Serious question, why do so many people think a $20 plastic coop from a big box store is a good idea for living animals?

I saw a neighbor in my town get one of those flimsy things three days ago. The wind blew it over that night and their two new pullets were running loose in the street at dawn. It took four of us an hour to catch them. Chickens need real shelter from weather and predators, not a glorified toy. What's the cheapest but actually SAFE setup you've ever built for a small flock?

2 comments

2 Comments

markl7521d ago

My old palmer hut lasted ten years on fifty bucks of scrap wood.

corad8421d ago

How did you keep the moisture from rotting it out so fast? My first shed was all scrap too, @markl75, but I learned the hard way about putting it right on the ground. Got maybe half that time before the floor joists were mush. These days I'd at least throw down some cheap cinder blocks as a base, even for free wood. That ten year run is seriously impressive for fifty bucks.