Coopin' it up!

Ya gotta pick a coop to fit your needs...Here is the one I found on a website called Chicken Raiser that I liked...we didn't buy plans for it, I just showed it to Nate and we've been "wingin' it". I like this one for several reasons... size, easy design for construction, portability, nest boxes on the outside for easy egg collection, plenty of room for night time roosting, will be pretty easy to keep warm in the winter.

Sooo....what kind of coop do you need????

1. How chickens are you going to raise? The fewer chickens, the smaller the coop needed.

2. How much space to you have? The smaller the yard, the smaller the coop, the fewer chickens

3. What is your budget? Reclaimed materials can be found in lots of places and keep cost down

4. Are you going to "free range" them? If you are not planning to let them roam your yard, you need to build a bigger run (a run is the enclosed outdoor area for them to "run" around in; exercise)

5. Are you going to buy it or build it? There are TONS of people out there who love to build and they build some really great coops, but you'll pay for it. Prefab coops are great if you aren't handy, but you usually cannot customize it and it will be more expensive than doing it yourself. If you are handy, but lack design expertise you can buy plans online... just google "chicken coop plans" and a world of plan site come flooding at you....I found them from $2.99 to $20 (a great site is Chicken Coop Plans)

**OH!!! for prefab kits that can include chickens there is a place in MD that sells them as a set OR you can rent the chickens and a coop!!!***

** My coop cost so far**

$2.35 each for 2x4x8 (untreated), bought 18 of them

$8.47 each for OSB plywood boards, bought 3 of them

$4 (i think) each for treated 2x4x8, bought 2 of them

$3.50 each, 2 pack of hinges, bought 2 of them

$3.47 each large hinges for the door, bought 3 of them

$21 box of 3" screws

$21 box of 1 1/4" screws

$20 each, plastic corrugated roofing (2x12'), bought 2

$8 roll of large "holed" chicken wire (for bottom of the coop NOT for the sides)

About $182 after military discount at home depot and lowes

**I still need to get chicken wire for the sides of the run and straw for the nest box (i have a month, the straw can wait)**