Advice on DIY Chicken Coop

[Monument]

I have been absent, regrettably, from here for several months after a simple trip and fall led to the discovery that the nagging pain in my hip was a dead hip and I needed a replacement! So I'm still waiting on that and on a crutch which has hampered my DIY activities. One thing I managed (with my elderly father-in-law doing all of the heavy work) was to establish a Vegie garden which is giving me some satisfaction and coming along nicely (see photos).

I have become completely fed up with feeling like I have to wait to resolve this hip thing to do a project so have decided to at least try and slowly build a chicken coop and run. I've looked at different design ideas and also bird welfare requirements so have a reasonable idea of what I want to build - overall it will be a rectangular enclosure approx 1500W x 1500H x 3000L with half covered containing perches and laying boxes. However, as I am on a pensioner's budget I am going to need to source materials  that I can upcycle. So, firstly, has anyone built their own chicken coop and have any handy hints of any nature? Secondly, does anyone know of where I should keep an eye out to source timber/tin/etc (preferably around the 6056 postcode - my car is a manual and operating the clutch is not much fun) that will make a durable structure but cheap in $$$?

Any suggestions much appreciated.10 September 201822 October 2018

[Jason]

So sorry to read of your poor hip @Monument, but good on you for trying to carry on despite the pain and discomfort. The new vegie garden looks great. What are you growing?

Let me tag some of the Workshop members that I know have had backyard chickens for you. Hopefully they will be able to assist you with some ideas for a D.I.Y. coop. 

@timjeffries, @Mouthpear, @dani2526, @Baretta11, @jeremy108, @Darren

Jason

[Monument]

Hi Jason,

I have Sweet Corn , Silverbeet, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Lebanese Cucumbers, Cos and Butterhead lettuce, strawberries, eggplant, capsicum, miscellaneous herbs and have just put in a dwarf seedless lemon tree.

It's all going very well but I don't get quite the same satisfaction from growing as I do from fabricating. My work nook and tools are covered in a fine layer of dust and that just will not do! Thanks for tagging in some members with chook coop experience! 

[Darren]

Hi @Monument, I'm not going to be much help as I purchased a kit chicken coop online, not very handy of me. I did, however, fence off the narrow side of our house to give our chickens their own space where they are free to dig holes and hunt for worms. Good luck with your coop!

[Monument]

I decided before getting myself in too deep by gathering lots of materials to just start putting together some laying boxes to test out how realistic this project would be for me. Although doing the work was OK, unfortunately I paid for it the next couple of days and it became clear that doing heavier work was off the table. So the chook project is on hold. I will have to try and come up with small lightweight projects that I can do sitting at my workbench to keep myself entertained.

[Jason]

Look after yourself @Monument. Hope you recover soon.

Jason

[TheSaltyreefer]

Hey mate
get some cheap pallets and you can use those, they are great, go to any hardware stores and check for cheap off cuts etc, garage sales etc load of cheap stuff you can play with

I built this sucker with a few things laying around in a place we used to have on the sunshine coast, we have since moved and have 4 paddocks, 3 with chooks about 100 odd we like them