# My first chicken coop



## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

I just built the run part of it as you can see it is very rough but I figured out what I did wrong and will change them on the next one

I am going to make another part on the end with plywood 

The top of the run is going to be a door

This coop is built to raise lots of chicks at once


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

EGGScellent! 

I just learned what "chicken tractors" are. Do you plan to make one of those?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

You must be really EGGcited ! :thumbsup: bill


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

SteveEl said:


> EGGScellent!
> 
> I just learned what "chicken tractors" are. Do you plan to make one of those?


Ya they look really cool


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

How much could I sell these with a plywood box on the end that is 4 feet tall 3 feet wide 3 feet long with a hinged roof that would be slanted towards the back

Of course I wouldn't make it so rough but it cost 16 dollars so far but the plywood might bring it up to 50 I think. I was thinking maybe selling for75


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Red, a common reason businesses go bust is when they leap into action before they have a "business plan". Part of developing a plan is to identify a need in the community, and then designing a way to fill the need. Part of that process is "market research".

I love your enthusiasm!

Question: Do your neighbors NEED chicken coops? Do they need anything else you can build more than coops? If you don't ask, it's hard to know what your market is. My suggestion is building stuff that's FUN for YOU. If you have to rake leaves or something for money for material, fine. Follow your heart, so your work looks great - awesome - stuff anyone would like to look at in their own yard. And then show off your joy. The money will follow, but you may have to finance your startup doing something else for awhile.


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

PS.... If you're looking for ways to feed your woodworking habit (it is an addiction, you know)..... then if you lived near my family (Central Penn) and included us in your customer market survey, I'd regretfully tell you I don't need any chicken coops but I'd pay at least 2 and maybe 3 bucks a dozen for weekly delivery of un-official, non-certified, honor system organic eggs. That might be away to earn some more start up money.


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

Steve el. Thanks for all the tips I will ask around I used to have 60 chickens in az and had my own egg buisness bought 3 guns and tons of ammo that way


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

I am going to use this coop for raising chicks and selling them


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

SteveEl said:


> Red, a common reason businesses go bust is when they leap into action before they have a "business plan". Part of developing a plan is to identify a need in the community, and then designing a way to fill the need. Part of that process is "market research".
> 
> I love your enthusiasm!
> 
> Question: Do your neighbors NEED chicken coops? Do they need anything else you can build more than coops? If you don't ask, it's hard to know what your market is. My suggestion is building stuff that's FUN for YOU. If you have to rake leaves or something for money for material, fine. Follow your heart, so your work looks great - awesome - stuff anyone would like to look at in their own yard. And then show off your joy. The money will follow, but you may have to finance your startup doing something else for awhile.


Very good post.

As an old Feed & Seed store owner I have many good thoughts about chickens. We also had then when I was yound.

However, I highly doubt that many people, these days, are going to have any interest in a chicken coop. 

Those that do will live in an area where they have more room for something than what you are building.

From what I can see of your scale, the coop you are building is a size for one chicken. It is not a coop for "This coop is built to raise lots of chicks at once ."

George


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

GeorgeC said:


> Very good post.
> 
> As an old Feed & Seed store owner I have many good thoughts about chickens. We also had then when I was yound.
> 
> ...


This coop is made for baby chickens trust me I know what a big coop my uncle built me one that. 40 feet long 9 feet wide and 6 feet tall!!


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

This is my next plan for a chicken coop once I get the cash


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

BTW, we'd also pay $$$ for live organic pullet roosters when it came time to do the first slaughter (do the dirty work ourselves)


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

SteveEl said:


> BTW, we'd also pay $$$ for live organic pullet roosters when it came time to do the first slaughter (do the dirty work ourselves)


Steve el were do u live I hope we live close


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

central pennsylvania. You'd probably supply a decent product, but the shipping cost is a killer


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

SteveEl said:


> central pennsylvania. You'd probably supply a decent product, but the shipping cost is a killer


I bet


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

SteveEl said:


> BTW, we'd also pay $$$ for live organic pullet roosters when it came time to do the first slaughter (do the dirty work ourselves)


 
What is a pullet rooster? Is that like a hermaphrodite chicken?

George


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

GeorgeC said:


> What is a pullet rooster? Is that like a hermaphrodite chicken?
> 
> George


Pullet roosters are young roosters pullets are tender


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Pullets are young HENS, not young roosters.

That is why I wondered what a "pullet rooster" was. That is saying a young female, rooster.

If you go into the feed store (or wherever they sell chicks) the cage labled "straight run" means that you take what you get. It could be females or it could be roosters. The cage labled "pullets" is where the females are kept. They also cost a little more per chick because they have been sexed.

If you wamt to get into raising your own chickens you might find the nearest feed store. You are going to need them for feed and they can give you an education on the chicks that they sell and the care that they will need.

George

George


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Ach so! I guess I misunderstood the old timer that rented his farm to us instead of selling to the developers. He mentored us in all the ways the place and eventually it turned into one of those CSA's. Still going, I think. We had a large egg operation and hatched our own birds for replacements. Before we could tell the sexes apart they all grew up in the brood house and the old fellow would eventually show up saying "Time to cull the pullets!" 

I guess he was only talking about the girls, and his implied term for the leftover boys might have been "lunch". They sure were tasty, being all grasshopper fed.

Thanks for catching that one.

Steve El


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Steve, if you really want some scrumptious eating try a Capon. Now that is a young rooster which has been castrated. At first I thought maybe that was what you were getting pullet confused with.

Rednech, I just noticed that you listed your home place as Pinehurst. I know that could not be Pinehurst, NC as the city fathers there would not even think of allowing a chicken within the city limits. Richard Tufts (the city founder and original owner) would turn over in his grave.

I grew up 6 miles from Pinehurst in Southern Pines. There we were allowed to own and house chickens.

George


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

"Capon" was a common food mentioned in one of my favorite novels ("Shogun" by James Clavell) but somehow I never remembered to look up what it meant. I always wondered about that. Of course now I have to wonder how one would castrate a chicken, but I don't think I'll bother looking it up. 

Wow a bit off topic. Nice coop Red, keep building!


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## Redneck chan (Jan 22, 2011)

GeorgeC said:


> Steve, if you really want some scrumptious eating try a Capon. Now that is a young rooster which has been castrated. At first I thought maybe that was what you were getting pullet confused with.
> 
> Rednech, I just noticed that you listed your home place as Pinehurst. I know that could not be Pinehurst, NC as the city fathers there would not even think of allowing a chicken within the city limits. Richard Tufts (the city founder and original owner) would turn over in his grave.
> 
> ...


I live in west end it's out side pinehurst


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## no1hustler (Nov 17, 2010)

SteveEl said:


> central pennsylvania. You'd probably supply a decent product, but the shipping cost is a killer


I'm in Central PA also. Lancaster County to be exact. Where are you? My brother has about a dozen chickens. I'll have to get a picture of his coup and run. He has an assortment of breeds. He also has made probably 6-12 different coups in the last 2 years and sold them. There has been an increase in people growing their own chickens but it seems there are plenty of other business' that are catering to them.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

******* chan said:


> I live in west end it's out side pinehurst


Then you know, or at least used to know, Fletcher's Bar-B-Que. I miss that.

But even more than that I miss Ahmands (SP? Almands) peach orchard.



George


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## mjdtexan (Dec 13, 2008)

I have 30 laying hens right now and I just got 30 one day old pullets from Ideal Poultry a few days ago. My girls pay for themselves. I sell the eggs for $1.50 a dozen and they always sell. I also like to pickle them. I am using a Morgan building for the chicken coop and have 8 nesting boxes. I keep a separate brooder and I keep a cage inside the hen house so that new pullets 6 weeks of age can get some face time with the older hens. I do not have roosters. Been thinking about getting a couple. Big omelets any time I wish.

Also, there is a really great chicken forum in case you have any questions. Great bunch of people and there is EVERYTHING you wanted to know about chickens there. Hope I am inside the rules with that.


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