Recycling kids playhouse into coop

[tielsflyhigh]

we are doing the same thing but with a smaller playhouse - you have way more floorspace than 6sf !!!
Our Playhouse is about 3x 3.5 ft and that comes out to 10sf - your playhouse is the largest one little tikes makes.

You CAN screw into plastic and things are actually quite easily attached and seem to keep up nicely. Little Tikes uses really thick - double walls

We put hardware cloth on the windows and a nest box will just fit inside one window. Our house has a half door and I attached a picture frame with hardware cloth on the top of it to close it
Ventilation seems great - not sure about how it will do in winter but we just had a snow storm and I actually went outside and sat in the playhouse and it seemed nice and dry and not drafty.
I figure that I can still hang a heater lamp inside if it gets too cold and leave open the windows if there is a moisture problem ...

The playhouse you have there sells for around $250 on craisglist in our area - you could still sell it and buy a wooden coop- or put an add on craigslist and have somebody build it for you- but I personally like the Playhouse idea

 

[Chickenmaven]

Quote:
I second that!

 

[chickwitch]

Holy cow, I just saw that play house goes for 499.99 new! I had no idea. When we bought our 96-year-old-farmhouse-in-the-city, it came with the house. However, ours has some wear on the inside. The phone is missing, and the stickers for the stove "burners" are peeled off. There's also some fading. I could probably get 150.00 for it around here. Materials for a coop that size would run me more than that. Besides, it matches my house lol, which is something I just noticed. We had new siding put on, and it's the same color.

Tiels, you're right about the size. I've been inside all winter, so I just went out and took a good look inside. It's 12sf., plenty of room for 3 hens. You're also right about being able to screw things into it. The plastic can handle that very well. And it is dry inside, and not drafty. It's also full of spiders! ROFL!

Thanks very much to all of you for your comments. After careful consideration, I believe I am going to keep this and convert it. I look forward to giving you updates on my progress lol.

Yay! I'm gonna build a henhouse!

 

[redhen]

can someone please post pics of their playhouse coops? thanks

 

[rebbetzin]

I consdered buying a Little Tykes Playhouse. I thought it would be easy to keep clean being plastic.

Where there is a will there is a way!! Be sure to keep us posted on how things are going. It will be an ispiration for others.

 

[chick818]

We have the same play house, and although my husband had the same idea, I advised against it mostly because I didn't think it was "predator proof" so we are building a coop instead with some scrap wood we were able to collect. Just keep the predators in mind so that your chickens are safe. Good Luck with it. If you get it all together, I would love to see some pics of it.

 

[tielsflyhigh]

this is our tiny playhouse - we are getting the run sometime this week

I think it should be easy to attach wire to the bottom

 

[chickwitch]

Cool! Thanks so much for posting the pic! It looks great.

 

[BFeathered]

Our 1st coop was a lil tykes plastic playhouse. Screwed 1x2 slats between the roof and the walls for added ventilation, hardware cloth over the windows, hung a nest box from 1 window. Drilled holes to slide a roost rod in. Voila! Ours had 2 doors- one we used to clean up/ fresh food/water, the other let out into a chicken tractor. Let the girls into the tractor, wheel it out to the patch-o-lawn du jour, tuck in food and water. Reverse at night, tuck everyone in. Worked great, didn't get too hot, but we made sure it was in the shade asap. Was secure too, til some stupid human didn't close the clean-out door one day... stupid dogs. Just make sure everything is secure. You can tie a big tarp over it for really cold weather. It's cute, it's free (to start with.. lol) and the neighbors can't complain that it looks too "rustic"!

 

[chickwitch]

Thanks B! I have lots of shade in my yard. I've already picked out a lovely spot in the southwest corner.