Recycling kids playhouse into coop

[chicks4kids]

I'm in Indiana, and I have one of these myself from my kids. I know how harsh our winter can be, so insulating would definitely be a huge factor...However, with diligence, you could drill holes in the plastic and spray/insert foam into it to create a sort of insulation. Last winter however, we got down to -20 at least, so you must have gotten close. It would be nice to recycle this however. Definitely spray foaming could be a possibility for sure.

 

[GardeNerd]

I liked the picture of one turned into a coop. I think it is a fabulous idea and a great way to recycle. I would love to see one entered in the coop contest!

 

[chickwitch]

Quote:
Good idea!

 

[nursemeh]

chickwith, thanks for bringing this idea into discussion!
I have a Little Tykes playhouse outside and am now seriously considering using it for our 4 chicks.
Can some more people respond with pictures of the "finished product" and give some tips. What a great idea!!

 

[nursemeh]

Also, BFeathered,
I'm in Texas too, so I was concerned about using a little tykes house as far as heat/humidity. I am closer to houston-lots of rain!

How well did the plastic hold out the water?

Also, Can you give any specifics as far as protecting from predators.
My main concern is racoons. We intend to use a lot of hardware cloth.

And what did you use for the "floor" I was thinking bare groud with deep litter. But I am concerned about predators.

My problem right now is a decision- convert a decent sized little tykes playhouse or a smaller(much smaller) sized dog house. These will both be fairly temporary until we can construct a fancy big coop(haha)

thank you

 

[tielsflyhigh]

you could easily place the house on wire ( the heavy duty stuff) and then add a couple of inches of litter- we used hardware cloth on the windows - I had a couple of painting canvas frames laying around - I cut off the canvas and attached the hardware cloth to the frame and the frame with hinges to the inside of the playhouse so I can open the windows to switch out food and water. I also attached a hook and loop mechanism so I can lock those wire windows.
I don't think there is any way to 100% racoon proof anything - the way I go about it is that I will make it safe enough that a 2 year old toddler ( my son- best chicken coop tester

) can't open it and get inside - chances are a racoon won't be able to enter then either

What I like about the wire frame windows on hinges is that you can put a nest box on the floor and reach through the window and collect the eggs.

Our playhouse has great ventilation - it was quite hot today and I was attaching some roosts inside the house - with both windows and the upper door open it did not get too hot...

I just ordered a bigger( 4x4) wooden coop- so we will end up having 2 coops - we'll see which one the ladies prefere ...

 

[Carolyn252]

We're doing just that. Still in the process of building the run; after that, we'll start on the playhouse-to-coop conversion. Our run will be 9 feet wide and 15 feet long and 6feet three inches high. Three different sized meshes, all galvanized welded wire. All four sides and the top will be 14gauge, with 1 inch by 2 inch holes. Then will have an apron overlaying that all around the four sides for the lower three feet, made of 19 gauge half-inch by half-inch holes. Then a larger size mesh hole of a stronger gauge to go from the bottom horizontal board of the run down into the earth for about a foot and then bent horizontally out, away from the run. We'll bury that last mesh and cover it with rocks or slates and flowering planters, etc., to weigh it down. Our biggest concern is raccoons and possoms.

Our coop will be a Little Tykes playhouse which we'll keep as a freestanding structure, unattached to the coop. Got that idea from another BYC poster; I think it's brilliant. If I keep the run predator-proof, I don't have to deal with coop security. We've positioned the run on a bit of a hill and will place the coop in the upper corner of the run, so any rain will run downhill, away from the coop. It's not a real "hill," just a gentle slope.

The only ideas we have so far about the coop conversion is that we'll raise the roof up so as to leave four to six inches of ventilation all around. Will cover the wide open window with plexiglass so the ladies can look out and enjoy the view and sunshine. Not sure if I'll place a nest box in the other window or on the floor. Will try to figure out how to place a droppings board under whatever roost we install, in such a way that I can slide the poop-board out for daily scraping/cleaning.

Will use the deep-litter-method right on the bare ground inside the coop. I'm getting too old to be stooping and bending to get into the kid-sized playhouse. Even with the roof raised, it's too low to be human-friendly. Will probably hang the food station and the water station from one of the run's overhead beams, just outside the coop.

It doesn't get much colder than about 35 degrees in winter; Summer average temperature is 72F. Can at times be 10 degrees more extreme in winter, and 20 degrees more extreme in summer, but not often. The existing wooden fence on the nearby property line will prevent any wind coming out of the north. And the whole set up is under huge shade trees that leaf out in summer and provide sun protection.

We're planning on keeping the coop's chicken-door open all year, all day and all night. A Little Tykes photo of their playhouse is at
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=1661874#p1661874
Here are some pictures of our run construction so far. You can also see a bit of our playhouse in one of the photos. It's sitting in our fix-it stash, along with our lop-sided rocking chair that needs its detached rocker glued back on.

 

[crazycluck]

We bought our daughter a little tykes playhouse for her first birthday.(she is now 21) For the last 5 years its been home for our hens! It works perfect. My husband drilled holes in the top of the side walls right under where the roof snaps on. Rain can't get in but it lets just enough fresh air through. AND NO UP KEEP!

 

[Carolyn252]

Quote:
Oh, please, oh please, post pictures of your coop. Inside and out. How many hens do you keep in it? How did you install a roost? Nest box? water? food? run? Did you put a floor on the coop? Any insulation? Heat light? What are the winter lowest temps, and highest summer temps where you are? PHOTOS PLEASE??????????
-Carolyn

 

[JewellFarm]

I have one from when my daughters were babies, now 15 and 19, so I have the playhouse in the front yard. My 4 week old chicks go out on warm days and run between the playhouse and the flower beds. Great place for them to go for shelter if a quick shower pops up before I can get to them.