Looking for Cheap Duck Coop Ideas?
Ducks don’t need much to be happy with their home. Hence cheap duck coop ideas are often the way to go for urban homesteaders raising animals on a budget. A proper duck house can be made from countless free materials or recycled things from around your property. Craigslist free pile hunting can be very fruitful when building a coop. Heck, you might be able to get someone’s free chicken house and avoid building from scratch altogether. Give your ducks a roof over their head, security from predators, and shelter from the wind while maintaining ventilation and they will thrive.
The DIY route for answering the question, of how to build a duck coop is a popular way to go. Making the perfect house for your animals can be done easily with the right plans. If you are on a budget, though you may need to save money using reclaimed wood, repurposing materials, or going another route altogether.
Let’s take a look at some popular ways to build an affordable backyard duck coop.
Dog House Turned Duck Coop
A popular shelter conversion is turning an old dog house into a duck coop. Dog runs also convert easily into a duck or chicken run. Our property had a cyclone fence section that was built as a dog run. This is now where our ducks and chickens live. A few modifications to make to the dog house would be a locking door if it was just an open door concept. Consider altering the roof to allow it to open from the top for ease of cleanout.
Dog Kennel as Temporary Duck House
Another alternative shelter for one or two ducks is an old dog kennel. While likely smaller than a wooden dog house a kennel is mobile and easy to clean out. Using a dog kennel for a temporary duck house is a good idea as well. While in the perfect world your beautiful duck coop will be built before your ducklings arrive that isn’t a reality for many urban homesteaders. Consider using a kennel as a temporary housing solution for your ducks. These are made of metal or plastic and easy to quickly dump out the contents, hose down and refill with fresh straw
A Frame Plywood Duck House
Building a simple A-frame plywood duck house is about as easy as it gets. The most simple versions of these do not have a front or back at all. They are essentially a lean two-style structure made with a couple of matching sizes of sheet plywood. Adding a front and rear will give you more security and even the option for a lockable door. Consequently, even with those additions, this is the simplest duck house build you can do from raw materials.
Craigslist Free Coop, Shed, or Playstructure
Craigslist can be an excellent place to find free resources in your community. Almost anything with 4 sides and a roof can be converted into a duck house. What can you find on craigslist to make a cheap coop for your girls?
Free Coop from Craigslist
Look for free chicken coops. People stop raising birds in urban areas all the time and give away the coop. Search for chickens as many more people are likely to have owned them over ducks, but a coop for a chicken is easy to convert into a duck house. Literally, add ducks and it is a duck coop.
Backyard Shed Turned into Duck Coop
Backyard sheds are another item that gets posted frequently for free. When a house sells and the new owner moves in they often get rid of things. A beat-up old shed is likely a top target for the dump, but if you can help dismantle and move it to your property you can get a free duck coop.
Play structure Made into a Duck House
My favorite cheap idea for a duck house is converting a toddler playhouse into a duck home. I would recommend attaching hardware cloth around the openings of the play structure. Also, consider crafting a door of some kind to make the structure 100% closeable at night.
You don’t need to shell out thousands of dollars building a coop in order to own a few ducks and chickens that share a coop. While it’s nice to have a state-of-the-art home for your birds. They do not know what your budget is. If you give your birds love, they will be fine in an A-frame or some kind of recycled materials home.
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