DIY coop

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I'm thinking about trying to build my own coop (not on my own I'm hoping to enlist help with this!) and was wondering how easy it is - REALLY! I have no experience of building anything and worry that it would be a big pile of wooden mess when I've finished!

If I thought that it would really be possible for little ol' me to do it then I'd jump at it (if only for the financial benefit - its surely gotta be a LOT cheaper than to buy one) - the house I've found from a supplier is the Forsham Ark Cottages Lenham 505 which retails at approx £550!!! (Whilst I'm on the suject, does anyone have experience of this company???

If I WAS to jump in with both feet and attempt a DIY coop what materials do I need? Obviously I'd need suitable roofing, wire mesh and timber etc but can anyone recommend which would be best? I'd want as fox-proof a wood as possible and not something it could chew straight through. What size nesting boxes would I need? What size HOUSE would I need (suitable for up to 15-20 chooks, not planning of having that many but would like to give them that bit extra room) and what size/width perches would I need and how many?

Is there anywhere I can get design ideas online or can anyone recommend a "build your own chcken house" book. I'd really prefer to have my house raised off the ground so I can place the feeder and drinkers underneath and for a little shelter (I know the Lenham 505 isn't raised from the ground and thats whats putting me off it a bit - as well as the price! :o :shock: :o )

Sorry for all the questions but I really like to research things before diving in and I want to be able to give my chooks (when I get them) the best home possible where they can live happily for many years.
 
I have a few of the Forsham Cottage Ark hen houses including the "Orpington", the "Boughton" and the "Forham". They are very heavy and the quality of the wood used is excelent.
I have also made a few hen houses myself (have never had any woodwork experience before). I put them onto logs so the birds can get under then hen house to shelter from rain and wind.
I used 8'x4' ply for floor and roof, exterior tongue and groove and some 2"x1" batons.


Sue
 
Why not get a garden shed, you only need to add perches and nest boxes then make a pop hole and voila one hen house.
Be a lot cheaper than an expensive ark and hold a lot more birds.
 
It's a tough one... I've built my own and bought expensive houses but to be honest, if you want something sturdy / foxproof and will last a lifetime then I'd say unless you have reasonably good woodworking skills, buy a good wooden house that you can treat and keep for many years. It's a lot of money to spend but personally I think you do get value for money unless you can build a similar house.

I went for the Flyte so Fancy Houses and after a few years of use, I've found them to be worth while - for example: Red Mite, they get everywhere and I've been able to strip the house down and get inside with the pressure washer, many of my 'DIY' houses don't come apart and have many hidey holes...

It is a big investment initially but if you consider the cost of the wood and the labour to build such a house, it doesn't seem so bad. Then think of how many years a well built house will last you if you look after it...

Any quality / bought house should still have a good resale value in a few years if things didn't work out with the chooks, ebay is proof of this.
 
cuckoomad said:
Why not get a garden shed, you only need to add perches and nest boxes then make a pop hole and voila one hen house.
Be a lot cheaper than an expensive ark and hold a lot more birds.
Click to expand...

The house my 5 hens in what looks like a small Wendy House approx 4' x 3' with some perches added and there's plenty of room for them. I was thinking of getting them a big shed but a friend advised me not to go too big as it can leave the hens more prone to cold. Mine tend to huddle together in one corner so I imagine another 3 or 4 would fit in to make it snug.

I'm still very much a novice hen keeper so I'm sure there's better advice to come!

I may have a contact for some extremely cheap (possibly free if I'm lucky!) garden sheds in the near future which should do the job with a bit of tinkering and touching up. I'm from your way (Well, roughly. I know Tyne and Wear covers a large area!) and still regularly visit friends and family there. If I get a spare one I could arrange to get it to you if you like?

While I'm not a master joiner, I managed to build my own 6ft fence and prepared my land for the hens coming. I also maintain some Viking period houses in a living history/farming museum and dabble in various crafts.
I can make functional 'stuff', I'm just not talented enough to make things ornate and pretty.

I can give you some advice/help with building fences and houses - no pressure, no strings attached, but the offer is there anyway.

Kind regards

Osric
 
My hen house was a small 'lean-to' style shed, the sort you use for housing bikes & lawn mowers. We had it already but never used it so it found a new use! We cut it down approx 1ft in height & added an external nesting box. The roof felt was replaced with that roof corrugated stuff (don't know what its called!) from B & Q. We cut a pop-hole into the side & fitted 2 perches running width ways.

After a while I wanted a few more chooks ( :) ) so made an 'extension' from marine ply. Its worked very well although I think in time it will require replacing but as it was something we had already, initial cost was nil. It is raised up from the ground on 4" x 4" legs.

I will try & post a picture, may not be tomorrow as rain is forcast :( (poor chooks, more mud!) but asap!
 
Lucylou said:
The roof felt was replaced with that roof corrugated stuff (don't know what its called!) from B & Q.
I will try & post a picture, may not be tomorrow as rain is forcast :( (poor chooks, more mud!) but asap!
Click to expand...


Poultry houses that i've seen with corrugated roofing is called onduline,it's meant to be far better as there isn't so much area for red mite to lurk in.

Sounds like you did a really good job Lucylou,er,do you fancy making one for me ;) .
 
Onduline! Yes that's the word for it :lol:

Lydia, if you saw our DIY skills you'd think twice of asking me!! A combination of my instruction & my OH's help we got there!! Its watertight, looks OK & the chooks seem to like it, so that's all that matters.
 
Lucylou said:
Onduline! Yes that's the word for it :lol:

Lydia, if you saw our DIY skills you'd think twice of asking me!! A combination of my instruction & my OH's help we got there!! Its watertight, looks OK & the chooks seem to like it, so that's all that matters.
Click to expand...

LOL,if you saw my d.i.y. you'd erm laugh.I don't do d.i.y.,I bodge it and bash it,b.i.b.i. my bathroom cabinet is er bashed into place with nails.No problem. :oops: .
I love no more nails,most things in my house are stuck on with that :mrgreen: .

Watertight,looks ok.,sounds professional to me :D ,the chooks liking it proves that.
 
Donna, its taken me a few days to get the pictures sorted (couldn't upload as files too big, now I think they're too small ;) )

Anyway this is a picture of my coup. Its not ideal & I would have done things differently if I'd had the help of this forum when I started but for the time being its OK. as I had it already, never been used, I thought it would do to start. The ship-lap is probably a no go when thinking of red mite,but I'll cross bridge when I get to it, I'll probably want something better then anyway!
House.jpg
 
Well Lucy it looks fine to me. Loving the colour. Whats so wrong with it? It looks so much like many of the ready-made coops I've been looking at.

Donna. x
 
Fishers Woodcraft is up there with the quality of Forsham & Flytes o Fancy too, though it has roofing felt that has to be ripped off to get at the red mite. There is some flimsy light weight rubbish about, with tiny fixings not sturdy enough even for a dolls house.

My home made basics are 4' x 4' x 4' exterior ply wood (about 1cm) with galvanised corrugated metal roof. Then have a little guinea pig type house for them to go in and lay during the day. No knooks and crannies in their house for the mites to hide.

I use galvanised mesh base for the raised up ducks houses. In the summer with just the mesh their poo goes straight through and they stay clean, dry and aired. In the winter or in lay with straw on the floor it airs and drys out from underneath too. It doesn't work for the chooks as their poo is more solid and doesn't go through.
 
Donna3939 said:
Well Lucy it looks fine to me. Loving the colour. Whats so wrong with it? It looks so much like many of the ready-made coops I've been looking at.

Donna. x
Click to expand...

my thoughts exactly Donna,if I didn't know LucyLou had made it, I'd have asked her where she bought it.
 
They look very good as well Tim,you say that they are easy to build.I'm sure they are,but,beyond my capabilities :oops: .
 
Tim, they look great!

I'm wanting to make a 'spare' for when an isolation unit is needed! At the mo I have a rather knackered old rabbit hutch that we've adapted. I'll be using your photos as a guide, so simple but got everything!

As usual you're a mine of information, :geek:
Thanks :)
 
They have to be the easiest to build as you already have the shell. T&G gets nailed onto the sides and then cut on one end. It's a bit of a fiddle cutting the pop hole or door, I drill 4 big holes and then use a little pointed saw to get the cut started. A big hand saw then fits in to do the rest. You could do this far easier with a jigsaw of course if you have one..

The only thing to ensure is that the roof is fixed on so Mr. Fox can't pull it off.
 
Hi Tim,

Just wondered, what sort of business would use this sort of crate? Thought I could go begging to the local Industrial Estate, but not sure who to tap up first!! (All our stuff comes in cardboard so not much use!!)
 
i just found some for sale on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wooden-Packing-Crates_W0QQitemZ320446805755QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Packaging_Materials?hash=item4a9c1e36fb#ht_694wt_939
 
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