How to convert this chicken tractor into a coop

[RaspberryCJ]

I don't have any chickens yet, but I'm planning to get some. I have a question about a coop. I found someone selling custom chicken tractors on FB Marketplace. Would you look at the photos and tell me if you think it could be adapted into a good coop? What problems do you see with it? It is 8x6 feet. What I like about it is that it has lots of ventilation, and it doesn't have a floor, which will lend itself to using the deep litter method on top of dirt.

More details about my plans:
I want to have room for 12 laying hens, probably Leghorns. We live in a suburb of Dallas and don't have much room in our backyard. (But we're allowed up to 25 chickens.) We're planning to put the chickens and coop under two large yaupon holly trees. See photo. We'll put a fence around most of the area under the holly trees as a run for the hens. We can't enclose the run from above because of the trees, so I'll clip their wings and not put the fence too close to a tree trunk that they can climb up and jump over the fence.

Modifications that I already know I'll need: I'll ask the builder to make the door open outward (so I can fill the coop with bedding for deep litter method). I'll put the coop on solid cinder blocks and fasten it to the blocks with nails, screws, or epoxy. I'll put hardware cloth around the outside, under the soil, to protect against predators.
I'll add high roosts so the hens can roost out of the wind in cold weather, above the side ventilation panels. I will be clipping their wings, so I'll provide a ladder so they can jump up to the high roost.

Weather in our area: Heat is the main problem, so I'm focusing on ventilation and shade. But it also gets below freezing a few times each year. It got to 22 F at night this year, but that was unusual. We can get snow and ice storms. We have strong winds and torrential rains, but the area where the coop will be is well-drained and the storms don't usually last more than a day. I'm hoping that even if part of the deep litter gets wet, it will dry off quickly and that won't be a problem. If necessary, I'll use tarp to block some of the openings during a storm. But the trees will also block the rain a lot. Yaupon holly is evergreen, so it will provide shade and block rain all year.

Specific questions:

• Many people on BYC recommend having the ventilation near the top of the coop. Is it okay to have it on the bottom like in this chicken tractor?
• What about the fact that there isn't a tight seal between the roof and the walls? That will let in drafts, especially when there's wind. Do you think that will be a problem during the few occasions when we have cold weather?
• Does anyone have experience with how quickly deep litter dries out if it's been rained on? I'd rather not have to use tarp if it's not necessary.

Thanks!

 

[perkolator]

Sounds like you have a solid plan already. To me it looks like it's already going to be functional as an open air coop, which could be totally fine for you as-is if heat is what you deal with. If the chickens are confined to this space, it's much too small for more than a handful of chickens - but if it's just a shelter for sleeping and laying, placed inside a larger run, it should be fine for the dozen hens.

If you already know you want to keep deep bedding inside and are having customizations done, I'd consider asking for a short ~12" high wall under the door to keep bedding from spilling out when opened. May consider having them frame a chicken door somewhere so you don't have to use the larger door for this - perhaps even spec'd so an automatic door would adapt there if you wanted to add it.

The coop itself doesn't look like it needs anything really, not even more ventilation holes with it being so open like that. If you think it's too stagnant in the summer, you could hole saw some holes in the gable. If it gets too much draft in winter weather, simply block off the open walls with something temporary to block wind.

In regard to bedding drying out time - depends on too many factors to give an answer. If you plan to have a dozen chickens pooping in this space and know the bedding will get wet, you may have to clean out more often to keep smells down

 

[RaspberryCJ]

Sounds like you have a solid plan already. To me it looks like it's already going to be functional as an open air coop, which could be totally fine for you as-is if heat is what you deal with. If the chickens are confined to this space, it's much too small for more than a handful of chickens - but if it's just a shelter for sleeping and laying, placed inside a larger run, it should be fine for the dozen hens.

If you already know you want to keep deep bedding inside and are having customizations done, I'd consider asking for a short ~12" high wall under the door to keep bedding from spilling out when opened. May consider having them frame a chicken door somewhere so you don't have to use the larger door for this - perhaps even spec'd so an automatic door would adapt there if you wanted to add it.

The coop itself doesn't look like it needs anything really, not even more ventilation holes with it being so open like that. If you think it's too stagnant in the summer, you could hole saw some holes in the gable. If it gets too much draft in winter weather, simply block off the open walls with something temporary to block wind.

In regard to bedding drying out time - depends on too many factors to give an answer. If you plan to have a dozen chickens pooping in this space and know the bedding will get wet, you may have to clean out more often to keep smells down

Thanks very much for the feedback and advice! This is helpful.

 

[rosemarythyme]

• Does anyone have experience with how quickly deep litter dries out if it's been rained on? I'd rather not have to use tarp if it's not necessary.

The answer depends on what's going to be in your litter mix, and what your drainage is like at the location of the coop.

I don't use deep litter in the coop but I do use it in the run, which is uncovered. We get a lot of rain. It surface dries in less than a day, typically.

I'll add high roosts so the hens can roost out of the wind in cold weather, above the side ventilation panels.

As far as the roosts, I wouldn't go too high (not sure how high you wanted them) as landing may be an issue, and chickens may or may not use a ramp. You only need them higher than the nest boxes. I am not seeing any side vents?

 

[McChooky]

My biggest concern would be in the summer months because the heat will force them to sit on the floor. Theres no breeze or vents up top and the floor is a draft. Tractors aren't meant to be housing.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile people will always be able to see it and give you better-targeted advice.

Here's my article on hot climate chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

Before I address anything else, what are the dimensions of that tractor? And are you also going to have a run?

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

12 hens

• 48 square feet in the coop. 6'x8' is more practical than 4'x12' since a long, skinny coop like that would be difficult to work inside.
• 12 feet of roost
• 120 square feet in the run. 10'x12' or 8'x15' -- 8'x16' means fewer odd cuts than either of those. 6'x20' is possible, especially if your run is an open-topped, fenced area instead of fully-enclosed with a solid and/or wire roof but risks social problems because subordinate hens need to be able to pass the dominant hens at a respectful distance.
• 12 square feet of ventilation.
• 3 nest boxes.

Assuming that the nests in the tractor are the standard 12" cubes, that tractor is only 4 feet wide so if it's not 12 feet long (looks like 8), then it's too small for 12 birds.

Yes, Leghorns are physically smaller than dual purpose breeds and bred to "tolerate confinement" but when kept in confinement in commercial settings they're also de-beaked to prevent cannibalism. However, when not in a commercial setting, Leghorns are active birds who enjoy their elbow room.

If that tractor is 4x8 then it's suited for no more than 8 birds. (Have a look at this 4x8 space with 3 cockerels in it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rels-in-32-square-feet.1509636/#post-25351293 (The boys would be half-again the size of an adult Leghorn)).

• Many people on BYC recommend having the ventilation near the top of the coop. Is it okay to have it on the bottom like in this chicken tractor?
• What about the fact that there isn't a tight seal between the roof and the walls? That will let in drafts, especially when there's wind. Do you think that will be a problem during the few occasions when we have cold weather?
• Does anyone have experience with how quickly deep litter dries out if it's been rained on? I'd rather not have to use tarp if it's not necessary.

1. Absolutely necessary to have top-level ventilation! Heat and ammonia both rise (see airflow diagram in hot climate article linked above). You would need to open a vent at the top of that gable end to allow the hot, stale, stinky air to escape.

2. Draft-free =/= no air movement at all. It means no breezes strong enough to ruffle the birds feathers when they're sitting on their perch.

This thread will probably help reassure you about your occasional dips into the 20's: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/open-air-coop-in-the-snow.1508695/ You can see in those photos that I have a tarp ziptied to the downhill wall of the Open Air coop shown extensively in the article above to prevent storm winds from blowing directly into the roosting area.

3. With excellent ventilation and airflow I haven't had any issues with my deep litter even though a drainage issue we have to address allowed the litter to get sopping wet a couple times this winter.

Unlike Deep Bedding, Deep Litter requires a bit of moisture to engage the active composting effect.

If you don't already own that tractor, I suggest that you consider building a Hoop Coop or an Open Air coop yourself. It's not bad -- one of the better prefabs I've seen -- but it's too small for your desired flock and will need modifications to fit it for Deep Litter and appropriate ventilation.

Hoop Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-tractor.69336/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-coop-brooder-with-roll-up-sides.75720/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-biddie-bordello-a-hoop-coop-run-combo.72189/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

 

[RaspberryCJ]

The answer depends on what's going to be in your litter mix, and what your drainage is like at the location of the coop.

I don't use deep litter in the coop but I do use it in the run, which is uncovered. We get a lot of rain. It surface dries in less than a day, typically.



As far as the roosts, I wouldn't go too high (not sure how high you wanted them) as landing may be an issue, and chickens may or may not use a ramp. You only need them higher than the nest boxes. I am not seeing any side vents?

Thanks for the tips. I'm glad to hear the deep litter dries for you when it rains. By "side vents" I mean the 1.5' tall panels of hardware cloth at the bottom of each side. So yes, just higher than the nest boxes would be as high as I would go.

 

[RaspberryCJ]

Welcome to BYC. If you put your general location into your profile people will always be able to see it and give you better-targeted advice.

Okay, I'll do that. I'm in North Texas, Dallas area.

Here's my article on hot climate chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

Before I address anything else, what are the dimensions of that tractor? And are you also going to have a run?

The tractor in the photo is 8x4, but he also makes 8x6 and that's the one I'm thinking of getting. I'll be enclosing most of the area under the holly trees (see photo above) as a run--I don't know the exact area because it's an irregular shape, but definitely more than 120 sq feet.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

12 hens

• 48 square feet in the coop. 6'x8' is more practical than 4'x12' since a long, skinny coop like that would be difficult to work inside.
• 12 feet of roost
• 120 square feet in the run. 10'x12' or 8'x15' -- 8'x16' means fewer odd cuts than either of those. 6'x20' is possible, especially if your run is an open-topped, fenced area instead of fully-enclosed with a solid and/or wire roof but risks social problems because subordinate hens need to be able to pass the dominant hens at a respectful distance.
• 12 square feet of ventilation.
• 3 nest boxes.

Assuming that the nests in the tractor are the standard 12" cubes, that tractor is only 4 feet wide so if it's not 12 feet long (looks like 8), then it's too small for 12 birds.

Yes, Leghorns are physically smaller than dual purpose breeds and bred to "tolerate confinement" but when kept in confinement in commercial settings they're also de-beaked to prevent cannibalism. However, when not in a commercial setting, Leghorns are active birds who enjoy their elbow room.

If that tractor is 4x8 then it's suited for no more than 8 birds. (Have a look at this 4x8 space with 3 cockerels in it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rels-in-32-square-feet.1509636/#post-25351293 (The boys would be half-again the size of an adult Leghorn)).



1. Absolutely necessary to have top-level ventilation! Heat and ammonia both rise (see airflow diagram in hot climate article linked above). You would need to open a vent at the top of that gable end to allow the hot, stale, stinky air to escape.

Good to know that I need top-level ventilation. Your article on hot climate chicken keeping is very helpful.

2. Draft-free =/= no air movement at all. It means no breezes strong enough to ruffle the birds feathers when they're sitting on their perch.

This thread will probably help reassure you about your occasional dips into the 20's: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/open-air-coop-in-the-snow.1508695/ You can see in those photos that I have a tarp ziptied to the downhill wall of the Open Air coop shown extensively in the article above to prevent storm winds from blowing directly into the roosting area.

3. With excellent ventilation and airflow I haven't had any issues with my deep litter even though a drainage issue we have to address allowed the litter to get sopping wet a couple times this winter.

Great to hear about the deep litter!

Unlike Deep Bedding, Deep Litter requires a bit of moisture to engage the active composting effect.

If you don't already own that tractor, I suggest that you consider building a Hoop Coop or an Open Air coop yourself. It's not bad -- one of the better prefabs I've seen -- but it's too small for your desired flock and will need modifications to fit it for Deep Litter and appropriate ventilation.

Hoop Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-tractor.69336/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-coop-brooder-with-roll-up-sides.75720/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-biddie-bordello-a-hoop-coop-run-combo.72189/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

I really like the look of Jen's Hens, though it would be a on a smaller scale since I'd only be building a coop, not a combined coop and run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/

What do you think of the attached plan for a small scale version? I've added soffit ventilation to the plan because Jen's Hens doesn't have any top ventilation in the sheltered portion of the coop. Two main questions: 1) How much of the coop should be a walled shelter and how much should be hardware cloth? In the plan I made it 50-50. 2) is it okay to have the nest boxes located the front hardware-cloth section instead of in the sheltered back? Because that will be more convenient for me to get the eggs.

Thanks for your help!

 

[rosemarythyme]

1) How much of the coop should be a walled shelter and how much should be hardware cloth? In the plan I made it 50-50. 2) is it okay to have the nest boxes located the front hardware-cloth section instead of in the sheltered back? Because that will be more convenient for me to get the eggs.

1) Should work as you have it - I don't think there's a hard rule on how "open" a open-air coop should be.

2) Would you be adding some sort of shelter around the nest box area, to ward off any rain? You can have nest boxes in a run or run section, but the main drawback is they need to be sheltered from the elements, which is why the coop is the most common location.

 

[McChooky]

You might want to get someone to build some nest boxes on the side of the coop so you can access from outside if that's a concern.