Small coop using wood playset?

[speeps76]

Hi all, I am about to venture into the backyard chicken world, Lord help me! We would probably only have 2 chickens (buff orpingtons I think). We have a wooded play set that has a slide attached to a platform. I'm wondering if the space under that is enough for a couple of chickens. The platform is about 4 - 4 1/2 feet high, at the base it is about 5ft x 2 1/2ft. I'm thinking we could close in the top half and use a little creativity to make it easy to clean and put in some nesting boxes. The bottom half could be the run if we run some chicken wire around it and make a door. I'm thinking of doing the extra lip of wire around the base to keep predators from digging under. Since I'm totally new to this, I wanted to know if anyone who knows what they're doing (as opposed to me) thinks about the idea. Thanks so much for your patience with a newbie.

We're in north/central NC, so weather is pretty mild most of the time. We do get hawks, raccoons, foxes and the occasional coyote.

 

[Scott H]

A picture speaks a 1000 words.....

 

[speeps76]

This is the same play set... the area under the platform is a bit larger than the chicken/rabbit hutch I've seen in the Tractor Supply. Still don't know if that's enough for 2 chickens.

 

[Scott H]

I think it would work. You could put the nesting boxes on the outside of your wall so it wouldn't take up any interior space and make gathering your eggs much easier. Be sure to think "predator proof!"

 

[speeps76]

Thank you! That's what I was thinking about nesting boxes too. On the opposite side I think I'd like a very large access door/panel so I could just sweep it out when cleaning. Maybe roosts on the opposite side of the ladder in case a raccoon tries to climb up, but hopefully good chicken wire or hardware cloth will keep them out? I wonder if a skirt of wire around the base as I've seen some people have works well. Otherwise maybe a bunch of metal tent stakes or something similar all around? I do worry about predators here.

 

[chicken pickin]

I love swingsets converted into coops. Ive seem many on here and they all look great and nothing better than recycling old materials. Take some pics along the way and post them for us to see. We love to see coops and new ideas. Also a skirt of wire is a perfect idea. You can either bury it in the ground or lay it on the ground and hold it down with something like garden stones which makes it look pretty than you can fill in the space with decorative rocks or something. I buried wire around my first coop and it was difficult we have tons of rocks and roots so the coop below we layed the wire on the ground.

 

[speeps76]

Thank you! We will definitely take pictures, though we won't start until early next year. Our ground is very hard, so the skirt would definitely be much easier. I love the idea of putting decorative stones around!

 

[canesisters]

I've always liked the a-frame coops - and almost built one. One bit of advise I've heard from others who have them - make all your access points on the ends. Someone built a really great a-frame a while back and closed in an area for the coop - in your picture it would be where the top of the slide is. Anyway, his plan was to have long side doors on the closed in coop that could be opened for ventilation and easy cleanout. He said later that having the foot of the coop sticking out in his way was a pain in the rear.

Good luck and enjoy. Chickens are great fun.

 

[1muttsfan]

Standard breeds need approxiamtely 4 square feet of floor space in the coop per bird. 2 1/2 X 5 is kind of an awkward size, very narrow, but you should be able to house 3 birds in that space, given a run in addition to the coop.

I would probably install a floor under the slide platform nearer the ground, enclosing that space below the platform for the coop.