School Bus broiler house/juvenile safe house good or bad idea?

Rooster Cogburn Jr.

Songster
10 Years
Jul 2, 2009
236
0
109
Camden, AR
Since getting my first chicks in March, and having chickens on the brain 24 seven. I can't go anywhere without seeing something that I can use for chickens (fans, roof vents, a kiddie pool that served as a brooder box for the past 4 weeks, lots of stuff used for ladders and perches and nesting boxes. I'm sure everyone here knows what Im talking about so Ill stop. Anyway. I was at the local wrecking yard and they have some old school buses that someone sold as scrap. They don't run. So I asked about them. They are $300 each. So I got to thinking. If I took all the seats out that would leave about 40 to 45 feet. And I guess they are close to 10 feet wide. So around 400 sq feet. And windows go up and down. This would be handy depending on the season. The back door opens so you can sweep it out easily. I know most people live in a city and this is totally out. And most others will not want a monsterous eyesore in view of neighbors or people passing by on the highway. Well I live back in the woods and anything short of a space shuttle or Air Craft carrier would be easily hidden from the public. I was thinking a bus would work great for growing chicks. Either broilers or ones you plan to sell. I already have a chicken house but it might work well for that too if you could pull it off. Don't know where you could get a 40x10 portable building for $300? Even though it's a little trashy and not your "typical" chicken house. You could easily raise 50-100 broilers in here a few times a year. Or use it as a safe house for young chicks before they join the adults in the flock. Or until you get them sold. What does everyone think? I know most don't have room and alot more will think it's ugly. But as far a practical. How would it do? This is not something I plan to do. Just considering it. I would add fans and put vents in the roof to get the heat out.
 
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I'd do it, make sure they toss in towing in the price. I'd also plant around it, maybe something vining or a fruit tree?
 
Paint it like the Partridge Family bus. lol

Not a bad idea. If you remove the engine, you could take it to the scrap yard and probably get half your $ back (depending of scrap prices in your area) and the engine area would be a good storage area.
 
Sounds pretty good to me.

One problem you might have is heat in a metal coop. On the other hand, my coops are metal; just what was available for an acceptable cost (almost nothing.) They do get a bit warm but I hose them down mid day on hot days, and have large wire sections of the building for sides so they have ample air flow (too much in cold weather!) Another thought is condensation on the metal dripping inside and wetting feed and bedding, not a good thing, of course. If they are insulated, that should solve that problem. (Are school buses insulated???)

You'd have to deal with predator proofing the windows with hardware cloth, I assume; will you be able to fasten it securely to the bus?
 
Chicken wire could be use over the windows. Even some awnings(sp?) over the windows for rain. Also underneath would be tons of shade for other birds. Also my Bullet and Frankenstein will be roaming the area keeping those pesky predators in check. Other than hawks and owls in the windows.
 
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I saw one today in Baton Rouge. It was painted tie died and had "Boogie Bus" written on it. It had been crashed and the engine burned. Guess they Boogied too much. It was a short bus. Even the couches inside were tie died.

Ha! I just did a Google search for Boogie Bus. And it came back www.boogiebususa.com. You can rent them. Wonder how much to rent one for 8 to 12 weeks. Wonder what they would think if it came back full of chicken poop.
 
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i look at craigslist and there are always mobile homes in the free section if i could i would use those but i live in a subdivision and that would look kinda.... trashy for me so i didn't but if people cant see it then that would be AWSOME
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I thought it would fine. Easy in easy out, easy to get food and water to, easy to shut in at night. Easy cleaning. You might be able to put different sections in there if you had different ages of birds.
 

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