60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lessons on Carpentry, 5 Detailed Designs, September 10, 2010
This review is from: Building Chicken Coops For Dummies (Paperback)
For <$20 one gets chapters on where to build, how to build, what materials, lots of info on general carpentry and 5 coop plans. It's written by 1) a do-it-yourself writer, 2)an owner of Horizon structures and 3)the co-author of the excellent companion book, 'Raising Chickens For Dummies".
Building a chicken coop is very personal. I've scanned the internet endlessly. There are tons of plans, a few graciously offered freely, but most you have to pay for the so-called schematics. I know what I want in a 'home': 3 chickens, easy clean, well protected-weather and pest, room for me to go inside the run, easy access to nest, cute appearance. Absolutely must contain slideout drip pans for fast cleanout! That's me.
The 5 plans are at different skill levels and needs:
1)the Minimal Coop- box shaped with single, sloping roof, simple hinged door, ~4'X4'X4', no adjoining run, good it states for 4-5 birds. Price tag ~$200 for building supplies. Easy;
2)the Alpine A-frame- 4'wide X 10'long X ~4'tall,, 2 nest boxes, screened run with door, 2-4 birds, looks cute, ~$300, not too hard, but you do have to cut some simple angles;
3)the Urban Tractor- 3'X6' with peaked roof 5', 2-3 birds, 16 sq.ft. run, tow chains to pull around the yard(put wheels on!), ~$400, looks neat and tidy; will take some work to build but totally doable for a novice like me;
4)the All-in-One(my choice & a similar version pictured on the front cover)- 8'X4'X7'tall, 4-6 birds(I prefer 3-4), one can enter the shelter and the run through short doors 3 1/2- 4' tall, 3 boxes, A real sloping roof(shingle it), ~$750 cost, add wheels and removable drip pan, nice doors, a small window, it'll take a few weekends to make unless you're Joe the Builder.
5) and finally, the Walk-In- 8X8X9'tall, 30 chickens?, 10 boxes, no run given, $1000, need some skills or help.
The designs are well done, easy to follow with step by step instructions. They list the materials needed, give lots of Tips and Warnings as expected by Dummies. They also include a few chapters on doing things differently: like water supply, electicity, storage spacefeeders, removable drip pans- highly recommended, retractable roof, automatic doors, etc. These are stated with general suggestions, not actual specific plans.
The book itself is larger in size than 'Raising Chicken for Dummies' which makes it easier to lay out. Very readable.
I'm not a carpenter. I have very few building skills; however, last summer, I dove in and constructed an A-frame treehouse on stilts from Stile's 'Treehouses and Other Cool Stuff'(see my review). It was a lot of fun and hard work, and a great learning experience. The plans here are much more comprehensive than Stiles' basic but adequate diagrams/instructions.
You will need some basic tools: circular saw, jig saw, drills, level, square, etc. They mention that a table saw and miter saw sure would be great, but you don't necessarily need them. Just take your time and have fun. Even if you don't use or like their specific plans, the rest of the book is immensely helpful. If building the coop is frustrating or too bothersome, just carefully choose and buy one, and enjoy your chickens!
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Be a Wise Steward of Your Time and Money, April 9, 2011
This review is from: Building Chicken Coops For Dummies (Paperback)
My husband and I bought this book and built the largest coop (8x8). One would expect plans this detailed to have correct measurements, but unfortunately this is NOT the case. To spend over $1000 on supplies to find that the plans are wrong is painful. My husband caught most of the errors as we built, and there were MANY! Moreover, the design doesn't function! The door was not only wrong in measurement, but in concept as well, and had to be torn apart and redesigned, wasting valuable time. The hatch door that opens to allow gathering eggs from the outside seemed cool, but was also wrong in both measurements and design concept. We have felt like the brunt of a very bad joke and have realized that we were dummies to trust this author; perhaps there was a double meaning in the title. As for all the great reviews, if we had not actually APPLIED the information and built using the design published, we'd have thought it was a great book, too!
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is extremely helpful for a newbie coop builder like me, October 3, 2010
This review is from: Building Chicken Coops For Dummies (Paperback)
I found this book to be extremely helpful!
I have scoured the internet and all the chicken books I could find, looking for a book that told me HOW to build a chicken coop. Finally, I found it! I currently have chickens and a small coop. But I want to build a larger, walk in coop. I checked into the costs to have someone build it for me and was shocked! How hard could it be right? Well, armed with this book, you will be well on your way.
It gives you details on how to build everything from a chicken tractor to an A-frame to a walk in coop like I wanted. It offers all the details for the important components of a coop: roosts, nesting boxes, etc. And walks you through important considerations like: What would make the coop easier for you? What about electricity? Water? Location? All the important aspects we need to think about before making that first lumber cut.
Now, I see a few people felt the book had too much carpentry info. Well I disagree. That is preciously what I love about this book! Remember, it is a book for "Dummies" and that means it covers all the BASICS! Being a novice builder myself, I am happy that this book not only tells me what materials I need, why I need them, how they should be used, but it also tells me exactly HOW TO build the coop. And that for me is golden!
Building Chicken Coops for Dummies is a great book for anyone thinking of constructing a home for their flock. It is thorough, well written and provides the confidence to tackle this project on your own. I highly recommend it.
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