How Much Does a Chicken Coop Cost to Build?
Posted: Sunday, March 29, 2009
by Nick Park
http://chickencoop-nick.blogspot.com/
People often wonder how much it's going to cost them
to build their own chicken coop in their backyard. There are a plethora
of both free and pay chicken coop plans available on the internet and a
startling variance among projected material costs. With a bit of
research you'll find that it's actually not as costly an investment as
you might think.
For a coop that will comfortably house half a
dozen chickens you will be aiming for approximately 5 sq ft of space
per chicken and around 10" of perch space per chicken. You want to make
sure you have a small storage area, excellent ventilation and good
natural light. Of course a door that allows you easy access to the coop
is also essential.
A top quality, solidly constructed coop can easily be built for around $300. Some people like to install more high tech parts like an automatic watering system and automatic food dispensers but this will obviously raise your initial investment up by a considerable amount. It's best to keep it simple to start and you can eventually make improvements once you've had your coop up and running for a while.
Your core materials are going to be two by fours and chicken wire. Some people choose to pour a concrete foundation while others simply lay concrete blocks and a good quality wooden floor. This will naturally depend on your budget which route you go. I've seen several coops built on blocks that were very stable and did a good job keeping critters out.
Ultimately, you need to do your homework and decide what your requirements are. The more time and effort you put into planning your chicken coop in the early days is going to pay dividends in the end.
If
you don't have a lot of experience with chicken coop construction, I
would highly recommend finding some good plans online. The free ones
are often quite good but I'd also recommend checking out urbanchickencoop for more information.A top quality, solidly constructed coop can easily be built for around $300. Some people like to install more high tech parts like an automatic watering system and automatic food dispensers but this will obviously raise your initial investment up by a considerable amount. It's best to keep it simple to start and you can eventually make improvements once you've had your coop up and running for a while.
Your core materials are going to be two by fours and chicken wire. Some people choose to pour a concrete foundation while others simply lay concrete blocks and a good quality wooden floor. This will naturally depend on your budget which route you go. I've seen several coops built on blocks that were very stable and did a good job keeping critters out.
Ultimately, you need to do your homework and decide what your requirements are. The more time and effort you put into planning your chicken coop in the early days is going to pay dividends in the end.
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