Step 2 Kiddie Barn Coop

[LilMissChz]

Got the base for my design yesterday. The woman who sold it to me sold it on eBay and had sold it twice before without the buyers coming to get it. 3X the charm and it's mine, all mine! As I progress in it's design and build, I'm open to suggestions as this is my first chicken coop. I'm doing this project all myself so any advice you can give would do a girl some good!

 

[ECBW]

Don't mean to rain on your parade but there is probably more work than you imagined.

1. Rain tightness. The goal is to keep the interior dry. How will close the large opening and seal the window seams from driving rain?

2. Mounting appurtenances. There will need to be roost, nest, hanger for feeder, etc. With wood structure, one can simply nail or screw them to location they feel suitable. How would you secure things to plastic?

3. Proper ventilation. Necessary to removing heat in the summer, moisture in the winter. With wood, one can cut openings and install wire mesh, hatches or windows over them.

3. Size. Not sure how many you are planning to keep, but this playhouse seems small... maybe good for 2 or 3 birds.

 

[LilMissChz]

Actually securing and weather proofing have been well on my mind as well as winterizing later in the year. I'm only looking for 4 birds TOPS! I'd be happy with 2. I have the nesting boxes all ready to go. An old cube system I used to use in my singular days. Now I don't use it. My goal is repurpose as much as possible. I'm looking to avoid involving my husband and his "tools" as much as possible. AS a daughter of a master carpenter, I have my own bag of tricks. My big obstacle is finding a platform for the base on the bottom. I want to get a wooden pallet or even a plastic one. One of my old jobs brings in pallets all the time and I'm friends with the receiving clerk. Thinking of going that way.

 

[redhen689]

I had been looking at a few Step2 playhouses on eBay myself, although I was looking to find one with a full door. I sort of chickened out, because I wasn't sure I could fit it in my car, or how I would go about adapting it/ preditor proofing it.
There are a few people who have posted photos of their coops made from similar structures. Look through this thread for Little Tikes coops.

One person said he/she caulked the roof line.

Others installed hardware cloth on the insides of the windows. One had clear vinyl pieces she velcro-ed over the outsides of the windows. Some have nesting boxes in the windows, so you can collect eggs from the outside.

 

[GardenGranny]

The key question is "where are you?" I live in Augusta, GA where we only have a few nights every winter in the 20's.
I found a very similar playshouse on craigslist and set it up on a table made of a piece of plywood on legs cut from a 4 X 4.
We covered the bottom 2 ft. of the pen with hardware cloth with an 18 inch apron extending out. We put a roof created with a wooden frame covered with the plastic corrugated roofing. In essence, the pen is secure, while the playhouse is the roosting and nesting place. My six girls have been very happy and secure in this coop for two years.

Good luck!

 

[Flyboy718]

I like it, and I am watching this thread closely for updates on your progress. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it...I'm sure lot's of folks said, "Your gonna make metal glow inside a piece of glass and call it a light bulb?!" I have a small play house very similar to that and I am planning on using it this summer to put a rotation of 3 meat birds in every 6-8 weeks in order to fill my freezer with good meat for my family. You already gave me one idea to use a pallet as the base, why didn't I think of that before! Keep it going and post results, I'll start a thread on mine soon.

 

[LilMissChz]

I measured my nesting boxes and they will fit nicely inside the side. I'm going to secure the windows closed with pieces of plywood, and insulated with fiberglass pink insulation in between the plastic and the plywood. I want to maintain the look as much as possible, but I have to be practical about securing it. I'm in Maryland and our winters are not only mild, but we (our house) are located in a nice protected area. We don't get much snow or wind. Rain is our only problem. We are going to bolt the house together and caulk the cracks sufficiently. I'm still sticking with the pallet idea for elevation. And I've begun to study other coops in the area to get an idea for a run.

 

[Run-A-MuckRanch]

love love love the barn.... I would of snatched that little barn up too...
As for weather proofing.... if the caulk and stuff don't work, could always use tarps to lay over the top... of course that would take away from the cuteness of the coop... using pallets under the barn to lift up off the ground would work too..

I think if it were mine... I would build a little white picket fence around it...lol would be harder to move if you're looking for a move able coop... But it would be cute...lol
if predators are an issue you can always put chicken wire/bird netting over the window openings... and over the top of the run.
Using hay/straw will help insulate it too... weather bales are on the outside, or shaken out on the inside... Nest boxes could be place in windows if you don't intend to use the windows as windows... Putting a box outside the window so the opening is where they access it... Just need to secure them a bit more to help support the extra weight....

Either way... I think this coop will be very cute...

 

[askfortrouble]

I was just looking online to see what I could use to screw into a litle tikes playhouse. I too am building a chicken coop. Great
minds think alike. lol Got my peeps yesterday, so have some time before they go outside. How are you insulating in the plastic?
I was just trying to figure out what kind of screws or fasteners to use, when covering the windows with plywood. Having fun with this
project!

 

[LilMissChz]

Okay, our coop project is going really well! We still have to fashion a chicken ladder, which my husband is working on. So for now, I'm ferrying the chicks to the yard playpen (yet to be finished chicken tractor).

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