My playhouse-turned-into-a-chicken-coop!

[dsc6]

We had a lot of fun doing this and the girls seem to like it. I would love any suggestions for improvement. This was originally built about 13 years ago for our daughters. The under level was a sandbox, with chicken wire applied all around it to keep the cats out of it (think big litter box....). My husband used a little tiny plastic Polly Pocket house as the model from which he make a CAD. The gables are charming, but he said the cathedral ceiling was a b**ch to build. We modified it last summer and this spring. The house is varmint proof. We have half of the bottom encased in hardware fabric. We extended the pen on the bottom to include some area outside the sand box, under the steps. That area has to have the bottom fortified. We want the bottom level to be varmint proof also--as in leave the girls in there during the day when no one is home. We have a portable pen which we move them into now in the morning, which we are moving around the back yard.

This is a view of one of the two nesting boxes. It's a modified big 5 gallon container. The door is a slide up design. The handles are au naturale, but we are afraid the racoons might figure it out so I have them bungee cord locked.

We took a step out to insert the ramp.

 

[Whispering Winds]

Oh My Gosh, it looks like something out of a fairy tale! It is so pretty!! What are the dimensions? I don't have any advice, but I sure do like it!!

 

[dsc6]

Ummm, 20 X 10??? and very tall at the top. He built the step heights and the front door height to little-girl dimensions, so I (being 5 feet) have to bend just a little to get in the front door. And that little roof over the front door is something like 4 feet 11 inches, too. I have to stoop a little to get into and out of it. The step heights are something like 3.5-4 inches high--one must concentrate at a few points, lol!! The gable windows are tall enough that a 6 foot man had to raise his arms up high to attach the hardware fabric. The peak of the ceiling inside is prob over 8 feet tall.

I can easily stand in the under level.

 

[dsc6]

Please evaluate my roosts. There is one long one (for the 8 week pullets to use now) and two corner higher ones for later. They are 2 by 4s, and are placed with the 2inch side up. Not a ledge to lay on. Should I flip them so they have more of a flat surface? Enough for 6 hens?

 

[Stumpy]

I love it! I think it's very nice, but I don't think the bungee cord will keep the coons out.

 

[WingingIt]

I was going to say the same thing that the previous poster did, the bungees won't stop raccoons. I do think you need bigger roosts, more surface. They need to be able to sort of flatten their feet out and fluff out and cover their feet in cold weather. If they are gripping something small the ends of their toes won't be covered by their feathers.

It's very cute, you did a great job converting it!

 

[outlawfarmer]

 

[mylittlechickpea]

That's awesome! Great job

 

[joletabey]

I am SO in love with your coop- how cute!!! If wishes were coops. . . . . .