Old Corn Crib Makes Nifty Turkey Coop

2013 - Volume #37, Issue #3, Page #04

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Ralph Haaff can’t stand to see good stuff go to waste. So the Michigan man recycled an old corn crib into a low-cost turkey coop that’s complete with an attached shed.
  “I’m a disabled vet on a fixed income so I’ve got to watch every nickel and dime. I spent a total of only about $100,” says Haaff. “On our small farm we raise chickens, guinea hens and Kentucky Red Bourbon heritage turkeys that free range, but are put in coops when we’re not home.”
  He saw the corn crib one day while his wife was driving him to the local V.A. center. “A farmer was ripping down his barn and two corn cribs. He already had squashed one of the cribs with his front-end loader, but the other one was still standing. I paid him $50 for it,” says Haaff.
  He used a sawzall to cut off the bottom half of the 12-ft. dia. crib. Then he took the top half apart in sections, put them on a trailer, and brought them home. He nailed together two 12-ft. long 2 by 4’s to make a roost located under the roof eave. A moveable ladder leans against the roost. “The turkeys can either jump up on the ladder or fly up onto the perch,” says Haaff.
  Before setting the crib in place he dug a round trench and filled it with concrete in order to keep predators from digging their way in. He attached the bottom of the crib to 4-ft. lengths of rebar that he drove into the ground.
  He covered the ground inside the crib with construction sand and then added a 4-in. deep layer of play sand on top. “The turkeys like digging and bathing in the sand,” says Haaff. “I use a small cultivator to turn the sand over a couple of times per year and add lime to sweeten the sand.”
  Haaff says the sand inside the coop works much like cat litter, which makes it easy to clean up. He even made a specially designed rake to remove the manure. “The rake is curled up slightly at the sides and has 1/2-in. sq. holes in it. The clumps of manure stay in the rake while the loose sand falls through it. We use the manure in our garden.
  “The entire setup has a nice, rustic look,” says Haaff. “There are a lot of corn cribs in the country whose owners are happy to get rid of them for free,” he adds.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ralph Haaff, 6365 Bethuy Rd., Fair Haven, Mich. 48023 (ph 586 725-0901; krhaaff@comcast.net).

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Old Corn Crib Makes Nifty Turkey Coop BUILDINGS Livestock Ralph Haaff can’t stand to see good stuff go to waste So the Michigan man recycled an old corn crib into a low-cost turkey coop that’s complete with an attached shed “I’m a disabled vet on a fixed income so I’ve got to watch every nickel and dime I spent a total of only about $100 ” says Haaff “On our small farm we raise chickens guinea hens and Kentucky Red Bourbon heritage turkeys that free range but are put in coops when we’re not home ” He saw the corn crib one day while his wife was driving him to the local V A center “A farmer was ripping down his barn and two corn cribs He already had squashed one of the cribs with his front-end loader but the other one was still standing I paid him $50 for it ” says Haaff He used a sawzall to cut off the bottom half of the 12-ft dia crib Then he took the top half apart in sections put them on a trailer and brought them home He nailed together two 12-ft long 2 by 4’s to make a roost located under the roof eave A moveable ladder leans against the roost “The turkeys can either jump up on the ladder or fly up onto the perch ” says Haaff Before setting the crib in place he dug a round trench and filled it with concrete in order to keep predators from digging their way in He attached the bottom of the crib to 4-ft lengths of rebar that he drove into the ground He covered the ground inside the crib with construction sand and then added a 4-in deep layer of play sand on top “The turkeys like digging and bathing in the sand ” says Haaff “I use a small cultivator to turn the sand over a couple of times per year and add lime to sweeten the sand ” Haaff says the sand inside the coop works much like cat litter which makes it easy to clean up He even made a specially designed rake to remove the manure “The rake is curled up slightly at the sides and has 1/2-in sq holes in it The clumps of manure stay in the rake while the loose sand falls through it We use the manure in our garden “The entire setup has a nice rustic look ” says Haaff “There are a lot of corn cribs in the country whose owners are happy to get rid of them for free ” he adds Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ralph Haaff 6365 Bethuy Rd Fair Haven Mich 48023 ph 586 725-0901; krhaaff@comcast net

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