Catio to Hen House

[krthaymp]

I’ve been bouncing around a few ideas to build a bigger coop for my little flock. I’ve abandoned the idea of a shed conversion, started building from scratch (have you seen lumber prices?! And I have no building skills), using pallets or pallet wood was also abandoned and now it’s almost spring and I’m running out of time.
I came across a catio though… see link… and wheels started turning.
I can use the corrugated plastic roofing for the roof and sides, screwed into the existing frame and cut to accommodate airflow as needed. Probably would have the roof overhang a ways out and leave a space at the top of the walls all the way around.
Take the platforms out and put roosting bars in their place. Add nest boxes on the ground (my girls are happy with milk crates and buckets on their side).
I couldn’t really find anyone converting one like this. It would just be the hen house and attached to the run, which is 9x19 right now with 4 birds. I’m planning on doubling that this year. Too many hawks for much time out of the run.
It’s hot here so I am not worried about insulation. I’m worried about air flow and can in screw panels in the summer as needed this way.
https://a.co/d/4kwchSe

 

[FowlProtector]

That sounds like a great plan! I love the idea of using a catio conversion for the hen house – it sounds like a solid option that can give your flock plenty of ventilation while still protecting them from the hawks. The corrugated plastic roofing will definitely help with airflow and protection from the elements, and I think leaving a gap at the top of the walls for ventilation is a smart move, especially with the heat. You might also want to consider adding adjustable vents or shutters to control airflow depending on the season.

Since hawks are a concern, predator-proofing with hardware cloth (rather than chicken wire) around the run and coop will give you peace of mind. The roosting bars sound like a great idea – just make sure to vary the heights so the chickens have different options for perching. For the hot weather, adding some shade cloth or covering part of the run will give them a cool spot to retreat to when it gets too warm. Also, placing multiple waterers inside the coop and throughout the run will make sure they stay hydrated.

I think the nest boxes with removable liners or trays for easy cleaning would be a smart addition too. It sounds like you're on the right track – I’d love to hear how it all turns out!”

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[FowlProtector]

I am sorry but i have no lumber.
I hope I was able to help.

 

[SourRoses]

I actually think it's a good idea. There are pros and cons, but for the price and size it could work out nicely.

That's 6ft by 4 1/2ft. So room for 6 birds.

You could use the plastic panels for the roof and use the included canopy as a back wall at roost height. In GA temps I wouldn't worry about enclosing it much.
With a 5ft door you would likely need to duck on the way in.
The rear opening could make a nice way to check / lift birds off the roost at night, depending how high you make the roosts.
The panels that make the kitty platforms and boxes, since you have to assemble them anyway, could be fashioned into nest boxes / poop board support.

The small cat door looks the same size as a pop door so an auto pop door could probably be installed really easily.

You would need to seal it all before assembly. I know it says outdoor and it has some paint, but it's not likely to hold up for long without some help, especially in the hot & humid south. A good coat of sealant or an outdoor paint, even on the sides of the frame that meet, would be a good way to help preserve it. AND set it up off the ground all the way around on pressure treated lumber, pavers or blocks.

The good news is the roof also has hardware cloth, so you're not just relying on plastic roofing to protect your birds from predators. The bad news is ALL of the hardware cloth will need to be reinforced with fender washers and screws. That's not hard to do with a drill before assembly, but it's not something you want to forget (a coon can push through staples).

It would be nice if they didn't charge $200 for shipping. That makes it not on sale . I looked at a couple different versions around that price point ($436) but the one you already chose appears to have the most room for the price atm.
Considering the prior results of our carpentry efforts, this might even be something we consider doing at some point, so thanks for the idea!

 

[krthaymp]

I’m gonna go for it.

I’ll have the panels able to come off so I’ll just remove them when it’s hot for an open air coop. I’m still turning over how to get the roosts at various heights but I think that will be a problem best solved once the building is up and I can better see what I’m working with.

I hadn’t thought about reinforcing the hardware, but yeah, that will need to be done for sure, and adding a predator skirt. I have a TON of pavers so that’s a brilliant idea.

I was annoyed when I saw the shopping… I really thought I found a deal, haha! All of them are about $400 and I have several similar ones in my cart waiting to see if anything goes on sale, but nothing yet.

In the interest of time (I’m eager to get them into bigger housing!) I may use tarps temporarily instead of the panels.

We’re going to try and work on clearing the brush where the cool is moving to this weekend, so weekend after next will be building day.

One thing I hadn’t considered until recently that I’ve been mulling over… there’s no floor. I don’t like that. They’re going to dig holes and it will be hard to keep clean. I wonder if a layer of chicken wire under a layer of bedding would be ok, or still too risky?

Should I build a platform? Or maybe all pavers for the floor?

 

[rosemarythyme]

One thing I hadn’t considered until recently that I’ve been mulling over… there’s no floor. I don’t like that. They’re going to dig holes and it will be hard to keep clean. I wonder if a layer of chicken wire under a layer of bedding would be ok, or still too risky?

Should I build a platform? Or maybe all pavers for the floor?

What was your original hope/plan for a coop as far as floor? Dirt floor isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on how you plan on managing litter.

I would NOT do a layer of chicken wire - not only would it do nothing to prevent rodents from getting in but you're risking foot and toe injuries as the chickens scratch around.

If you want a solid floor then anything from a concrete pad to a wood platform might work, though the best option will vary depending on placement and climate.

 

[krthaymp]

What was your original hope/plan for a coop as far as floor? Dirt floor isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on how you plan on managing litter.

I would NOT do a layer of chicken wire - not only would it do nothing to prevent rodents from getting in but you're risking foot and toe injuries as the chickens scratch around.

If you want a solid floor then anything from a concrete pad to a wood platform might work, though the best option will vary depending on placement and climate.

Right now I have them in a smaller coop with a litter pan and I use Sweet PDZ, which I love! I can’t make that work for this large of a space. Maybe sand? Right now I litter scoop every few days and that’s all it needs with a full bedding refresh every couple of months, as needed.
I don’t really like the idea of the deep litter method, especially for a larger space I will be walking in to, and refreshing a layer of hemp or straw regularly would exhaust my compost space pretty fast.
But then what would I do with the sand when it’s time to refresh that?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Right now I have them in a smaller coop with a litter pan and I use Sweet PDZ, which I love! I can’t make that work for this large of a space. Maybe sand? Right now I litter scoop every few days and that’s all it needs with a full bedding refresh every couple of months, as needed.
I don’t really like the idea of the deep litter method, especially for a larger space I will be walking in to, and refreshing a layer of hemp or straw regularly would exhaust my compost space pretty fast.
But then what would I do with the sand when it’s time to refresh that?

Hopefully someone will pipe in with their experience with sand in the coop as I haven't tried it.

But from the sounds of it you probably would be better off with a solid floor of some sort, unless the ground there stays very dry on its own, as sand works best when kept dry as possible.

 

[paintedChix]

For us/me in the sandhills of NC, sand becomes stinky very quickly in open air coops. With winter humidity, it freezes & i have had leg injuries. It's heavy when damp - making it difficult to move. It doesn't "compost" per say... Removing a coopful to refresh? Even in my 20s, that was back breaking work. 30 yrs later, not happening.

Sand is a permanent floor for us & I neither wanted nor could afford cement foundation or even a wood floored building. I also fell through the floors of other's coops a couple of times - rot, termite or rodent riddled. None were very old. A cement floor in our previous carport, sweated. Sometimes so much so that bedding became very, very wet (at different times, housed chickens, dogs & ponies in chain link dog kennels). Happened at various times of the year & not just when raining.

So I opted to "change the sand" here after we moved in January 2015. I used DLM (I know, you said you aren't in favor). We have leaves, pinestraw, pine combs on small limbs on our property. I have access to straw, hay, pine pellets & pine shavings for bedding due to raising ponies. Hemp can be used, but is pricey. I now use a lot of shredded cardboard & paper (free & on hand, like leaves & yard debri).

Yes, the chickens dig. I can compensate by a - providing a dust bath; b - making litter deeper; c - having the outer apron so the holes along base don't allow them to get out. Then, I add more litter & toss scraps, treats or actual chicken feed around where I want it worked. They refill their own holes.

So, has it worked? Yes! In the 10 years we've been on this property, various pens & combined open air coops & runs we have, the sand has become "loamy". The DLM doesn't appear to build up too fast & I do not have to clean at all. IF i wanted to use some of the resulting compost, I'd remove it & use where wanted/needed. If a coop/pen/run became smelly, i added more material.

The only time I did have an issue was during Hurricane Florence in 2018. Then I was working w/ still predominantly sand &/or mud in 2 - 8x10 pens. I'd gotten them hooped & covered w/ tarps (original pens were 4' tall - i could not do it...), but... the muddy one just got lots of yard debri dumped in. The "some what packed", mostly sand one had some of the top layer removed (I can't remember where I moved it to) & bags upon bags of yard debri added... Water & mud disappeared, no or few flies & no smell. I had combined a lot of chickens into those two pens during the storm - from multiple, small & lightweight tractors. None of chickens "happy" but got along for the week they were crammed together...

I only removed some of that DLM from those pens between 2018 to 2021 - put where I was planting some herbs, flowers & beginning beds for fruit shrubs. In 2021, I helped move oldest daughter, SIL, grand daughters up to mom's old place in MT. I sold, processed or gave away the chickens other than 5 "part time", older layers my husband cared for. Almost 4 months later, I made it back (lawyer, probate & maintenance on property). I have not yet gone back to re-using them. Most need wood replaced now. Any composted litter i remove should be awesome, though may not be "alive" at this point...

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I do recommend that you use the brick pavers or cinder blocks as an actual "foundation" to raise the catio up, if that's the route you go. The base will last much longer than w/ ground contact, regardless of what base you use (even a full cement floor). Replacing lumber at the base of an already built structure is truly a PITA.

I've also found putting a wire dog kennel up keeps it from rusting out so fast.

 

[NatJ]

Take the platforms out and put roosting bars in their place. Add nest boxes on the ground (my girls are happy with milk crates and buckets on their side).

Chickens like platforms too. And some chickens like raised nestboxes.

So I would probably leave the platforms, and just add a roosting bar or two that run across from one side to the other, above most of the other stuff. Think about which ways you will walk inside, and run the bar so it doesn't cross that space.

I would expect the chickens to sleep on the highest possible thing, which will be the roosting bar if you put it higher than everything else, but I would expect them to hang out at all levels during the daytime. You might even put feed or water on some of the platforms, where the birds can't scratch their bedding into it.

I might worry about chickens catching toes in the wobbly bridge/hammock thing, so I'd be inclined to leave it out or replace it with a plain board (wide like a shelf or skinnier like a roost).