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Comments
partial_birth t1_j2wq250 wrote
You know you'd still have to level a shipping container, right? You don't want one of those sliding down your yard.
whys0brave t1_j2wydzv wrote
Yeah i thought the space by the garage was a little more level than it actually is, but still better than most of the yard. It's not steep but the whole acre is a slight hill
Odd-Philosopher5926 t1_j2wl3o9 wrote
A shipping container would cost you around $4000. I’d build a coop before spending that much. Or try Craigslist for a cheap one. How much are you looking to spend?
whys0brave t1_j2wlnd5 wrote
Well I figured I'd ask here to see if anyone knew any more reliable details because when I look online it seems like I could get a container for around 1,700 but of course other sites say they are know 15,000 so the range is huge. A nice shed at home depot is like 3,500 but you still need to assemble and floor it. I would prefer a nice coop but honestly want what's going to be the cheapest and easiest because they already have an enclosed coop in run that I fortified really well so it's not coming out of there. Whatever I get I will have to build a chicken tunnel to connect them
huskers2468 t1_j2wnxbq wrote
Be careful with shipping containers. Used ones could have compromised structural issues, and potentially lead based paint to survive the salt water spray. I would not want lead paint around chickens.
bcodding t1_j2xsfd1 wrote
Find a local builder/carpenter and tell them your budget is $1700 (or whatever you want to spend). You will get far better value for your money having a tradesperson knock out exactly what you need, and your money stays local (you might pay them in eggs). I work, own, and invest in the trades.
whys0brave t1_j2y868l wrote
Yes. Are you suggesting to find a local individual or like company? I actually know one carpenter that I should ask but I don't know if she'll have the availability for my project. Please feel free to send over any recommendations!
Corey307 t1_j2xqhnx wrote
Shipping containers are often contaminated with heavy metals, formaldehyde, fumigants. People often want to build a house out of one which is a really bad idea, I wouldn’t put livestock in one either.
whys0brave t1_j2y8kf6 wrote
Thank you
advamputee t1_j2wr9jv wrote
Just to follow up on the other reply: it’s a little more expensive, but look for single-trip containers. These will have less rust / damage. Some retailers also advertise whether or not a given container is still water-tight (most single trip containers are).
For a chicken coop you likely don’t need a full 40’ box. The next standard size down is a 20’ box but you can also get down to 10’ pretty easily. This can help save on costs and planning.
You’ll still need a level support for the container to sit on. The most common method is leveling blocks for the corners to sit on. Plenty of videos on YouTube showing various methods for container placement / leveling.
AdministrativeGas123 t1_j2yni3z wrote
We just bought a 20' container and it was $4000 delivered. Those prices you see for $1700 and whatnot are before delivery. Delivery is expensive.
zombienutz1 t1_j2wr2ra wrote
I think a bigger part of the cost is delivery and prepping the site for it. Also they get hot AF inside unless you do some extra modifications. Maybe look into an old non running bus or something instead that can be towed to you.
whys0brave t1_j2wxhyo wrote
That's a great idea about a bus! Thanks
sn0qualmie t1_j2x0mx0 wrote
I really wanna see this chicken bus once it's in use.
whys0brave t1_j2x0v8q wrote
Lmao yesss. Chicken Limo
greenmtnfiddler t1_j2wtmw5 wrote
How many chickens do you have/want?
Chickens only need a weasel-proof structure at night, draftless and small enough that their bodyheat is shared while still being well ventilated. On a 4x8 base, that's about 8-9 chickens.
During the day, coyote/hawk-proof only needs a roof, frame and wire, the floor can be the ground.
If you're talking a full truck box, that's a LOT of chickens -- like, agricultural runoff issues/commercial permitting numbers -- and cleaning it's going to be a bitch.
By the time you find, move, clean, adapt, mount and level a shipping container, you can build one with scrap lumber.
Source: built one.
whys0brave t1_j2wx39p wrote
I got 6 last spring. 5 hens and a rooster now I'm a bit worried about over breeding with only 5 hens so I was planning on doubling up and also wanted to get a flock of ducks and have something large enough for them to share space with the ducks on the floor in a cozy spot and the chickens roosting on the other side
greenmtnfiddler t1_j2zffey wrote
Hmm.
Are you an experienced poultry-keeper? Is your home in a nice isolated rural area?
I don't want to harsh your bliss, but this sort of thing doesn't always work out as well as some of the YouTube channels would leave you to believe.
If you don't already hang out at r/backyardchickens, you might want to post a description about your current setup/future ideas and let some of the old hands kick it around a little.
iamkatedog t1_j2yr11m wrote
Ducks are extremely dirty and will make a chicken coop a mess. You should keep them separately.
CallingAllDemons t1_j2wq4gg wrote
Bolduc's in Middlesex sells them, but I wouldn't count on cheaply.
grnmtnboy0 t1_j2y55n9 wrote
A shipping container for chickens would be overkill and then some. If you don't want to build a shed yourself, there's a lot of people around who build and will deliver small sheds. What part of the state are you in?
hotpieismyking t1_j2wydvh wrote
just gonna leave this here...
​
whys0brave t1_j2wz5d8 wrote
Thank you! It was just an idea I was floating. Some other people suggested and old bus or camper instead
FourteenthCylon t1_j2zend2 wrote
Using a container for a chicken coop is a terrible idea. It's going to be roasting hot in the summer unless you cut holes for ventilation, which is going to be ten times as hard to do with a steel container as it would be with an ordinary shed. It will also be freezing cold in the winter. You want something smaller than a container so the chickens' body heat and the manure breaking down will keep the coop a few degrees warmer than the outside. Speaking of manure, you will want something with a dirt floor to let the ammonia leach out. The doors on a container aren't going to be very well suited for a chicken coop, and again they'll be much harder to modify than wooden doors would be. I'd check FB marketplace and Craigslist for a used shed or chicken coop if you're on a budget.
MarkVII88 t1_j2ws6tq wrote
I'd be double sure about the permitting and zoning requirements of the town where you live before you go plopping an empty shipping container down next to your garage. There is always some nosy busybody with nothing better to do, who will make it their business to prevent you from doing this, because they don't like how it looks.
whys0brave t1_j2www4l wrote
Yeah for sure. I'm in milton and the area is fenced in with a solid wood fence so it wouldn't be very noticeable. Neighbors house is for sale for a year with no bites and the other side neighbor is remodeling the house to make it apartments possibly for farmers but not sure on that
Eagle_Arm t1_j2x74v9 wrote
That would possibly be the most expensive chicken coop in Vermont and look the worst.
sugarplummed t1_j2xsa0b wrote
Why not look into building something like this? https://www.reddit.com/r/gardening/comments/102g6ma/my_diy_potting_shed_made_mostly_from_free_doors/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Much more attractive than a shipping container, unless you're going to do alot of work to the container. Probably nicer than an old bus or camper as well.
Vthead t1_j2ymz28 wrote
Shipping containers start at 2000 for 20ft and up to 4000 for a 40ft. Then you have to pay to have them delivered. You can drag them around your yard, they make a mess and generally don't have to be perfectly level. Craigslist always has a bunch of coops for sale. https://vermont.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=chicken%20coop
whys0brave t1_j2ztv6x wrote
Oh wow there are actually some really nice options on there, Thanks!
bennyblanco2022 t1_j2wrul3 wrote
try a cheap rundown used camper
whys0brave t1_j2wxmui wrote
That's a great idea! Thanks
AgingEmo t1_j2xzukd wrote
until you have to clean it. Build a proper coop. It's gonna be time consuming but cheaper and better in the end. Something that can easily be cleaned. A camper will be covered in shot after a few months and you're going to have to get it out of there.
iamkatedog t1_j2yr8un wrote
I cannot imagine having to clean that.
fergal-dude t1_j2x24ui wrote
You’re not my neighbor are you?
whys0brave t1_j2x304g wrote
I don't know. Any other identifying info?
whys0brave t1_j2x39ae wrote
Or perhaps your comment is a joke to imply that you wouldn't want to live next to a shipping container. It's going to be fenced in anyway and not very visible
fergal-dude t1_j2xeivm wrote
It was a joke. BUT I did have a neighbor with one of those things, I can only see one neighbor from my property and this is the guy who had one. All I could see was a huge blue container across the way. The second happiest day we had was when it was hauled away, the next happiest was when he moved. He also had a hog pen built out of pallets, just nailed together to form a pen, and two sets of grandparents permanently living in campers on the property, complete with old tarps thrown over the top to supplement leaky roofs. Kids swearing outside all day long, like little kids. I guess all I think about is I live in the middle of nowhere, but I have to be next to this dude... Sorta' the image that those containers conjure up in my mind.
Obviously, you do you, it's your property.
Comfortable-Job-6236 t1_j2x7j91 wrote
Go to home depot they have sheds you could use one of those as a coop, they might even have coops, check out farming suppliers too like tractor supply you might be able to order something they don't have in stock but carry on the website.
wageslave2022 t1_j2ys8jj wrote
How much do you think that the price of a dozen eggs is going to climb to? How many eggs do you eat in a week? I'm not a rocket surgeon or mathematician but if you figure the cost of the chickens and the cost of chicken feed and a $1700 shipping container and the cost of shipping the shipping container then you could pay $25 a dozen for the next 10 years before you see a nickel in money saved and if you say that they taste so much better than store bought then you aren't putting enough Frank's hot sauce on them.
whys0brave t1_j2zsvws wrote
The point was never about wether or not my keeping chickens would produce a profit for me or save me any money. I'm fully aware that I'm spending money on the chickens. They all have names and I've already spent over 2k on them. I was just saying that I don't want to spend more than I have to on an upgrade that I want to do for their health and comfort and well being. The fact that they taste dramatically better is icing on the cake the eggs already are. Legit my fish don't offer me anything I can cash out on yet I spend thousands on them too just because we love them
mr_chip_douglas t1_j2z9joh wrote
I would just build it the old fashioned way. I don’t know why the shipping container craze is a thing, they’re really not crazy cost effective unless you build like a house. Even then, it’s an insane amount of labor, and after it’s done you live in a shipping container lol
whys0brave t1_j2zs82w wrote
The craze, I think, can be explained by the prevalence of romantizatiom in media depictions without people seeing and understanding the reality behind the scenes
CorrectFall6257 t1_j303tp1 wrote
Lamell Lumber on Rt 15 in Essex Ctr sells containers. They are expensive. Maybe check out Blue Seed Feeds or Agway for a coop kit? Make it your own. Good luck to you and your chickens.
gownuts t1_j35ckuq wrote
Not denying what anyone else has said, but try here for containers.
Glittering_Test_5106 t1_j3aj7yw wrote
There are a bunch of complete coops currently listed in vtcraigslist if you are not tied to the shipping container and looking for something quick and easy. Also much cheaper than a container.
whys0brave t1_j3c4i0g wrote
And apparently much more important. Lol thanks! I will likely go this route. Either way the big metal box is out.
Odd-Philosopher5926 t1_j2wnj6w wrote
May I ask how many chickens you own and how much acreage you have?
whys0brave t1_j2wxcg1 wrote
Just over an acre and currently have 5 hens with 1 rooster. I'd like to add more hens - possibly double - to prevent over breeding from the rooster. I also wanted to get a flock of ducks and have a home large enough for cohabitation with the ducks on the floor on one side and the chickens roosted up on the other side
Odd-Philosopher5926 t1_j2ynw54 wrote
I have a coop that I used to keep about 10 hens in. It was about 4’ by 8’ and about 4’ tall without the legs. I free ranged my birds. A storage container takes up a lot of unnecessary space and are basically permanent. The town you live in may make you permit it
brdnvmt t1_j2wy00k wrote
Abanaki in Pittsford may have something.
DamonKatze t1_j2wyd86 wrote
I hear they're cheap in Arizona right now.
-_Stove_- t1_j2ybqe3 wrote
If you're not comfortable putting down a few blocks and framing out a shed, consider paying one of your neighbors? Instead of dropping ~$3k at HomeDesperate for a prefab.
WhatTheCluck802 t1_j2zqs3i wrote
Bad idea for reasons already mentioned above.
Source: my user name checks out.
Intelligent-Hunt7557 t1_j32xew0 wrote
Your best bet premade local is Elm Hill Farm in Colchester. I have not priced them recently but once upon a pre-COVID time they were 1000ish.
When I made my chicken coop I used a hammer, drill, and saw to spend only a couple hundred bucks. Check out this Hoop Coop, pretty easy
df33702021 t1_j2wrpca wrote
You might be able to get a cheap one out of Arizona.
bobcat1911 t1_j2wofru wrote
Cheaper to just buy your eggs at a grocery store!
bdevine8 t1_j2wp8f5 wrote
cheapest eggs at Shaws last week were 5.50 a dozen
bobcat1911 t1_j2wpm76 wrote
Considering how much feed you need to produce a dozen eggs, it's cheaper to just buy them from a store.
bdevine8 t1_j2wptou wrote
how much feed is needed for one dozen eggs? Used to have chickens, remember feeding them mostly compost
meinblown t1_j2wx14j wrote
So I have over 2 dozen laying chickens and it costs me about $100 bucks a month to feed and bed them. And midsummer I am getting 2 dozen eggs a day. So you do the math. I don't sell the eggs, but it is pretty easy to "break even" once you have everything you need for them.
whys0brave t1_j2wyr1l wrote
What are toy doing with the eggs? Freezing them for winter? Mine just started laying this month and I wasn't expecting much until spring but I'm getting eggs daily with only 5 hens in January!
meinblown t1_j2wz8ol wrote
We use them or give them away to friends and family. Our flock pretty much stops laying once the days get too short.
whys0brave t1_j2wzeyz wrote
Do you think that mine are laying so much just because they first started and aren't sure what to expect / haven't been acclimated to the changing seasons? They experienced summer, but were too young to lay
meinblown t1_j2wzwn6 wrote
They start laying at about 6 months old, but yes, that first year they will lay eggs regardless of the amount of vitamin D they are producing due to the sunlight. Something to do with being young I guess. They will even out by next year.
iamkatedog t1_j2yrfpz wrote
They will lay regardless the first winter.
bobcat1911 t1_j2wpysw wrote
If your feeding compost, your doing it wrong!
likeahurricane t1_j2wsv3k wrote
Tell that to Vermont Compost, where they have hundreds of laying hens they feed entirely without supplemental grain. Feeding chickens compost is a very common part of a sustainable food production system. They generate food while breaking down kitchen scraps more quickly into nitrogen-rich manure.
bdevine8 t1_j2wqate wrote
seems like it's pretty normal and healthy?
bobcat1911 t1_j2wqzmx wrote
"Compost" is more valuable as soil rather than a feed for poultry. Chicken eggs are more nutritional when minerals are added, such as flax seeds or other organic ingredients.
whys0brave t1_j2wy5l3 wrote
We feed them kitchen scraps before they become compost (in addition to laying feed and oyster shell and grit and soldier fly larva) and the compost mound in the back gets supplemented with their soiled bedding
Corey307 t1_j2xr3mt wrote
You know that chicken shit is good fertilizer right?
[deleted] OP t1_j2wq6nh wrote
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Corey307 t1_j2xqys4 wrote
People don’t just have gardens and tanned livestock to save money, some people enjoy gardening and caring for animals.
whys0brave t1_j2wxxdi wrote
I've already spent over a grand this year on them and am extremely happy with that investment. My eggs are by far the yummiest eggs I've ever tasted and I love just hanging out in the yard with them and watching them. We feed the wild birds too and the chickens are always running under the bird feeders to get extras
OnionCityChives t1_j2wrjia wrote
Metal prices are at all time highs, and then there are the logistics of moving a 2 tons 20' container (over 4 tons if you get a 40' container).
Chickens also require ventilation and light - possible but not easy in a sealed metal container.
Sorry, but I suggest wood. Lots of people sell old coops this time of year after deciding not to over-winter their flock.