I was recently given a couple of 45" x 48" shipping totes. My son and I set about looking for a way to create a durable, but ultimately cheap, way to turn these totes into coops.
Above is the first tote before any modification.
Two strips of 2x2 wood were screwed in through the sides of the tote. These were spaced to allow 5-gallon buckets to rest level with the back end against the back wall of the tote.
I cut the backs out of three 5-gallon buckets to use as nest boxes. A small lip was left on the bottom edge of each bucket. The buckets were screwed into the wood strips to prevent them from rolling around. The above photo shows the back access panel lowered.
A 4-inch picket fence post was added to prevent the chickens from pushing their bedding out of the nest boxes.
Two 2x2 posts were screwed in from the sides to act as roost bars. The lower roost doesn't span the entire tote. The block of wood on the right roost supports the roost adjacent to the coop door.
Above is the space that was cut out with a roto-zip as the entrance. I plan to add a sliding door frame to the front to close up the coop at night.
The tote lid had to be slightly modified to allow the nest box access door to be opened with the lid in place. I used a dremel tool to cut away the lip of the lid in this area.
Nest box access door opened.
I didn't get photos, but there were also two panels that were cut out and plexiglass windows were installed.
All considered, this coop required a few 2x2 boards, several screws, and three 5-gallon buckets.
Above is the first tote before any modification.
Two strips of 2x2 wood were screwed in through the sides of the tote. These were spaced to allow 5-gallon buckets to rest level with the back end against the back wall of the tote.
I cut the backs out of three 5-gallon buckets to use as nest boxes. A small lip was left on the bottom edge of each bucket. The buckets were screwed into the wood strips to prevent them from rolling around. The above photo shows the back access panel lowered.
A 4-inch picket fence post was added to prevent the chickens from pushing their bedding out of the nest boxes.
Two 2x2 posts were screwed in from the sides to act as roost bars. The lower roost doesn't span the entire tote. The block of wood on the right roost supports the roost adjacent to the coop door.
Above is the space that was cut out with a roto-zip as the entrance. I plan to add a sliding door frame to the front to close up the coop at night.
The tote lid had to be slightly modified to allow the nest box access door to be opened with the lid in place. I used a dremel tool to cut away the lip of the lid in this area.
Nest box access door opened.
I didn't get photos, but there were also two panels that were cut out and plexiglass windows were installed.
All considered, this coop required a few 2x2 boards, several screws, and three 5-gallon buckets.
