The great greenhouse to chicken coop project

[geojane42]

Hi all! Just posted an intro in the newbs section.

We're converting an old greenhouse into a coop and I'd love any suggestions/ideas anyone might have. We've taken out pretty much everything that made it a greenhouse and put in a raised floor which will be removable for major cleanings. There's a storage area below. We'll replace the roof with something nicer but have left it on for now because it's raining here all week.

I'm thinking that we're going to put the hen house as a 'second story' that will take up half of the space on the right hand side. The dimensions of the whole area are 8x4 so the hen house would be 4x4 with 8x4 of room to play underneath it. We're going to enclose the electrical outlet but keep it handy in case it gets too cold and we need a bit of heat in there in the winter. We'll have 4 hens so we're going to put in 2 nesting boxes just in case someone gets bossy or broody.

We do have coyotes and raccoons in the neighborhood but our yard is well fenced and we have two big dogs which probably help to cut down on unwanted visitors. But we do need to make sure that the coop is pretty secure. We live in Vancouver so it rarely gets seriously cold.

Anyway.... I'm looking forward to hearing some expert/experienced opinions! Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Zahboo]

I would have vents all the way around at the top, a large window on the side if you can and then use siding like your house to make it look like it belongs there. for the run I'd have it follow back behind the house. 4sq ft per chicken in the coop and 10sq ft in the run.

 

[nlove_3000]

It's going to turn out adorable! I can picture it. I thought it was going to be a blessing for me to have a crazy amount of space available for my coop. But really it has only made it harder to decide where I want it, and how to do it. It's so nice that you had a coop calling to you right there! Congrats~!

 

[Kansaseq]

I'm really interested to see how it turns out. Also, you have a beautiful pit

 

[chicks4kids]

That will be so nice converted! Excellent idea!!

 

[geojane42]

Thanks guys!

Zahboo..... It's hard to tell in the picture but there are already windows at the very top which can be opened. I was going to make screens for them and use them for ventillation. But they will only be on one side of the hen house. Do you think that will be enough or should I put a couple more vents on the other side? For now we're just going to have the run in the existing space and then work on making a portable run so they can hang out on the lawn in nice weather. If we're supervising, they can have the whole yard but I'm too worried about preditors to leave them on their own. We aren't getting very big hens. We are envisioning something like this for our coop only our enclosed area will have more floor space. It'll be shorter on one side but probably about the same height on the side that will be up against the garage:

Kansaseq.... thx for noticing my beautiful girl

Horse were my first love but I haven't had my own for years now. She's a rescue from a local organization that pulls the best of the breed from the shelters. They put them into foster homes for at least a month where they receive more evaluation and training before making them available for adoption. It's a great program and she's absolutely wonderful. She's just a year old and so much fun. Here she is with our other dog... a Rhodesian Ridgeback doing what they do best:

 

[ColoradoMike]

Lucky you! That's an excellent start to a secure coop! I think you may want an additional window in the hen house portion to allow as much winter light as you can get. This should be fairly straight forward once you begin framing the henhouse. Also, you may find that adding some secure 'outdoor' run space (i.e. on the ground) so they can scratch around in the dirt, will add much chicken happiness.

Another suggestion is you could probably leave the clear roofing over the 'run' part of the structure, but you'll probably want to replace the clear roofing over thehen house since you don't it to get too hot in there in the summer.

Looking forward to following your progress!

--Mike

 

[CityChook]

from MN!

Wow - I like this! Boy, I can think of a million things I'd do with this space! LUCKY!

If you wired in the existing vent/windows, I'd just put some passive vents (you could use heater/air intake vents even) in the opposite side of the coop -- under the run roof. That will keep the air circulating and you won't end up with rain/snow blowing inside. Recommended ventilation is 1 sq/ft per chicken.

Raise the "second story" coop up at least 2 ft so the chooks can go underneath.

Might want to build walls around the lower 6-9 inches of the perimeter so that you can fill with sand/dirt or shavings. Chickens like to dig and the walls will hold the material inside.

Use hardware wire - not chicken wire.

Might want to consider a second, smaller run door under the coop in case you need to retrieve a sick/injured bird.

Might want to consider a human door on the back wall of the coop so you don't have to walk through the run to open the coop/check for eggs.

Put in a window on the run side of the coop -- that way if it rains the window will be under the roof and will be protected (can be left open). More windows = better.
I have a playhouse style coop on my personal page. It's 4x4 as well, in case you want another house to reference.

I'll watch this one with anticipation. Keep the photos coming!!

cc

 

[brendapa]

That is a wonderful space and I'm sure it's going to turn out beautiful!
You are lucky to have protection on one side, it will help to keep it warmer in the winter.
And you have electric, righ there. nice....

I just did a 2nd story (loft) in my little coop! The 6 week olds were exploring thier new ramp today.
Good luck with it, you have some great ideas!

Brenda

 

[CityChook]

brenda - i love....