I love this idea

I gather you are looking to raise SMART CHICKS .. =D Well , no ideas on school buses, but can I suggest a retired travel trailer. You can get older models for next to nothing , just to remove from ones property. Then redo inside to meet your chickens needs. Keep wheels on. Move around as needed.

 

Go to the junkyard. I bet you could get one for a good deal since you don't need it to run. Also, churches are always needing to sell their old buses.

 

Just for your information. Scrap metal is going for MUCHO DOLLARS. What a school bus weighs , in scrap metal, $$$ would have a most deluxe coop built. Half of the weight is in aluminum body panels. You do the math. Camper trailers on the other hand have much less metal as total weight, and a lot of wood panels, vinyl and plastic and other things commonly referred to as fluff. Junk yards are not very interested in things that come with soo much un recyclable material, Simply put. You don't get a whole lot of cash for one. If you bring in a naked frame, well then its different. If you find a church that is willing to give you a bus cheap, I suggest you take it to the boneyard and cash in. Then build that DELUXE COOP.

 

Being a part time scrapper, And proud of it, Scrap metal is way down from last year. it was $210 a ton now last I checked, $140 a ton
Copper is way down there too

 

Ok so in your calculations, tell me how much a school bus will rake in.???

Oh maddawg, AND ALMOST FORGOT.

 

I just called my place and its worse then I thought..$60 a ton!!! (only 3 cents a pound. Last summer I was getting more then triple that!)
According to Answers.com...On the average, a 38', 84 passenger school bus weighs in between 11 & 14 Tons (22,000 to 28,000 pounds) curb weight without passengers. so $660 to $840. I wouldn't take in anything at that price. But... Now would be a good time to buy one to convert into a coop! a small one weighs about 7 tons. If you could find one, I am sure someone would let it go for maybe $500

 

Which makes a bus cheaper than a lot of coops out there that people are selling that can only hold about six chickens. Very tempting.

 

v

Very true! And it would make a sweet chicken wagon, assuming tires are OK. wouldn't do me any good on 3/4 of acre in town tho

 

I'm wrong again, BUT NOT BEAT UP. lol. =D LIFE IS GOOD.