Good Idea or Not?

[Reyvaughn]

I was watching P. Allen Smith the other week and he showed how he turned his old cotton wagons into chicken tractors. Well, he has them completely open wired and puts plastic over them for winter. I am not sure where he lives, but for some reason I was thinking the Carolinas. I know their winters aren't as harsh as our PA winters (not that they've been anything for the record books these last many years - besides last year being colder than normal), but could I potentially do the same thing with a smaller scaled coop? I am working on small 4x4 coops for my bantam Cochins and I would love to leave the one whole side open with just hardware cloth to cover it (4'x 2' area and covered in 1/4" hardware cloth). I want to make sure they have plenty of ventilation and fresh air. Plus, it'd be cheaper on me and less hassle to try and figure out how I was going to enclose them in wood for winter. I can run the power tools, but making working plans for these projects is just not my strong point.

 

[chickenwhat]

I Think It Would Be A Great Idea, Just Keep It Covered In The Winter. I Live In Ga; So It Doesn't Get As Cold. I Used A Tin Shed A Friend Gave Me And They Love It. Plus I Was't Out The Money And I Could Buy More Chickens.............. Times Are Hard So Recycle What You Can....

 

[Reyvaughn]

LOL. I was given a 6x8 coop at first. My chicken numbers at that time were over the 15 it could hold. So, I re-purposed a 30x12' shed on the property. I sectioned off 12x10' of it for my brooder/feed/vet room and left the rest for the hens. I have about 40 pullets and cockerels from 6wks to 22wks in there. I have one corner set up as a temporary grow out pen that I use to introduce the big girls with the younger group. So far it's worked. Other than for some reason all the girls think they belong in the little 4x6 cage and the babies need to be in the huge area of the shed. My other project is this 8x4 Cochin Condo. It's divided into two 4x4 sections with 4 levels (bottom run, main floor, half 2nd floor and a roost). I got some free plywood, cheap left over lumber ($2 for a bunch of 1/2 sheets of plywood, cedar chest lining, pressure treated boards, ect), and some other leftover wood from other projects. I have bought a lot of 2x2's, 1x2's, 1x3's and 2x4's though. And hinges and screws... I was given two large windows that cover almost 48"x30".

Anyways... I wasn't sure if plastic over the mesh would keep them warm enough.