Cabinet coop?

[OverEggstended]

Ok... time for the silly newbie question of the day!

I was thinking (which is admitedly dangerous). If I am only planning on having banties... why does my coop have to be so tall? Yes, I HAVE read that many people recomend being able to stand up in your coop. But... um... I really have no intention of going in it. I will happily clean it out, just as I do my parrots cages (one of which is 3'x4'x5')... but I do not plan to sleep in it or anything.

As banties tend to roost a bit lower... does it really need to be taller than 4 foot from floor to ceiling?

If not... could it be made from modifying (making cutouts and removing sides and backs etc) kitchen cabinets? This is sorta what I had in mind:

This would be the front and left side which is the ne corner

front and right side which is sw corner

and the back from the se corner

The nest boxes are 15.5"x12" cupboards (like you put over ranges or fridges), The main section is sink base cupboards, the next section is made of small cupboards again... the bottom doors can be opened for entryways and the top for ventillation in summer. The last section is base cupboards that the drawers have been left in for storage and the doors could access the food and water section.

Am I crazy... or might it work?

 

[annie3001]

interesting concept.

 

[Smokin Silkies]

I have 2 coops, both with bantys and they're very similiar to your pics. As a matter of fact, besides the windows being in different places and your being prettier, they are the same. Mine is easy to clean with a shovel or rake, and I can feed and water them easily. Dimensions are also the same with mine. Mine is about 4 ft high on one side and about 4 1/2 on the other. I have Silkies and Banty Cochins and they prefer to snuggle up in the corner vs using any roosts. I do have a few Buff Orps in with the Silkies temporarily and they use the roosts. I love the look of your coop

 

[Overeasyplz]

Nice Drawings! As a`kid we had OEGB banties and they roosted in a 50' tree.. not very low. They were a pain to catch

 

[wildorchid053]

if your using real kitchen cabinets i would worry about water swelling and cracking them.. if your building them then you can take care of that part.

 

[cobrien]

Quote:
was thinking the same thing, need to make sure it is weatherable. most off the shelf kitchen cabinets aren't; not sure if you could treat them somehow if that was your plan.

 

[stuckinthecity]

that's a great coop little idea!

 

[patandchickens]

Actual kitchen cabinets won't last real long -- if they are made of mdf or other 'compressed wood fiber' products as nearly all cabinets are these days, they will swell and sag and disintegrate fairly soon even if painted, and if made of actual honest to goodness solid WOOD they would be wasted on chickens (and will still tend to warp etc when damp).

The overall idea is perfectly reasonable, though, and many many people use reach-in type coops like that. You might want to rethink the dimensions -- 4' deep will require you to nearly crawl into the thing to clean the far side and catch birds, and moreover you will be leaning your belly onto pooey bedding every time you reach into there. 3' is a more reasonable maximum width for a reach-in coop, and even with that you will end up leaning in onto a certain amount of poo at times.

You'll want a gutter on the low side of the roof, so it is not dumping all that roof water right into the run (and right where the chickens will be walking the most, at the doorways)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[2txmedics]

pretty good idea, BUT...I agree, the weather elements will get to the cabinets, thus more work later, also....the walls on the run....depends on what area your living in...if you have alot of racoons and such...they can break that, you might want to wrap it or line it with some kind of heavy wire but not chicken wire.

My Ma has as I do dog kennel runs, I havent had a problem so far, but she has, she lives in the country and her chickens stick there heads out of the runs and something is killing them at night, and ripping there heads off.

 

[Bossroo]

All of the above plus, Have you priced the cabinets yet ??? $$$$