How can I make this a coop?

[lablover]

Right now I have 5 hens and a rooster that free range and spend their nights in a 4x8 tractor. It is very cramped, smelly, and hard to keep the floor dry. It is covered with a tarp. They also have a 14x14 run attached to the coop. I would love more chickens. Particularly EE's. Maybe 4, so my total would be 9. Could my roo handle 8? I have a 10x10 wire dog kennel, similar to this with a wire top... How can I make this a coop for possibly 9 chickens??? But for starters, it will need to hold 4 pullets. Please elaborate on everything I could do with this. Roof, nest boxes, place for food/water, attaching a run? What about the floor?

 

[gg706]

What kind of climate do you live in? I would definetly put up some walls and a back and put in a roosting bar inside. Coons and other predators can reach through chain link and pull the heads off any chickens within reach.

 

[lablover]

Southeast U.S.

I would definitely put hardware cloth around the bottom, and tarps on the back and part of the sides. I would also need a slanted roof.

 

[cknkids]

If your trying to hold to the 4 sq ft of house and 10 sq ft of run space you need all of the 10 x 10 so I'd build a raise hen house over part of the kennel. Here ours consider your kennel our encloed run...

 

[PoultryGirly]

If you go to my profile and click on my pictures you will be able to see a picture of my chicken coop with one of the dog kennels

 

[lablover]

I like these ideas, thanks!

I would rather not have to cut holes in the kennel. So everything would need to be inside the 10x10 kennel. I found this idea, but I was hoping to not use so many tarps. Also, the next boxes, water and food be easily accessible from the door, so that I don't have to walk all the way inside the coop.

 

[Trefoil]

You want to make a coop for night time safety out of the kennel?
1. get 100' of 3' hardware cloth. If you have weasels, snakes, or raccoons get no larger than 1/2" x 1/2". Attach the hardware cloth 2' up the sides and 1' buried. Attach it to the kennel walls very securely. This will keep weasels and snakes from getting in and keep raccoon paws out as well.
2. I am assuming you live in a warm climate.
3. The gap around the door is too large and will need a strip of hardware cloth as well.
4. You are going to need something to cover one end and 1/2 of 2 sides, which will make 1/2 of the kennel into a 3 sided shed. A water proof tarp works well over the wire for a roof as long as you elevate one end or make it a peaked roof to allow water to drain off. You will want a roost in the shed part, as high as you can, allowing head room. I would also make a roost in the open part. You can make nests out of wood or use 5 gallon buckets, either way, attach them to the back of the shed. If you want the whole kennel enclosed, you can use marine plywood,plexiglass ( its really expensive) or see what you can get through craigslist or your habitat for humanity store. How tight you need to make it depends on the temperatures where you live. Once you get the hardware cloth on, its safe to use and you can modify as you come across ideas. Good luck

 

[lablover]

Oops, I meant to add a link.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/dog-kennel-coop

Trefoil, it sort of goes along with what you are describing, but I probably would use a tarp and wire on the top instead of the peaked roof.

 

[Trefoil]

The door would be the obvious place to access to the run, just put a door in the run. Hang their feed & water just inside the door to the "coop". or attach it to the door so when you shut them in at night they can still get to the food & water. I would leave the floor dirt.

 

[Comaplata]

Here's mine. I'm gonna do the peaked tarp roof as in the picture above and cover the openings on each end with chicken wire to keep the hawks out. I'm doing the peaked roof because the roof of my hen house opens up for cleaning.