Old furniture turned coop?

[CautiousVenturer]

I finally ordered some chicks to come this spring and need a smallish coop for 4 hens.

Has anyone tried modifying and weatherproofing furniture into a chicken coop? I'm thinking something like a chest of drawers or dresser? If I can find one for ~$50 and spend about the same on a run, I'll be in good shape...

I don't want to make a huge investment in case someone turns us in and the town makes us rehome them...

Thanks!

 

[Sissy]

get a dog house put it on some cement blocks
build a wire run around it, easy up easy
down hope this helps not chicken wire its useless
add a gate to the run for easy excess.

 

[Rosaleen]

I used a recycled wall unit (6 feet wide and 8 feet tall) as part of a wall for my run. Next year it will go in our barn as part of a wall for the coop I am planning. You can see it on my page.

 

[Wolftalk]

Well, Its not exacally $50 its more like $200 but my coop is sturdy, and fairly easy to build and is the perfect size for 4 hens. If you visit my page I have a link to its plans. Please take a look, its a great coop!!!

 

[DaughterOfEve]

I converted a wardrobe into a bantam coop. It is not sturdy at all. Very flimsy thin wood. I despite painting it and keeping it under a roofed run, I don't expect it to last much longer.

I gotta agree with the old dog house conversion. They are built for outdoors.

 

[California_Redneck]

A dog house or one of those Little Tykes kids playhouses. They both work well. The playhouse needs more in the way of weatherproofing, but it still works.

 

[bobbieschicks]

Hope it works for you. I thought about doing the same with a solid oak tv cabinet we own to make a broody hen hutch. Since we don't need the cabinet in the house, I wanted to use it somehow. It's solid oak - no partical board - but even so, I'm not sure it would last long outside. I've decided to make it into a storage cabinet in the spring by adding T111 panels to the outside of it and painting it inside & out with outdoors enamel paints and predator proofing any openings. Hoping that will help it last longer.

Here's my cabinet I'll be converting for storage.

However - DO NOT BUY those cheap eBay chicken coops like my little brooder one unless you can keep it indoors and in a secure run - it leaks and will require a great deal of predator proofing to use anywhere outside my secure run. It's made of flimsy materials and honestly I think the oak cabinet will last longer then this mini coop.

Your best repurpose buys will be to use playhouses or large doghouses or better yet - grab up some free pallets and make a pallet coop. That's the kind I'll do next time!