Chickens are cheap; that’s one of the best reasons to keep them. But you know what’s not cheap? Everything needed to keep them! Feeders, waterers, medication, fencing, and, of course, coops.
You might spend only a few bucks on your actual bird, especially if you buy them as chicks, but end up dropping hundreds or even thousands on a coop. Talk about sticker shock! But it doesn’t have to be that way…
A coop, ultimately, is a pretty simple structure, and if you are crafty or skilled at DIY and can rustle up or repurpose some materials, you can easily make a safe, snug, and sturdy coop for your flock for less than $20.
Sound impossible? It isn’t, and to prove it, I’m bringing you 11 dirt cheap chicken coop plans that will show you how. Grab your toolbox, roll up those sleeves, and let’s get to building.
Under $20? Really?
Yes, really. But I do want to clarify something: these are not coops you can run out and buy off the shelf. Not hardly! All of the designs below heavily feature reused, recycled, repurposed, and upcycled materials and other items.
Depending on what you have on hand or are able to trade for, some designs will be a better fit for you than others. But chances are at least one of them will show you what’s possible with what you do have on hand.
Assuming you have the raw materials, all you’ll need to do is spend a little money for fasteners, latches, and other specialty hardware to complete the build. That’s where the low price tag comes from. With that in mind, it’s time to look at the first one on our list…
Dog House to Chicken Coop
Do you have an old dog house on your property? Or does your neighbor have one they are giving away? If so, you are most of the way toward a nice chicken coop for a small flock.
The structure of the dog house works perfectly as the main coop, and to this you can easily attach a fixed or removable run and cut open access points to collect eggs from nesting boxes.
This is one of my favorite builds on our list, and it’s certainly one of the most adaptable. Not for nothing, it’s the perfect option for folks who aren’t quite sure where they want their coop to stay because the dog house is easy to relocate.
DIY Shingled Pallet Chicken Coop
Pallets: you know them, you love them, and there’s nothing a savvy homesteader can’t do if you have enough of them. The great thing about pallets is that they’re often available for free or dirt cheap from businesses that will do anything to get you to haul them off, and most contain several pieces of high-quality hardwood.
You can disassemble them and then put that wood to use or use pallets as building blocks to make a coop. You can make it look spiffy and get better weather resistance by shingling it with leftover cedar shingles or other surplus siding and roofing materials you might have.
Baby Crib Coop
It might look a little tacky, sure, but a wooden baby crib can be turned into a great chicken coop with a little bit of ingenuity and extra materials. Depending on the size and shape, you might simply flip the crib over and then close it up, or leave it upright and then build floor access into it.
There are lots of different ways to play this one, and if you’re really on a budget, you can find someone in your town right now who will give away an old crib for free. They also tend to be common at yard sales, so keep your eyes peeled.
Old Shed Coop Conversion
Here’s a super cheap, super strong, and easy conversion I’ve seen over and over again. If you have an old lawn mower or tool shed, generator shed, or similar structure that isn’t getting any use, clean it out, fix it up, give it a little paint and ventilation, and then add a smaller door for your birds.
Boom, you’ve got yourself a coop! The great thing about most of these structures is that they are already quite sturdy, very easy to secure, and have plenty of room for you to move around inside.
Quick and Dirty Chicken Tractor
Some chicken keepers prefer to keep the coop mobile so they can relocate their birds and keep them from making bald spots on your property.
A chicken tractor is just the thing, and if you’ve got an assortment of spare fencing, netting, wood, and tubing, you can easily hammer this one together in an afternoon.
Super Cheap Walk-In Coop
Some of us just like having a large, spacious coop even if we don’t have that many birds. It’s because it makes it easy to get inside, clean out, clean up, and perform routine inspections and other duties.
But, naturally, a bigger coop means a bigger bill most times. Not so with this plan, though, which goes to show what can be accomplished if you don’t care one iota about appearances.
Not everyone’s cup of tea, no doubt, but it works.
Elevated Pallet Coop
Elevated coops can help keep chickens cool and also safer from some predators. It’s also a preferential choice for some keepers. If you’re one of them, rejoice because you can still build a raised coop for pennies on the dollar.
This plan will show you how to do it with pallets, and there are many variations on this basic premise.
Easy A-Frame Chicken Coop
Hands down one of my very favorite styles of chicken coops, of any build or material, is the A-frame.
Super quick and easy to put together, sturdy, and highly efficient, they are a great choice for smaller properties and smaller flocks. A little bit of scrap lumber and a few hours of work is all it takes to make your own.
Small Scrap Wood Coop
For those who just have two or three birds and really, truly, don’t want any more, a tiny coop can prove sufficient.
This plan goes to show how little wood is actually needed when you build for necessity alone. This design also does double duty as a quarantine or isolation coop or the foundation of a rooster colony.
Recycled Door Chicken Coop
What if you don’t have a lot of different scrap materials on hand? What if, let’s say, you just have a whole bunch of spare doors for whatever reason? Where there is a will, there is a way! Check out this coop made completely from different kinds of doors.
Quick and Easy Pallet Coop
Are you completely hopeless at DIY? Do you need someone to walk you through the process step by step? If so, you’ve got to check out this video on YouTube. A few pallets, some basic tools, and this video as a guide, and you’ll have a purpose-built chicken coop you can be proud of.
Tim is a farm boy with vast experience on homesteads, and with survival and prepping. He lives a self-reliant lifestyle along with his aging mother in a quiet and very conservative little town in Ohio. He teaches folks about security, prepping and self-sufficiency not just through his witty writing, but also in person.
Find out more about Tim and the rest of the crew here.