new coop from an unused doghouse!

[buffy_the_egg_layer]

hey y'all! i'm a newbie here, and a newbie to raising chickens. i ordered 4 chicks from our local feed store and they arrived a week ago! but we don't have a coop for them yet....

so dh and i built a sweet little doghouse a couple months ago that our coonhound shows no interest in. this weekend, with one week old chicks sitting in their bathtub brooder inside, we will be upgrading the doghouse to a chicken coop!! i've looked through a bunch of the designs on here, but i was wondering if y'all had any suggestions as to the best way to make a nice little home for our four chicks.

the original doghouse was a 3'x4' construction, about 3' high.

any tips??

thanks!!

 

[Judy]

What is your climate?

 

[buffy_the_egg_layer]

i live in new england, so it's in in mid-70s these days, gets up to 90s in the summer, and down to low 30s, sometimes 20s in the winter. i'm near the water and in southern NE, though, so the winter's are a little more mild than, say, new hampshire or maine.

 

[Urban Chaos]

Does it have a floor? You could set it over a run - cut a hole in the bottom and put a chicken ladder. Or, build the run off to the side with the dog door, then maybe detach part of the roof for cleaning and egg gathering - make it hinged. Can you make it higher than 3 feet? Are they bantams (smaller chickens)? I'm not 100% sure, but I think 3' may be a little low for them to roost.






edited to correct outrageous spelling mistakes

 

[BooBear]

Do you have a picture of the dog house? A visual can allow more creative feedback.
What breeds did you order? Are they bantam size or large fowl size?

I would add nest boxes to the outside to allow more floor space in the inside. However, alot depends on the shape of the doghouse.

 

[ChicKat]

Hi buffy,

1. There was something I once saw on the internet where a person took one of those standard ubiqutious dog houses made from plastic and made a very practical small coop. If I can quickly locate I will return with a link.
2. Think of the way you want to manage your chickens and see what will adapt.

I have an Eglu Go which is like a dog house---and here are some of the features that make it right for me.
a. The back door opens kind of like an over door. The floor slides out-- kind of like a rack in the oven. Daily I can dump the poop. The floor has a built-in nest box, and roosts in the floor so most of the poo falls through. So think about roosting and cleaning for your adaptation.
b. It is 'double walled' so there is cool in summer warm in winter advantage there. It also has good scientific ventation
c. It is light weight so I can move it as I wish
d. A run is attached so predators cannot get to my chickens easily. The "pop door" for chicken entry and exit is controlled from outside the run.
e. Because it is plastic I neededn't repaint, and rodents cannot chew through. It gets rinsed/washed just about daily -- so mites cannot set up house keeping ---

So to summarize:
Access for cleaning and getting (reaching) your chickens is something that you will want to consider. Good ventilation, protection from all the varmits, temperature comfort for your chickens, access to the eggs in your nesting box area.

Have fun with the project and the chickens....

 

[buffy_the_egg_layer]

they are full sized chickens - one buff orp, one plymouth barred rock, one RIR and one ameraucana.

the dog house has a nice slated wood floor right now.

there is a large dog door on one side, but no other openings right now. i was thinking of putting the nesting boxes (is 2 enough?) on the outside, cutting a hole in one of the longer sides of the house for it, and then making a large door on the other side for cleaning the coop out. the dog door will become the hen door, and i might put a window on the backside. oh, and vents too of course. i like the idea of putting it on stilts, off the ground.

the sides of the house are about 2.5' high, but the peak is obviously higher... so if i put the roosts up in the peak, will that be okay?

THANKS!

 

[buffy_the_egg_layer]

Quote:
i can't post pics yet, but as soon as i can i will!!

 

[ChicKat]

Buffy---

some links from Google...but not the original one that I saw a few years back:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/2007-04-01/Portable-Chicken-Mini-coop-Plan.aspx

http://greengardengirl.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/how-to-convert-an-old-dog-house-into-a-chicken-coop/

http://www.iwilltry.org/b/projects/convert-your-doghouse-to-a-chicken-coop/

Here we go---this is closer to what I saw.... they reversed the top--- of a barn style plastic dog house. Chickens need a shorter door than the dog houses have---and the upper part of the door---became access to the nest box. So really cool ideas here about the small size coop layout. -- I think if you search on dog house chicken coop here on BYC-- you may find some added discussions.

http://www.communitychickens.com/coops-and-cages/the-perfect-chicken-coop-for-any-space.html

 

[buffy_the_egg_layer]

here is the dog house we're working with!!