converting an aviary to a coop--IDEAS??

[sparklechicken]

Hi, everyone. I'm new to the forums and this is my first post!

I just moved into a new house that has a pre-existing aviary. I would love to get back into chicken keeping and I thought it might be convenient to modify/convert the aviary into a coop! I'm new to coop construction, so I was hoping you could give me some ideas. I'd like to place the coop on the right side of the structure, since the aviary is next to a public sidewalk, to protect the scrickens from prying eyes. Thanks so much! I'm going to attach an aviary photo if I can get the image tag to work.

 

[sparklechicken]

Well, that didn't work. You can link to the aviary photo through the above address, though.

 

[chuckzoo]

Welcome!

If you go to the very top of the page you can click on "coop designs" which will give you some wonderful examples of different styles of coops. I would look at the ideas and adapt them to your aviary. Many of the coops have construction plans which will give you basic information on how to put things together.

Good Luck!

 

[CoyoteMagic]

looks pretty well constructed, I suggest moving it out into the yard and away from the house.

Depending on the weather in your area (heat, cold, dry wet) you could make it into a open air coop with 3 sides and some nest boxes. You probably will have to add to it to create a bigger run. Doesn't look like there is enough room for more than 2 birds on the ground.

 

[elmo]

The problem with a design like that for chickens is that much of the airspace is not terribly useful. Chickens roost at night, but their waking hours are spent on the ground, so having enough room on the ground is key. The usual rule of thumb you read here is to have a minimum of 4 square feet per bird of indoor (coop) space, plus 10 square feet per bird of outdoor (run) space. And of course you really can't keep chickens on a bare concrete floor. It's hard on their feet and there's nothing for them to scratch around in, which is a chicken's main past time.

If you want to convert that to suit chickens, you should probably think about boxing in the bottom so you can put some kind of substrate (like sand, for example) over the concrete. And depending on your climate, you could think about adding something to block the wind at roost level.

Do you know what kind of birds used this aviary previously? My guess would be doves or pigeons.