Converted Cedar Playhouse to Coop???

[itsren]

New chicken owner here. My chicks are 3 weeks old. I'm a city dweller, so I need to have a coop that won't be offensive to neighbors. I only have 3 chickens. I live in the very rainy Pacific Northwest. I saw this playhouse today and absolutely fell in love with it. It is made out of stained cedar. It has a large window on the backside that would be the perfect place to hang a nest box. It was very well made, and appeared to be tight in how it goes together. There are a lot of cute little windows that can be screened and would provide excellent ventilation.

I measured it - it is 5' x 3'.

My question... would this be safe for the chickens? I have read that cedar is toxic to chickens, but some posts state that cedar plank is OK. If I lined the inside of it with FRP, would that make it safer?

I would build a raised plaform and attach it to that platform. They would have an outdoor run outside and around it. What do you guys/gals think?

Thanks for your help with this.

 

[RCRIR]

You plan would work

 

[StarryEyzz]

LOVE IT! So cute
I say just make sure you re enforce inside with hardware cloth, any openings ect.

 

[NoseyChickens]

Cedar wood is very bad for a chickens respiratory health. There are oils in the wood that can cause problems. That is why you can't use cedar wood shavings in coops or brooders as bedding. What is FRP that you are using to line it? Will it completely seal the wood? Im not sure I would risk it.

 

[SweetSilver]

What kind of ventilation will it have? That's what I would think about. I might go ahead with cedar planks if there was plenty of ventilation year-round. I like the ventilation at the tops, but between the cedar and the stain, I'm not so sure this would ultimately be a healthy choice.

Something this size looks roomy enough to roost in and nest in for a handful of city chicks, but I would make sure that the outdoor run was large, as large as you can afford and at least partially covered for our rain (remember, only in spring does the rain fall straight down.) You will have to cover more space to account for slanting rain, or put a weather barrier on your south and west sides at least. They also need some shade in the summer. Because of both of these, our outdoor-night-pen became walled in on 2 out 3 sides, with rough cedar planks BTW (funny shape--fits the space). The "hutch" is made of scrap doug fir rough planks, not cedar. Mostly. It also has excellent ventilation. We raised it on blocks. It has a hardware cloth floor we keep covered in hay or shavings. It has not proper roof; instead it is half hardware cloth (covered with hay flakes in the winter) and is placed under the same roof as the night pen, which is clear corrugated plastic (for light).

No, it is not as cute as this. You can find cute, ready-made coops for probably the same price, or show this to a handy person and have them build it for you out of other materials.

 

[itsren]

What is FRP that you are using to line it? Will it completely seal the wood?

FRP is "Fibre-Reinforced Plastic". It comes in wall panels and is supposed to be easy to wash.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...gId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=frp&storeId=10051

I'm not sure if it will completely seal the wood. I know others have used FRP in their coops... hopefully someone with experience using it will see this post and would be able to answer that question.

Thanks!

 

[itsren]

My other option is using reclaimed decking that I got from a friend to build the coop from scratch - but, too be honest, I'm afraid it, too, is old cedar.

 

[PlatypusPerry]

I'm in the PacNW and there are some people on Craigslist that make coops and some of them make some cute ones - no, not as cute as that but still cute. There are also some companies online that make cute coops and can ship them to you. That way they won't be cedar.

Where are you located? PM me if you want. I just saw another poster on here who repurposed a child's playhouse into a coop but it was one of the plastic playhouses. It looked really cute.

Do you have CCRs that you have to abide by or something?

 

[itsren]

I like the ventilation at the tops, but between the cedar and the stain, I'm not so sure this would ultimately be a healthy choice.

The combination of cedar and stain did make me think a bit. When I was looking at it, I could smell the stain.

So, if I use old (reclaimed) cedar to build the coop and paint it, would the chickens be better off? The old decking I have is pretty grey - would that make it less toxic? That I got for free.

 

[itsren]

I'm in the PacNW and there are some people on Craigslist that make coops and some of them make some cute ones - no, not as cute as that but still cute. There are also some companies online that make cute coops and can ship them to you. That way they won't be cedar.

Where are you located? PM me if you want. I just saw another poster on here who repurposed a child's playhouse into a coop but it was one of the plastic playhouses. It looked really cute.

Do you have CCRs that you have to abide by or something?

I have been watching Craigslist. I'm not seeing much that comes in the $200 range. I looked for play houses on Craig's List today, too.

CCRs... I'm not sure what that means. We don't live in a housing community that is governed by a homeowner's association. We're just regulated by city code (no more than 6 chickens on a 10,000 sq. ft. lot, 15 foot set-back). Our city recently authorized city chickens. I'm more concerned about neighbors who are not used to chickens in the neighborhood, and who may not be knowledgeable that city code has changed, getting upset with the arrival of three "farm" animals. As it is, my 3 children bouncing a basketball is too noisy for some neighbors. We're just trying to keep the peace by making sure whatever we put out there looks good and is well-cared for.