what's the cheapest coop I can get?

[Alambil]

Any ideas?

Make one. My husband made one out of an old shed. It looks brilliant, much better and more robust than anything you could buy. And he has painted it a lovely pale green colour. Cost about £40. There aint no fox getting in that run...there is no room with three chickens and my DS in there most of the time.

lol ... I could get a shed from freecycle I guess!

How do you know what to do in it though?

This chicken ark is £215. There is a website called ideas4pets. something?! that has some very cheap henhouses, but they are known to be a bit flimsy and the runs are tiny.

Unless you are going to let your chickens out daily to scratch around the garden, always get the biggest run you can afford and only put 2/3 hens in it. Seeing chickens running along the wire mesh, desperately trying to get out, is not nice.

Just copy the designs of the ones you can buy - then make it stronger. Agree with OlgGregg, either make it big or just accept your garden will get a bit pecked whilst they are out. But on very rainy days, like today, when they would get soaked through, we are glad they can stay in because they have a bit of space.

LF, you really do only need an old shed or one of those tool sheds, i.e. little ones. Inside, all you really need is a perch, but you could make nesting boxes with MDF or similar. Making a secure run is most important. Lots of chicken wire and some uprights is all you need for that though.

You can come see my chicken shed - it is an old kennel I found in the garden where we live.