Oh my gosh! Look what I got for free! Now what do I do with it?

[TinyLittleFarm]

Friends of ours wanted this gone. It is just like the one in this picture. Almost too cute for chickens! It is 4x4 and it will be perfect for the Silkie house I was planning to build. I have 3 Silkie hens and I might get a roo, but that would be it so this will be plenty big enough. I'm going to put it inside a fenced in area that we have and eventually I will build an attached run. The fenced in area is where they semi-free range during the day when we are home.

I know others have made coops out of play houses and I've looked at some of those threads. My plan is to attach it to a raised wooden base. Think I should build an external nest box? I was thinking of putting one long one inside that I can access through the cutest little door in the back. Add some roosts, etc.

I obviously need to cover all the openings with hardware cloth. How do you attach this to plastic? That front window doesn't have any sort of shutters so I'll need to figure out a way to close that up during the winter.

Any good tips for creating a coop out of a playhouse?

OMG I am so excited!

 

[AZBootsie]

Search the threads. I have seen so adorable set ups here using the same playhouse.

 

[bburn]

No!!!! I have been looking for one forever.

A coop and run made with one of those is the cutest ever! Am still looking for a couple of them to use with the two 6x8 chain link pens I have out there just crying for the cochins that are going to go inside!

What a great find!

 

[Cass]

Quote:
Cute.

To attach hardware cloth to plastic use nuts and bolts (small bore) and large washers with small hole in them. Put washer on bolt, bolt through hole in hardware cloth, then through hole drilled in window casing, then another washer, then nut. Use locktite on nuts so you don't have to climb inside to tighten them. Or assemble backward so nuts are on outside, hardware cloth on inside.

Edited to fix the order...DUH

 

[jenesis536]

We got a similar one the other day that is 4x5 for our silkies... kids went nuts. Now looking for another option.

 

[SDR]

Quote:
I have a buddy that used a similar playhouse to cover his garden well pump. The plastic used for these is very sturdy and will take a standard sheet metal screw easy. Even if you don't own a variable speed drill to drive screws with, they can still be driven fairly easy with by hand with a screwdriver. Will just take a lot longer. Once the screw is set you would be very hard pressed to pull it out of the plastic, so it will hold the hardware cloth very well. For the windows you need to cover you can simply use wood over the openings and screw it to the plastic just like the hardware cloth.

 

[2txmedics]

Anything you want!!!! wooooo hooooo!!!! I put mine on pallets then put a folded tarp in it, and put deep litter

 

[Aemelia]

I wonder if you could insulate it by drilling holes in the plastic and filling in the hollow plastic with spray foam insulation. Just thinking what I would do with one.