Repurposing play fort

[mcsale]

We have an old fort we might repurpose into a coop. My kids have never used the inside. There’s always spiders They can climb on top if they wanted too, but haven’t in over a year, so it’s free game lol

I’m open to suggestions. Below are the pics.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Is the roof water proof? That's gonna be a fun coop.

 

[Chicken poppy]

You should call it something “castle” or “fortress”

Seems like it would be really cool! My suggestions would be to make sure everything is cleaned, then sealed and waterproof. You could add a little window garden? Like those half boxes outside of windows with flowers and such. That would be cute! And a little pathway.

Okay, getting ahead of myself but that would be adorable! “Fluffy butt fortress!” Awe.

The little overhead balcony part would be a nice run area. You could make a run out of that and just make a door going into it.

 

[luckycluk]

We have an old fort we might repurpose into a coop. My kids have never used the inside. There’s always spiders They can climb on top if they wanted too, but haven’t in over a year, so it’s free game lol

I’m open to suggestions. Below are the pics.

View attachment 3149501View attachment 3149502

That as cute potential as long as it doesn’t leak. I would maybe pressure wash the inside and let it dry good then weatherproof the wood. That is Fiona be a cute coop/ run. Keep us updated with pics . Welcome to the group

 

[Chicken poppy]

That as cute potential as long as it doesn’t leak. I would maybe pressure wash the inside and let it dry good then weatherproof the wood. That is Fiona be a cute coop/ run. Keep us updated with pics . Welcome to the group

Oh goodness! Excuse my manners OP.

Welcome to BYC! Make yourself at home, and good luck with the coop repurposing!

 

[knobhillfarm]

That certainly has a lot of potential! I’m excited to follow your progress on this build and see how it turns out. Most important things to think about initially is size, security, ventilation, and weatherproofing.

Baseline is about 4sq ft in coop floor space per chicken so make sure you can accommodate the number of birds you want. Climate matters a lot as to the final space requirements.

Security is just making sure you cover any openings with 1/2” hardware cloth and putting on good quality latches that can be secured against predators.

Ventilation baseline is 1 sq ft per chicken minimum, maybe much more if it gets very hot where you are. It needs to be over their heads when they are on roost so as not to have drafts blowing on them. Roosts will be high up as they prefer to sleep at highest point. Nest boxes need to be lower than roosts. About a foot per chicken is the usual guideline for roosting space.

Finally, be sure the chickens can stay dry and the wood is reasonably protected from the elements so you hard work lasts a long time.

Once you figure out the coop, then you can start to think about a protected run for them to enjoy their days in if they will not be free ranging.

Good luck with your build. You’ll have lots of opportunities to create a unique space for your flock with this base. There is lots of great support here more than happy to help you along the way if you need suggestions or have issues.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? If you put your location into your profile people can give better targeted advice because climate matters -- especially when it comes to housing.

What are the dimensions of the structure? How many chickens do you want to have?

Can you provide more photos, inside and out, from different angles?

Here are some basics:

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

 

[mcsale]

Thanks for the responses! We do need to figure out how waterproof it is there are bikes being stored inside it right now, so it can’t be that bad lol I also figure we will need to lay down hardwire mesh. The floor is wood and it’s directly on the ground.

 

[mcsale]

You should call it something “castle” or “fortress”

Seems like it would be really cool! My suggestions would be to make sure everything is cleaned, then sealed and waterproof. You could add a little window garden? Like those half boxes outside of windows with flowers and such. That would be cute! And a little pathway.

Okay, getting ahead of myself but that would be adorable! “Fluffy butt fortress!” Awe.

The little overhead balcony part would be a nice run area. You could make a run out of that and just make a door going into it.

There will definitely be window gardens involved

 

[mcsale]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? If you put your location into your profile people can give better targeted advice because climate matters -- especially when it comes to housing.

What are the dimensions of the structure? How many chickens do you want to have?

Can you provide more photos, inside and out, from different angles?

Here are some basics:

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

SE Virginia, so mild winters and heat and humidity in the summer. The fort is well shaded, but the windows are low which may cause a ventilation issue. I’ll try and post more photos in the morning.