Help me turn this playhouse into a coop!! *pics**

[Cohl0406]

Ok so above is the playhouse that I'm turning into a chicken coop. As you can see there is one full wall the rest is open. My plan this far is to cover the opened areas with hardware cloth on the inside. The outside will have wood shutters. My hang up is the nesting box. I don't want to cut into the existing structure. Any ideas is very helpful. I won't have chicks until late February as I don't want to order 15 and none of the feed stores will have them until then. So I have the time and want it done right. I have some skills but this is not my trade by any means. Thanks so much for any help or advice you can provide.

 

[cavemanrich]

I made a hen house from a lil tykes plastic playhouse.. Made it 3 feet taller with plywood bottom. Made nesting box from a square detergent plastic bucket turned sideway. Also made a plywood double box nesting box.. The chicks preferred the plastic bucket. You could probably make a four pack and leave them in one corner of coop. Be creative and fill the boxes with hay. and a barrier to keep hay in box. If you have large hens, then those square buckets may be on the borderline. Resort to making larger boxes from plywood. I'm not sure how many chicks you want to keep , But my 4 by 4 floorspace coop handled 10 chicks, but 7 were bantams. Standard size chicks would be probably 6 max. Overcrowding brings more headaches than needed. GLAD TO SEE SOMEONE RE PURPOSING AS MYSELF.

 

[Cohl0406]

We actually bought this playhouse above just for the chickens. In came in 2 days late and a day after the old coop caught fire so it's a bit depressing setting this one up for future chickens when it was supposed to be for my other girls. Only keeping 3 hens since we are in the city and they limit to 5 but we had so many eggs from just the three girls 5 we would be over flowing. I'll make the. Eating box from plywood. I heard that their roosting bar needs to be higher than their nesting box otherwise they will roost (and poo) on or in their boxes? True? This house is actually on wheels too. YAY!!!

We have plenty of time before nesting boxes are even needed or before chicks are even living outside. I have my old cockatiels cage ready for them to spend some time inside. I'm wanting to use all wood which we are staining and I'll put a waterproof coat on it once finished because I'm a little unsure about attaching plastic to wood, just doesn't seem it will be that strong.

We did find a big raccoon in our yard when the girls where alive so I'm real concerned that big boy will come back looking for my chicks or later, their eggs. We also plan to move to a more rural area this year and they do have mountain lions there. Bear sightings are rare but technically they are there. Of course the usual bobcat hawk dogs cats worry also.

 

[kaileen20]

This was my kids old play house that I made into a coop, I ended up cutting it in half though because the two story coop wasn't working out

 

[Cohl0406]

How did you do their nesting boxes in that?

 

[Percheron chick]

You will attach the wood to plastic with bolts. Place a board inside so you are cinching the head to wood not plastic.

Go ahead and buy the 15 chicks. Sell the extras after a few weeks on CL.

 

[Cohl0406]

There's not a big market around here for them. We will wait til they are in the store.

We have all the wood or will get more if needed to correctly fit it. I am just sort of lost how to create an opening with the current house I have that's pictured in my main post. I could make a smaller opening that opens the back? And the nesting box can still sit down a little further. I didn't have nesting boxes in the old coop as they just picked a corner and they all shared it. I want this one set up properly from the get go.

 

[kaileen20]

I use wood crates and put hay in them, and set the two crates side by side

 

[Cohl0406]

Oh man those wood crates would have been the best idea ever!!! Haha I did end up building them with wood we had left over from the playhouse (it has a sandbox under it but we obviously don't need that part) and I cut them to customs fit around the inside beams in the house. its not complete but I'm really happy with my work.

 

[kaileen20]

Oh man those wood crates would have been the best idea ever!!! Haha I did end up building them with wood we had left over from the playhouse (it has a sandbox under it but we obviously don't need that part) and I cut them to customs fit around the inside beams in the house. its not complete but I'm really happy with my work.

Looks good! Hey that works too! Are you going to build a second level? I needed up butting my coop in half and building a second level. Yours looks great! Your girls will definitely be happy! Can't wait to see the finish product! And yea those crate work great! They love them! I got them from.Wal-Mart for $10 each