Treehouse Chicken Coop

[sailrnest]

We just bought a house with a treehouse and we are thinking of converting it into a chicken coop. It’s sturdy, shady, overall in good shape. We wanted to just build out the bottom as a coop but wood is outrageously expensive. Has anyone else had luck doing this? We of course have some work to do in order to keep the chickens safe/warm/dry. We are a bit stumped on what would work best to get them in and out. We could use this ladder as a frame for a ramp but then we worry they will jump from the ladder into the yard (bit of a problem if our dogs are out). This is our first time raising chickens and the coop has been by far the most stressful, haha!

I think the problem is not just how to get hens up and down safely but how to get eggs out without you. Climbing in and out daily. That would get old fast. And cleaning it yikes!

 

[Bncybncytigger]

Could be stressful if you have Cochins, Brahmanas or other heavy less able to fly birds and that amount of ramp would be tough on them and may cause bumblefoot. My Cochins dislikes heights a lot once they get full size.

How do you plan to get up there to shut doors or change bedding or poop scoop. It’s a lot of climbing for you especially in the winter?

 

[Padfoot22]

We converted my son’s treehouse into my current coop and worked great! My husband sawed the legs and lowered the house down to 4 feet high off the ground. We did have to put better plywood walls so we could cut the nesting box doors and put good vent windows. He put a tin roof on top also with a gutter. If it has good bones and a floor, it’s definitely something that can be repurposed.
Wood is incredibly expensive right now! Good luck

Here are some pics (couldn’t find full treehouse pic):

 

[McChooky]

That’s my fear as well..

Are you saying to just build the space underneath into a coop? That has crossed our mind but the enclosed treehouse is not being used which is why I asked if that as a coop would be doable we have a run

We don’t mind. More just curious about safely/easily getting the chickens in and out.

What breed of chickens do you have? I have a sort of 2-story coop with a loft 8' off the ground. My chickens are game hens and leghorn mixes so they fly right up there without a ladder. In the morning they fly right down.

It is not that hard to clean, collect eggs, add food and water. I set up a pulley system so I put everything in a bucket and raise and lower the bucket. It is harder than just having a coop on the ground, but it was what I had to work with when I moved in.

It is my dream to have a treehouse chicken coop. I think your coop will be great.

What do you do with the baby chicks?

 

[Maureen in Chesterton]

Any thoughts of whether or not they would be able to enter/exit if we cut an opening in the floor vs. an opening on the side?

You could make something of a trap door, that swings down, as their pop door, and build a ramp down to the ground from there. How are YOU going to reach the coop?

 

[SarahGfa]

What do you do with the baby chicks?

they live on the ground floor until they are old enough to fly. there is a table that they jump on as a middle "step" so they don't have to fly all the way up in one leap.

 

[Banana01]

If that were mine I would build it so they sleep above, and the eggs would be on the bottom floor. Maybe removing the floor is an option to consider, and put various beams and poop boards above shelves on the ground for the eggs.

 

[LalahCatlady]

Have you thought about how you would clean that coop eight feet up in the air? If it were me, I would deconstruct it and rebuild it lower to the ground. If the chickens have a place to live now, you could take your time and make it a week end project. Just a thought.

 

[EightChooks]

We don’t mind. More just curious about safely/easily getting the chickens in and out.

Chickens will get in and out by themselves as long as you have a ramp. Have a nesting box in the tree house in a dark corner and they will go there to lay. Add roosting bars at least 18” away from the nesting box and the chickens will return to the roosting area as it gets dark. It’s their instincts, you don’t need to do anything to put them in. Cut a window in the side under the roosting bars and attach the cut out panel back with hinges. This will allow you to rake out their droppings every week. Add chicken wire to the windows so that they are protected from predators in the night. The ladder on right can be converted to a ramp with bottom entry to the coop area. If you cover the open bottom area with chicken wire that becomes internal run. Hand feed buckets and watering buckets in the bottom area. I think you can easily convert the tree house to a nice coop with minimal investment. Good luck!

 

[MadamContrary]

Are you saying to just build the space underneath into a coop? That has crossed our mind but the enclosed treehouse is not being used which is why I asked if that as a coop would be doable we have a run

Apologize if someone else says this first, but it would be cool to do a multi level coop with a spiral type staircase. Scavenge some wood or pallets and buy a bulk roll of hardware cloth. I think I got 100 ft of 48" for about $65. Of course as others mentioned, you have to be up to the climb for maintenance. But, I'd imagine it'd be excellent for predator evasion.