Playhouse to Coop?

[baby-blue]

Hello! There’s somebody who’s selling a playhouse for CHEAP - I’d love to make it into something for the chicks for when they’re a bit older. If our guinea fowl can move into it, too, that would be wonderful. We have 19 bantams and 1 standard BR as well as 8 guinea fowl.
I’m handy, but I’ve never done a big project like this. Any ideas from those who have experience with this sort of thing? What adjustments would need to be made for it to be chicken safe and predator proof? It has two stories, but the only current access to the bottom level is through a trapdoor inside of the house. I would have to make a door on the side of the bottom level. The guineas could live in the top level and the chickens could live in the bottom, correct? The guineas can fly a bit better and they won’t need a run. I was thinking of enclosing the swing set with hardware cloth/chicken wire for a run for the chickens. They’ll be mostly free range, though. Any tips, ideas, etc. are very welcomed and appreciated!!

 

[Cryss]

Floor dimensions would help. You will need to open up a good deal of ventilation at the top of the chicken portion, make a pop door at the bottom, and a door for a human to access the inside for daily clean outs and egg collection. It will mean a lot of bending. But its a cool structure! Good luck!
I wonder...would it make sense to remove the upstairs floor, install a full human door on a side wall, and let the birds live together? I know nothing about Guineas so I am only thinking "out loud" so to speak.

 

[baby-blue]

Floor dimensions would help. You will need to open up a good deal of ventilation at the top of the chicken portion, make a pop door at the bottom, and a door for a human to access the inside for daily clean outs and egg collection. It will mean a lot of bending. But its a cool structure! Good luck!
I wonder...would it make sense to remove the upstairs floor, install a full human door on a side wall, and let the birds live together? I know nothing about Guineas so I am only thinking "out loud" so to speak.

There are no dimensions in the post, I’ll have to ask. I’m alright with the bending, though I am somewhat tall and my back wouldn’t love it. Removing the top floor is an idea, but I feel like it would remove some pretty significant floor space. Having them be able to live together would certainly be ideal, but I’m not sure how well it would work. Guineas are much wilder than chickens from what I’ve seen, and I wouldn’t want them to be overcrowded because I could see it becoming an issue.

 

[Dmontgomery]

I posted a thread on this forum a couple years ago called “New Coop Project” that might be helpful. I turned an old rabbit hutch/tree house in to a large coop for some friends of ours. Depending on your location, you could take out one of the walls to create all the ventilation you would need. If your bantams are anything like mine, they would probably fly up to the 2nd floor too roost at night with the guineas.
Good luck. I would love to find an old structure like that to work with.

 

[21hens-incharge]

It is a nice start on a neat set up.

I do know that once out guinea tend to not return to the coop. They are kind of wild that way.
Many people lose them to letting them roam.

 

[baby-blue]

I posted a thread on this forum a couple years ago called “New Coop Project” that might be helpful. I turned an old rabbit hutch/tree house in to a large coop for some friends of ours. Depending on your location, you could take out one of the walls to create all the ventilation you would need. If your bantams are anything like mine, they would probably fly up to the 2nd floor too roost at night with the guineas.
Good luck. I would love to find an old structure like that to work with.

I’ll have to look for the thread. Thank you!

It is a nice start on a neat set up.

I do know that once out guinea tend to not return to the coop. They are kind of wild that way.
Many people lose them to letting them roam.

So far, ours have been amazing at putting themselves away at dusk. It took a bit of training and they’re still pretty young, but they know that they get their dinner once they put themselves away into their current coop.

 

[aart]

I posted a thread on this forum a couple years ago called “New Coop Project” that might be helpful.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/

There are no dimensions in the post, I’ll have to ask.

Do ask...pics of inside might be helpful too.
Is it close enough to take a look before committing?
How will you move it
How cheap is "CHEAP"?
How many birds do you have?
Guineas up top might work, but chickens may want up there too.