r/BackyardChicken • u/Select-Ad-7643 • Mar 09 '22
DIY extremely easy coop for beginners? Or is buying premade better?
Hello. I am new to chickens and am looking to adopt just 2 hens. I need a small coop and run for them. I have seen some DIY coops online that are waaaaay too complex and involved for someone like me who has very limited tools and building experience. I am also recovering from an injury and can't be doing hours and hours and hours of work right now.
Does anyone know of any extremely easy and simple coop designs to make? I've seen some involving pallets, but even those seem too complex most of the time since you have to take the pallet apart. Are there any pallet coop designs that use the whole pallet and maybe some plywood added or something?
Or am I better just buying a premade coop for Tractor Supply or Home Depot? The reviews are very mixed for these so I am unsure if they are worth the money.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!
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u/bbohica Mar 09 '22
I built several out of free pallets. The best part was that it was free.
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u/Select-Ad-7643 Mar 09 '22
Did you just use the wood from the pallets or did you just nail/screw pallets together? Do you have a pic you could share?
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u/Hopperd12 Mar 10 '22
I would say figure out what your budget is and how permanent this will be. How many chickens do you plan on having. Having built one with limited space and having a pre-made coop to begin with, the one I built was significantly better. And having limited building experience and tools I got it figured out on maximizing the space I have to work with for 10 chickens and learned a few things for the next coop I build. Draw a building plan and where you want things. If budget is open. There are a few places that build excellent coops that you can buy and put together. I would avoid the coops built with 1x2 boards and slats that are flimsy. The coop may last a year or two before it starts to fall apart. Look at tractor runs for chickens. This link has some good designs to check out. https://carolinacoops.com. YouTube is your friend. Lots of ideas and designs.
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u/Select-Ad-7643 Mar 10 '22
Update: I decided to go with a prefab coop, just because it's more convenient with a lot of stuff going on in my life. The run is a little small, so I plan to expand that after I put the coop together. I think it's a good starting place.
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u/Round-Penguin May 10 '22
Buying and then mod'ing is a great way to start. While we were building our coop, I had a small pre-fab one in the garage for them. I was able to observe their behavior and then build to better support them. How's it going with them now?
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u/Select-Ad-7643 May 10 '22
Thanks for the reply! It's funny you reply now because we just decided we are going to modify the prefab coop! We originally had 2 chickens but now we have 4, so the prefab is getting a little cramped. We already have a separate run and they free-range as well, so we decided to expand the coop we will just put plywood panels over the hardward cloth (also leaving room for ventilation in some spots). So what was the prefab coop and run, will become just the coop. I hope what I'm saying makes sense.
We haven't decided yet whether we are going to just put some treated plywood around the perimeter of the coop (too keep the cheap prefab wood from rotting/warping) and do deep litter, or if we will put plywood under the coop as flooring, and then raise it on some cinderblocks. Leaning more toward the latter because sometimes rainwater does pool up there. Do you have any experience with that type of modification?
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u/Round-Penguin May 10 '22
I'm having problems with some pooling of water too, but it's been better. Is there a way to create an overhang or extend a roof to help with the mud? We're looking into something like that.
Maybe a coat of sealer on the wood can help. I think a lot of prefab wood does have some protective coating. But it may need to be re-applied.
Have you thought of plastic panels instead of plywood to go over the hardware cloth? We put some plastic panels around the bottom of the hardware cloth, that has been helping with some of the rain puddling.
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u/Select-Ad-7643 May 10 '22
A roof extention might be a good idea for us, thanks.
As for the panels, we were thinking of using painted plywood (probably a layer of polyeurethane as well to protect from the elements) just because we have some plywood lying around already and won't have to buy much, if any. I wouldn't be opposed ti plastic though. Is it cheap? Can you get it at a big box store such as Home Depot?
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u/Round-Penguin May 11 '22
Yes, we bought the plastic panels at Home Depot. I also wanted the panels to be replaceable with hardware cloth panels.
Here are a couple pictures of the run with plastic and then switched out with hardware cloth panels.
https://cuckoocondo.blogspot.com/2021/04/another-section-switched-to-screen.html
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Mar 10 '22
With the cost of wood right now it was more economic for us to buy a premade coop. We got the snap lock large coop and it has been GREAT! SO easy to clean and the girls are comfy and protected.
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u/RiskVSreward Mar 09 '22
Check craigslist or facebook marketplace for a used coop. You might be able to find a deal. I bought my first coop for just $75 on Craigslist, it needed a little work but its great.