsize/new-coups-002.jpg http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716957/fullsize/new-coups-003.jpg http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716958/fullsize/yard-009.jpg message me if you have any questions and I would be happy to try to help. worked well keeping the chickens safe at night and during the day when we had the dog out (he likes to play), easy to prop up for the chickens to go route around some. usually just threw out scratch and seed for them. wife even managed to spoil them with veggy scraps that didn't go to composting. got smarter on the second build after becoming increasingly paranoid about snakes and sticking my hand into a 4" hole I could not see well into. Those are great looking tractors. 
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Quoted:
I built these 2 basic ones to house 2 rhode island reds and a asian chicken http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716955/fullsize/chicken-tractor-004.jpg http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716956/fullsize/new-coups-002.jpg http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716957/fullsize/new-coups-003.jpg http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/716958/fullsize/yard-009.jpg message me if you have any questions and I would be happy to try to help. worked well keeping the chickens safe at night and during the day when we had the dog out (he likes to play), easy to prop up for the chickens to go route around some. usually just threw out scratch and seed for them. wife even managed to spoil them with veggy scraps that didn't go to composting. got smarter on the second build after becoming increasingly paranoid about snakes and sticking my hand into a 4" hole I could not see well into. Do you have any pics of the inside.... I'd like to see how you did the nesting box or if you did one. Looks like a simple low cost build. |
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I just built a rectangular box with a roof and a door. I recommend whatever you do, make one side or end able to be swung open for ease of cleaning. It sucks trying to get through a smaller door to get all the shit out of there.
Mine refuse to use nesting boxes... they just lay in the same spot next to the door going out. Works for me. I just reach in and grab the eggs. |
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Quoted:
Do you have any pics of the inside.... I'd like to see how you did the nesting box or if you did one. Looks like a simple low cost build. Not the OP, but this is how we did our nest boxes. This approach could be adapted to almost any coop. There's a large hinged door that spans the back of the coop. There are smaller "egg flap" doors on the large door. The nest boxes are open on the bottom, front and back. They slide in and rest so there's an opening right against the egg door. To collect eggs (not my job!  ) you simply open the egg flap, reach in and get the eggs.
To clean the nest boxes, I park a wheelbarrow right under them and pull the box out. The bedding drops into the wheelbarrow and it's done. Makes cleaning painless.
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This is what we did for free range chickens to keep them safe from racoons,weasils,skunks, ect...
This is for four chickens, it starts out at ground level until they call it home , then you raise it a few inches every day until it is at 4 feet or so.( varments can't climb 3/4' conduit) you could go higher but then you would need to add a perch on the outside for them to jump onto. If I were to do it again I would use the top as the bottom and cut the hole in the side of the cooler, it would be easier to clean. I have since put in a single 1 1/4' perch on the inside. |
| I really like this Chicken Coop/Rabbit Hutch combo that someone posted over on the BackyardChickens forum. |
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Quoted:
This is what we did for free range chickens to keep them safe from racoons,weasils,skunks, ect... http://usera.ImageCave.com/LMB1111/chicken house 014.jpg This is for four chickens, it starts out at ground level until they call it home , then you raise it a few inches every day until it is at 4 feet or so.( varments can't climb 3/4' conduit) you could go higher but then you would need to add a perch on the outside for them to jump onto. If I were to do it again I would use the top as the bottom and cut the hole in the side of the cooler, it would be easier to clean. I have since put in a single 1 1/4' perch on the inside. 
*edited to add Thanks, I really needed that.* |
raising 28 rhode island reds, and 15 turkeys was one of the most satisfying "survival" things I did. My soldiers just shake their heads at me (some) and others ask how THEY can get some chickens, bees, and a garden going! haha. One soldier put iin 12 apple trees and now wants 8 more next year. 
seriously, I went overboard and bought an automatic door that opens at 9 am and closes when light diminishes. I'll post pics sometime. |
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i saw a pic of a great chicken coop/garden shed, but i cant find it right now. anyway. picture in your head a small garden shed turned into a chicken coop with a garden on the left and the right of it, fenced in, one year you let the chickens run all around in one of the garden areas pooping and scratching and giving you good fertilizer and you use the other garden area for planting. before the next growing season switch the chickens to the other side. you can make doors on both sides of the coop and close one side each year. if you section off one part of the shed for roosting and nesting boxes, you could use the other part for storing feed, garden tools and cleaning supplies all right there by the garden/chicken coop. |
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Quoted:
i saw a pic of a great chicken coop/garden shed, but i cant find it right now. anyway. picture in your head a small garden shed turned into a chicken coop with a garden on the left and the right of it, fenced in, one year you let the chickens run all around in one of the garden areas pooping and scratching and giving you good fertilizer and you use the other garden area for planting. before the next growing season switch the chickens to the other side. you can make doors on both sides of the coop and close one side each year. if you section off one part of the shed for roosting and nesting boxes, you could use the other part for storing feed, garden tools and cleaning supplies all right there by the garden/chicken coop. If I am not mistaken, this idea was in Backwoods Home Magazine. It might even have been in Countryside. I have seen it sometime since the first of the year. That doesn't help much but it narrows it down a little bit. When I saw it, my first thought was what a great idea and then how simple. riggins |
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Quoted: you are correct. http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/silveira44a.htmlQuoted: i saw a pic of a great chicken coop/garden shed, but i cant find it right now. anyway. picture in your head a small garden shed turned into a chicken coop with a garden on the left and the right of it, fenced in, one year you let the chickens run all around in one of the garden areas pooping and scratching and giving you good fertilizer and you use the other garden area for planting. before the next growing season switch the chickens to the other side. you can make doors on both sides of the coop and close one side each year. if you section off one part of the shed for roosting and nesting boxes, you could use the other part for storing feed, garden tools and cleaning supplies all right there by the garden/chicken coop. If I am not mistaken, this idea was in Backwoods Home Magazine. It might even have been in Countryside. I have seen it sometime since the first of the year. That doesn't help much but it narrows it down a little bit. When I saw it, my first thought was what a great idea and then how simple. riggins  |