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Description
Building Chicken Coops For Dummies (3) was previously published as Building Chicken Coops For Dummies (2). While this version features a new Dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the prior release and should not be considered a new or updated product. As the popularity of urban homesteading and sustainable living increases, it’s no wonder you’re in need of trusted, practical guidance on how to properly house the chickens you’re planning (or have already begun) to keep. Building Chicken Coops For Dummies gives you the information you need to build the most cost- efficient, safe, and easy-on-the-eye enclosures for your backyard flock.This practical guide gives you easy-to-follow and customizable plans for building the backyard chicken coop that works best for you. You’ll get the basic construction know-how and key information you need to design and build a coop tailored to your flock, whether you live in a small city loft, a suburban backyard, or a small rural farm.Includes detailed material lists, instructions, and schematic plans for building a host of different chicken coopsStep-by-step guidance on how to build a coop―or design your ownAccessible for every level of readerWhether you’re just beginning to gain an interest in a back-to-basics lifestyle or looking to add more attractive and efficient coops to your current flock‘s digs, Building Chicken Coops For Dummies gives you everything you need to build a winning coop! Read more
Publisher : For Dummies
Publication date : December 27, 2018
Edition : 1st
Language : English
Print length : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 1119543924
ISBN-13 : 23
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 8 x 0.9 x 10 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #125,823 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #83 in Animal Husbandry (Books) #150 in Home Design & Construction (Books) #168 in Construction Engineering (Books)
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Top Amazon Reviews
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! Update(8/2013): I've built both the All-In-One(as pictured above, modified) and recently the Urban Tractor which I really like. Lumbar gets heavy fast as you add pieces of 2X4, 2X3's, etc. and the All-In-One is quite heavy even for 2 men to try to move on a rough service(I hooked mine up to a tow chain and jeep to move it). The urban tractor is much easier, of course, but still a bit heavy trying to pull through the grass. I added 10" wheels which really help, and I or my wife can roll that around by ourselves; however, tough to go up hills alone. I did find one error with the Urban Tractor design in the measurement of the height of the front wall/nest box. Significant if one isn't paying attention and carefully reviewing the dimensions before cutting; also there are lots of little details one learns while doing, e.g., when screwing a 1-1/4" screw through a 1X3(on the 3/4" side) to a piece of T1-11, the screw will protrude if one screws down flush with the board. They do warn about this since they want you to use this length screw, but I was surprised about how much I had to back off the screw for just 1/8". Overall, I enjoy building the structures. They may be heavy, but they're solid, protective and cute looking. Not being a carpenter, this is a great instructive book. Coop update 2015- I love our All-In-One. It's almost(it is) an obsession for me to automate it as much as possible for our 4 cute and very different chicks. We use automatic tube(pvc pipe) feeders, hung waterers made from gatorade bottles and nipples, an overhead heat lamp in the coop with a thermo-cube, drip pans made from plastic boot trays(the ones that sit by the door for people to place their wet shoes on coming into the house)- my wife loves these because cleaning's so much easier- just remove, dump off the shavings, hose off, and slip back in(I cut them to fit). We lay straw in the run, and I recently purchased from England(best one I've seen) an automatic door opener, which I placed inside the coop and raises and closes the door(a lightweight plank on the inside) by timer or sunlight- absolutely super, although it's a bit costly. Finally, for our harsh winters, especially this one, and to keep the run dry, I've added removable 'Hurricane Shutters' that I can put up before a storm, by sliding siding over hooks around the run, and, later, can easily be removed. I call the coop "Chicken Fort Knox" because nothing can get into it, e.g., raccoons-which we have many- just be sure to use hardware wire(no chicken wire ever!). Do some research and have tons of fun with embellishing, but no matter what, have fun. Update 10/16- I've put pics of the modified All in One and Modified Tractor and the storm shutters. I've added a heated water bottle in the coop and the run- getting ready for our cold snowy winters. Also, I would say, the girls like fresh grass clippings best(no fertilizer or pesticides) for their run cover. Best wishes!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2010 by mk mk
Format: Paperback
Reasonable. I wish that there were more examples.
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2025 by Steven Ellsworth
We're new to chicken coops and many things construction. I sat down with my dad and we read through the book. There were a number of plans and we eventually decided to slightly modify the plan showed on the cover, but with the directions provided it was very easy for us to do that. Dad and I are very mathematically oriented, but not so construction oriented so we really needed a book like this. If my dad had not come by to help, I would simply have done the coop on the cover and I feel pretty confident that I could have done it myself. The equipment lists were absolutely a life saver. It took us (emphasis on him) about two weeks to buy the material, build the coop and take days off to go golfing and shopping with my mom. I must admit I looked for hours on the internet for free coop plans and while there were some cool looking chicken coops out there, nothing I found had the level of detail I needed to make a chicken coop beyond a one or two chicken project. I am not the kind of person who can see a picture of something and make it. I need detailed, step by step instructions which was exactly what this book provided. I really liked the variety of options available since many people may want to select a different size coop than I did and the pros and cons are very honestly listed. I really can't say enough good things about this book. We found a similar (but not identicle) coop to the one we made for commercial sale and it cost about 5 times what it cost us to make this coop. I am in the process now of painting the coop because I've decided that before I move the chickens in, it's essential that the coop match the house, but all in all this has been a fun family project and I look forward to a new hobby as a result of it. Were we not able to make this coop ourselves, I would not have paid for the commerically available coop and probably would still by debating on whether or not to get chickens.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2011 by Keep smiling
I found this book to cover all the basics, not only what your chickens require; but, also what you'll need to build a basic coop. It covers the basic carpentry skills and tools needed to build 5 coops; from the Minimal to the Walk-In; suitable for small flocks. Not only that, it also explains the why's for each aspect of construction and use of tools. As for your chickens, if you follow the suggestions in the book, you'll have a happy flock. Roosts, nest boxes, ramps, lighting, ventilation are all covered in detail; as well as suitable materials for each. The plans given are very basic, so if your looking for a coop with a bit more style such as Victorian or Country Cottage you won't find it here. However, with the information in this book, you can easily use a shed or playhouse plan and using the information in the this book, adapt the plan for chickens. Overall it's a good baisc book with a lot of information for the backyard coop builder.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2010 by Michael A. Morrisey
Format: Paperback
I bought the book hoping to find some good plans. I ended up using plans I found on tic toc that had their challenges too but he had a video that helped. Being a visual learned the book just didn’t work for me. Now that I have built a coop, I might try the book the next time I’m not sure as I like the plans I found.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2024 by John