Ideas for disguising a coop for Hens on the Sly?

[mrsengeseth]

Well, what's your property like currently? Are you allowed to raise your fence? Do you have a patio/porch with free space to sneak a few hens under (a few BYC'ers have done that), do you have a basement? Can you build a shed? Does the HOA dictate what kind of plants you can grow and proximity to structures? Could you sneak a small tractor in somewhere?

Or could you do the basement pop door into what looks like a tool bin? (when I say tool bin I am thinking one of these...http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002RDD2ZI...e=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B002RDD2ZI you might get free or real cheap on craigslist. Remove the roof panels and replace with clear corrugated roofing. Cut the front doors so you can open to top half of the doors for more air inside, But no one can see the hens inside. Add a layer of screen so that they can't get out, make sure you can get inside to keep it clean and stocked with goodies to occupy the girls.)

 

[MicroFarmMom]

Wow! Lots of great ideas!

About my Property: I live in texas - so no basement. I have a pretty decent sized yard, but no porch. HOA at the most will just ask me to get rid of them - in which I can either find someone to take them, or we can butcher and eat.

Im looking on craigslist right now for playhouses, but I have a question. How tall does whatever coop I get need to be? I want to make sure if I find something else - that it will work. Can I maybe get a dog house and convert it?

 

[lighthawk]

Quote:
My Nephew lives in a housing plat similar to what you describe. They would not even allow an outdoor garden shed. He just went ahead and put one in anyway. The HOA sent him numerous letters telling him to take it down but he refused. Once other homeowners saw his they started putting them in as well and soon the HOA was sending out so much mail that they just allowed it rather than take half the community to task. Not saying that the same would happen with chickens (although they can be contagious) but it might be worth a shot.
Before you attempt such a revolt I would recomend taking a ride in the country and takling to farms that have an existing flock. You may be able to cut a deal for maybe a dozen eggs a week and two fryers a year in exchange for a bag of feed once a month. I have got 6 laying hens and could easily raise a couple of meat birds every year along with my girls. There may be someone in your area willing to help you out. Never hurts to ask around, especially at the local feed and grain store.

 

[gsim]

Quote:

Forget the dog house. Too hot. Too low to ventilate well. You are going to have to sink more money into this than it is likely to be worth. For one thing, you need a stockade fence between your house and the street to keep the HOA away. That alone will be a cost of some significance. The size really should be like a garden shed or playhouse regarding height. Chooks like to roost up on something when they sleep. Not easy to do with a dog house size coop. People do use them tho. Roost area needs to be draft-free in wintertime. Drafts in summertime at roost ht are fine, even desireable in hot weather. Could be a structure that looks like a big doghouse from a distance with gable ventilation that can be closed off in wintertime might do. Soffit vents good too, or continuous ventilation all around roofline that can be closed in wintertime or maybe one end (east) left open in winter. Thing is, two chooks are not likely to feed even one person. 4 to 6 will tho. Definitely get Black Austrolorpes. Very quiet birds, shy, sweet natured. Good layers all year round. If they free range in your back yard, be advised that chooks need a 6 ft tall fence to be pretty sure they will stay in. They can hop up to top of a 4 ft chain link pretty easily, especially younger birds in their first year.

Design it so that one whole side opens up. Make a bump out for a nest box with a sloping lid for getting eggs easily. Roof overhang to shelter hinge joint/area will help prevent leakage of rainwater to inside of coop at nest area. Have to put that towards back of lot so gestapo cannot see it. May be best to design a whole-coop-sized floor tray that would pull out daily for cleaning. hard to put a poop board of proper size in a coop that small. Poop board should be equal to length of roost and 2 ft deep/wide. Roost should be located 1 ft from wall it is parallel to . You can see that this is more of a challenge than you might have first thought. Just get 4 chooks and forget about 2. Just as easy to hide 4 as 2. Twice the fun too.

gerry

 

[MicroFarmMom]

Quote:

Forget the dog house. Too hot. Too low to ventilate well. You are going to have to sink more money into this than it is likely to be worth. For one thing, you need a stockade fence between your house and the street to keep the HOA away. That alone will be a cost of some significance. The size really should be like a garden shed or playhouse regarding height. Chooks like to roost up on something when they sleep. Not easy to do with a dog house size coop. People do use them tho. Roost area needs to be draft-free in wintertime. Drafts in summertime at roost ht are fine, even desireable in hot weather. Could be a structure that looks like a big doghouse from a distance with gable ventilation that can be closed off in wintertime might do. Soffit vents good too, or continuous ventilation all around roofline that can be closed in wintertime or maybe one end (east) left open in winter. Thing is, two chooks are not likely to feed even one person. 4 to 6 will tho. Definitely get Black Austrolorpes. Very quiet birds, shy, sweet natured. Good layers all year round. If they free range in your back yard, be advised that chooks need a 6 ft tall fence to be pretty sure they will stay in. They can hop up to top of a 4 ft chain link pretty easily, especially younger birds in their first year.

Design it so that one whole side opens up. Make a bump out for a nest box with a sloping lid for getting eggs easily. Roof overhang to shelter hinge joint/area will help prevent leakage of rainwater to inside of coop at nest area. Have to put that towards back of lot so gestapo cannot see it. May be best to design a whole-coop-sized floor tray that would pull out daily for cleaning. hard to put a poop board of proper size in a coop that small. Poop board should be equal to length of roost and 2 ft deep/wide. Roost should be located 1 ft from wall it is parallel to . You can see that this is more of a challenge than you might have first thought. Just get 4 chooks and forget about 2. Just as easy to hide 4 as 2. Twice the fun too.

gerry

If I did 4 - how big (square) does the coop need to be? I plan to build it square - then add the build out somehow - and then paint it and write FIDO on it. LOL! Im not worried about he fencing at all, really. Because it will have a FULLY enclosed run, and again - the way my house is so far from the road which makes my yard even further away they will see black moving things with a dog house and assume puppies. Im pretty sure of this! LOL!

Can I build this using wooden pallets - deconstructed?

 

[gsim]

Forget about pallets. Doable yes, advisable in your case, no. You want the good will of your neighbors on this one and do not want an eyesore. A pallet coop will definitely not win anyone over to sympathize with you. Regarding what the gestapo sees, can you spell binoculars? Think they have some? Regarding size, 4 x 4 is fine for 4 chooks. The taller the better for heat dissapation, breathing, ventilation, etc.

Best bet for you is to put the whole thing on hold indefinitely until you have found the playhouse you want. The neighbors will think it is cute and will likely not turn you in. However if one of their dogs gets in to your yard and kills off your flock, you have not got a leg to stand on. That is something to factor in. You can plan whether to build a run to confine them to one location in your back yard, or to let them free-range in your back yard. Stealth operations can work with good sound planning, sympathetic neighbors, and some good luck.

Gerry

 

[Pharm Girl]

I found this link to a blog about someone doing just that. I second whomever said the black australorps are quiet. Mine are, but my buff orphington likes to let the whole neighborhood know she's laid an egg! Good luck.


http://urbanchickens.org/node/95

 

[dianaross77]

I got two plastic playhouses on cl. One was $30 and the other was $15. With an enclosed run around it with picket fence or lattice on the bottom and screen over top of the hardware cloth, it'll look just like a playhouse for the kids inside a screened in porch. And I was thinking of getting ISA browns but now you guys are making me think BA's would be better....