Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Show me your coop!

We got 7 chickens a year ago. Made our own coop which was great for warmer weather but come winter wasn't warm enough. We bought a used utility tent and put it around our coop. But that was just a one year solution not long term. We have 14 layers now.

Show me your coop. I'm looking for inexpensive ideas. I'll post a picture of our coop once I get a picture snapped.

Utility tent is a great idea, there's no reason you couldn't modify it to make it a long term solution! Things like temporary garages go dirt cheap, once the covers rot off or they get a little wind damage. Biggest expense would be something to cover it with. White greenhouse poly or boat shrink wrap are durable and long-lasting, stand up to ice but still let light through and keep heat in.

My husband and I made a greenhouse at our last place with two coops at the back, I forget how big it is, but it worked excellently for both hens and plants. We also later made a small pen at one side and kept a few piglets in there. Water sitting on the ground in the coops only froze in extended periods of bitter -35, even with the front door kept cracked and the rear door window open. Ventilation was very important even, or especially, in the worst cold, because the birds give off SO much moisture that frozen condensation would build up inside, and it would actually snow IN the greenhouse if we rattled the frame. Moisture is a chicken's enemy, and damp causes frostbite and lets all sorts of diseases breed.
There are skylights in the coops, for lots of light (EGGS!!!) and two chicken hatches out the facade in the back leading to outdoor runs. I used old trampoline netting to enclose the runs. Just about everything that when into making this was scrounged free or really cheap. Biggest expense was the lumber, in particular, the pressure treated beams that the structure is anchored to. All other wood we milled ourselves, but you could just as easily take apart pallets to do just about anything you need.

Here are some pictures of ours that DH built.