Springtime is always busy around a farm! But it’s especially busy this year as we expand our garden, chicken flock and juggle the day-to-day.
Last weekend we finally accomplished a big to-do on our list: building a chicken coop. For the last year, we have used our breeding pens as full time set ups for a flock of 26+ chickens. While that was supposed to be a temporary solution, it ended up being more long term than we anticipated.
As we all know – sometimes life just gets in the way! For us, we were short on funds, time and resources to get something like a coop build accomplished. After a lot of planning we settled for building our own coop over getting a pre-made coop or shed kit delivered.
One day, I was strolling through the garden center at Lowe’s and noticed the privacy fence panels and it dawned on me.. those would make great walls for a chicken coop!
So off we went. We purchased (4) 6 x 8 foot privacy fence panels (that were currently on sale), 2×4″ boards, bracing hardware, plastic corrugated roofing, an automatic coop door and some outdoor paint and now we have a brand new 8 x 8 foot chicken barn.
In full transparency of “farming on a budget” here is the rough cost breakdown of our build:
| Item | Quantity | Total Cost |
| 6 x 8 Foot Privacy Fence Panels | 4 ($44.98) | $179.92 |
| 2 x 4″ boards | 16 ($5.58) | $89.28 |
| 1 x 2″ trim pieces | 4 ($2.48) | $9.92 |
| Corrugated roof (12′) | 5 ($39.98) | $199.90 |
| Corrugated roof for sides (8′) | 3 ($25.63) | $76.89 |
| 1 x 4″ boards (roof) | 6 ($4.58) | $27.48 |
| OSB roofing nails | 70 ($14.89 / box) | $29.96 |
| Paint | 1 1/4 gallon ($70 gallon) | ~$90 |
| 2 x 2″ for roosts | 4 ($4.68) | $18.72 |
| Plywood for nesting boxes | 3 ($28.40) | $85.20 |
| Steel corner braces | 8 ($5.28) | $42.24 |
| 3 1 /2″ Screws | 1 lb ($9.98) | $9.98 |
| 3″ Screws | 1 lb ($9.98) | $9.98 |
| Door Latch | 2 ($7.28) | $14.56 |
| Door Handle | 1 ($11.88) | $11.88 |
| Door Hinges | 3 ($2.66) | $7.98 |
| Automatic Coop Door | 1 ($129.99) | $117.67 (w/ referral discount) |
| Total: ~$1,025 |
There are some things we got for free, already had, or have not yet added – so they aren’t on this running total. Roughly, this build will cost you around $1,000 give or take.
We are very happy with the finished product, and there is lots of room to make modifications or add ons as we need them. There are a tons of ways you could make this build more affordable, like searching Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for free or pre-owned lumber/roofing/fence panels that would drastically reduce the overall cost.
What do you think? Will you try this build out?
Ravens Ridge Micro Farm 