Help with how to turn this into a normal coop?

[itsy]

Could anyone offer opinions on how to turn this chicken tractor into a normal, predator proof coop? We have 10 chickens of various sizes, including two which may have to be housed separately.

My boyfriend and I made this chicken tractor for our meat birds and now that we have moved, we're using it as a temporary coop for our layers. They are not happy. lol

We were thinking of taking the hinged door off of the top and going up from there. Or putting wire on the bottom and raising it off of the ground..... any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Raising it would be great. Chicken like somewhere to go, at night, where it is higher. They have a higher is safer instinct.

Would you build nest boxes that hang out sides? There's not a whole lot room for more than sleeping, it would appear.
Sure, creative folks with ingenuity can make a lot of things work. But it might be just as easy to start over, re-using the material in that one? The "roof" is flat so it doesn't shed water. Hens won't care much for that. What kind of winter weather, if any, do you face?

 

[darkmatter]

What's a "Normal" coop. No such thing.

 

[itsy]

Fred's Hens :

Raising it would be great. Chicken like somewhere to go, at night, where it is higher. They have a higher is safer instinct.

Would you build nest boxes that hang out sides? There's not a whole lot room for more than sleeping, it would appear.
Sure, creative folks with ingenuity can make a lot of things work. But it might be just as easy to start over, re-using the material in that one? The "roof" is flat so it doesn't shed water. Hens won't care much for that. What kind of winter weather, if any, do you face?

It's going to be an intense winter, it seems. We just moved to the Catskills in NY.

I was comparing prices last night and I like the "Gambrel Barn 6x8 " and am debating on purchasing one of these. My boyfriend doesn't want me spending that kind of money and would rather we use this thing, but I don't think it's going to be a good idea. It was great for the meat birds, but it's not going to be easy to convert this for layers.

An idea I thought of was to turn this upside down and build up from there - making it much taller - tall enough to put a door on the mesh side and to have enough room for the coop area for the chickens. I'd have to build up all walls and such. I'd also like to raise it up, even if it were on cinder blocks.​

 

[Marcymom3]

The coop in your link is is similar to what I have. It's very nice for my flock of eight, but there is zero room for expansion. Whatever you decide make it twice as big as you need now.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

What size is this tractor?

 

[itsy]

Quote:
It's 4x8.

 

[jbourget]

I would house the 2 that you say need to be housed seperate in this. it wouldnt be big enough for them all. put hardware cloth and half plywood for a floor.

 

[teach1rusl]

If the entire thing is 4 x 8, then you'd really HAVE to use the whole thing for the housing for it to be large enough, especially for the area you mentioned. So by the time you bought enough materials (including roofing, since in that area, you're going to need a sloped roof, not a flat one) to finish framing, walling, and roofing, it's going to add up (unless you have access to a lot of free materials). It'd still be cheaper than the premade coop you linked, but your time is worth something too - so it depends on what your time is worth.

 

[itsy]

Teach...thank you!

I am now looking into converting a 7x7 Rubbermaid shed into a coop. We're going to go to Lowes and Home Depot to check them out. If I can buy one for a little more that already has a window for ventilation, I'll do that. We have to wait another week or so, though. Moving is such a pain!