Little Tikes Playhouse coop in the Winter?

[bluema]

I need help from those who have converted their Little Tikes playhouses into chicken coops. I've researched as much as I could, but I'm not seeing straight answers anywhere. I live in TN and although winters are relatively mild, the temps do dip to negative degrees.

I am loving the look of this Little Tikes Storybook Cottage playhouse and I'm hoping to buy and convert one into a chicken coop. The playhouse is quite pricey at over $400 (can't find used one locally), so I want to make sure before I purchase one.

1. If I patch the seams (other than top vent), will the plastic walls be adequate to keep chickens warm during winter?
2. Are these playhouses double walled where I could insulate further with spray foam?
3. Could a wall be cut to make a hole for chickens(entrance) without compromising the structure?
4. How do these plastic playhouses compare to wooden coops for insulation?

Besides the look of the playhouse, I'm interested in the plastic playhouse because it may deter mite infestation and it may last longer than wooden coop.

Thanks for your help!

 

[bluema]

I finished the coop today!

When I received the playhouse shipment, I just stared at it for a very lo~~ong time to decide on ideas.
There were so much gaps around doors/shutters so I initially regretted buying the playhouse.
After sealing off the gaps and making windows, I've used Lexan panels to close off excess gaps to help insulate the coop.
The nest boxes were big problem as anticipated, and I ended up using only 2 out of 3 boxes I bought because of their dimensions.
This was A LOT OF WORK!!! Posting a few pics for those who are waiting for my update.

 

[bluema]

My run is covered from rain and completely enclosed in 1/4" hardwire cloth. I have coyotes, raccoons, etc., and my hens have been safe for over 2 yrs now, and my chickens stay completely dry even through hard rain like today. If kids can climb on top of the poly cottage as I've read in reviews, I'm thinking the walls are probably very solid for predator concerns as long as I hardware cloth the openings..

 

[CHIKENROOKIE]

Was going to do playhouse too, but decided against it. Mine is re-used pallets, and cost me $103.

 

[Mutt Farm]

Hi!

Mine worked great until chicken math caused me to have 15 rather than 6. Chickens have a body temp of roughly 104 deg. and feathers to insulate them. You didn't mention how many chickens. IMO, no need to insulate anything if you have more than a few. Chickens are fine in the cold, the really cold. Heat, humidity and stale air are the concerns. You'd need to install some roosts. I bought a used starter lil tykes coop for $50. That said, if you're going to spend $400. there are likely better choices to give you more bang for your buck.

 

[bluema]

I've gone through some youtube videos of Little Tikes playhouses, and went ahead and ordered one just last night.

This particular Step 2 cottage is larger than most at 5.35' x 4.58' x 4.2', and because of thick double walls (double wall poly construction), inside dimension gets down to 4.58' x 3.58' x 3.5' which is a bit larger than what I currently have for my 8 girls. I didn't want too big of a coop so that they can keep cozy and the height of the playhouse and the existing top openings seem ideal for ventilation. I've read reviews that these playhouses last over 15 years out in the elements with kids climbing on top, so they sounded durable enough. I just hope that the walls aren't as cheap and full of holes like a few reviewers complained since I'll be adding roosts and poop boards inside. I'll find a way to reinforce the weight one way or another. My run is still in great shape so I'll attach the cottage to it.

http://www.toysrus.com/buy/playhouses/step2-naturally-playful-storybook-cottage-795900-3499780

At this point I'm SO excited while waiting for the order to arrive. I've spent so much time building my current girls' coop & run, but the wooden coop started disintegrating in places near ceiling already after only a few years. I constantly have to battle mites that like the wooden coop as well, and don't want to powder my girls more than I need to. I looked into the Formex Snap Lock coop but it seems overpriced and way too small. I've thought of building another coop with better materials and more decorative touch but the raw cost was getting up there and I'm dreading the time and effort to start from scratch.

I showed the pic of the cottage playhouse to my husband and he said "It's ugly" - sigh.... but I'll paint the molds and accessories and decided to attach real thatch (these are so pricey!!!) on top for decorative purpose.

 

[bluema]

I have the heat panel turned on only on very cold days, below 20 F. I did that after my Buff Orpington developed frostbite on her rear comb after a particularly cold day. All other girls were fine so I'm not sure what happened, but I've increased the top ventilation along with the heat panel after the event. She didn't get a frost bite this past winter, so the accommodation worked out and all girls are very healthy.

I've looked into bigger coops around, and they're huge and mostly hideous. I have my coop situated right on the east facing wall of my house for draft and sun protection, and don't want huge expensive ugly coop right next to our house.

I'm definitely raising the playhouse on a platform. It was tough adding younger flock with my existing flock, so the blockable space will help the next time around while providing a bit more room for the flock. I'm going to have to be creative with nest boxes. I've already bought 3 plastic nest boxes by Miller Manufacturing while I was drawing up a coop plan. I chose plastic because I hate those red mites! http://www.amazon.com/Miller-Manufa...1443562404&sr=8-2&keywords=plastic+nest+boxes

It'll be a definite challenge to install them in the playhouse while making the egg access easy The nest boxes are huge, so I may not be able to use them. I might consider removing a wall on the playhouse so that I can build an easier access, but I'll have to see first how difficult it might be to get the eggs through the existing window/door openings. The windows seem to have some ledge on both sides, so I'll try to place the roost on top before securing. If that fails, I'll either do free standing roost or add legs for support.

 

[bluema]

As a comparison, this is the original playhouse. I've painted the door/shutters and few accent stones, and topped the coop with real thatch as promised.

 

[bluema]

I've only sealed off the windows/doors to remove cross drafts. If you look at the sweet PDZ pic you can see there are ventilation openings at the very top near the rear of the coop. There are openings on the front top of the coop (partially closed with Lexan to prevent rain) for cross ventilation as well. I'm monitoring with wifi humidity and temp monitor along with my security cam. So far so good, and the girls love the new coop.

 

[bluema]

This is so cute!! We catch the nighttime roost manure by hanging tarps with spring clamps under the roost bars. Not sure if you would want to spoil the cuteness though.

Oh I think I've seen an example of this once on a forum. A good idea as long as your chickens won't fumble and fall or catch their feet tangled on the tarps.

My girls still seem unsure and clumsy in/around the coop, so I decided to make the poop boards lightweight for removal but as sturdy as possible so that they won't budge even if they step or jump on them. The main issue I had was to make the small space configured to be as functional as possible with max usable sq ft. Yes... all this trouble to maintain the cuteness and to keep the coop size small near the house. sigh...

I can simply lay in another cut piece of vinyl flooring in the poop boards so that I can lift it out for cleaning, but for now I'm still experimenting with sweet PDZ to figure out its true usefulness. After seeing all the fuss on forums, I HAD to try it out at least.

Here's a closeup of my poop board to show you better detail. I was very limited in what I could do given what I had to work with.