The chicken door is metal and slides in runners on either side of the door. Rather than leave the door open to be damaged by the weather, we cut a chicken-sized door into it. Chicken coop doorįor the coop door, we used a flood-damaged house door with the bottom cut off where it had swelled from the water. In all climates, aim for a solid wall on the side of the prevailing wind and ensure good ventilation. Aviary, bird or mouse wire (the holes in chicken wire are too big, so it doesn't keep snakes or rodents out!)īest tip: Cool climates need solid walls, warm climate coops can be wire-sided.Fence pickets, decking boards or the boards from pallets, lined with Lino, plastic, thick cardboard or wire to prevent cracks.But windows are totally optional, as long as your chickens aren't spending a lot of time in the coop! I wanted a bright coop, to encourage egg production and keep the chickens warm in winter, so we used a sliding glass door without a frame as one side and some clear polycarbonate roofing as another. If it was a longer-term coop, I would have painted the melamine to protect it from the weather and make it last longer. If I'd had more melamine, I would have layered it for better insulation and predator protection. We fixed these to the timber pallets as siding, along with some off-cuts of ply and roofing panels. Halved rain tanks, both plastic and metalīest tip: Old roofing is often found on the side of the road and with a little work makes a respectable roof! Chicken coop sidesĪ water-bottling plant near us throws out piles of melamine sheets every month or so.Timber covered with thick builder's plastic or a tarp keeps rain out, but you need to check regularly for holes to ensure the timber doesn't get wet and degrade.I was lucky to have corrugated iron off-cuts lying around, which we were able to use as a roof for the chicken coop.Ĭheap roofing materials for a chicken coop include: as a frameīest tip: Box-frames for the roof are much easier to snake proof than exposed or overhanging eaves! Chicken coop roof Small coops can be made using trampolines, tables, play equipment etc.Old furniture and fencing can be deconstructed to make posts.Timber pallets and large plastic bread trays make sides and a frame in one.Because the open-faced "square" of pallets was quite steady, we didn't worry about fixing the frame to the ground.Ĭheap chicken coop materials you might be able to use include: But I wanted a coop I could stand up in, so we recycled some timber posts from an old greenhouse and attached them to the pallets to make the frame. I could have put the roof right onto the pallets, using them as the sides and the frame. We used timber pallets for 3 sides of the coop. Here is a list of the materials we used in my $20 coop and where you might be able to source your own. The trick to building a cheap chicken coop is using free materials and doing the work yourself. With basic tools like a saw, drill, level and tape measure, we were able to create a functional coop for about $20. And, of course, you need roosts and nesting boxes! It also needs to be weather-proof, cosy in winter and cool in summer. If it was my “forever coop” there are definitely a few things I would do differently.īut for an almost-free chicken coop, my $20 chicken coop does the job of sheltering and protecting my chickens.Ī chicken coop needs to contain your chickens and protect them from predators. It’s not that well-made! But it is not supposed to be my “forever coop”, I only need it to last for a few years. Let’s be clear, the $20 coop will not last forever. That’s less than the cost of a laying hen! Last year, we built a new chicken coop for under $20. When getting chickens, one of the biggest expenses is the chicken coop. It all depends on how much money you want to spend. Getting chickens doesn’t need to be expensive.
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