🦃 Turkey Coop Transformation

Mitch
Jul 6
3 min read

How a broken-down playhouse and a pile of scrap turned into a cozy home for our turkeys.

It all started as a joke. Paige sent me a Facebook Marketplace listing for a free, half-collapsed kids' playhouse—just for laughs. I saw it and immediately called her:

“Let’s go get it.”

She laughed and said, “Are you serious?!”

“Yep.”

We loaded the kids into the truck and headed out to grab it before anyone else could.

The timing was perfect—we needed to move our turkeys out of the chicken coop’s integration pen to make space for Donald and Adam, our (also free) Black Swedish ducks. With a tight budget (zero dollars), a growing pile of salvaged materials, and some good old-fashioned determination, 24 hours later the Turkey Tavern was born.

The Build: 24 Hours of Creative Chaos

We turned the whole project around in just over 24 hours. It was a family sprintathon—Paige helped a ton, the kids pitched in, and we worked late into the evening.

🛠️ Project Summary - Turkey Coop

Project Name: Turkey Tavern Transformation

Difficulty Level: 🟡 Intermediate

Time Required: ~6-8 hours (spread over two days)

Total Cost: $0 (all salvaged or repurposed materials)

📋 Materials List

One of the best things about this project? We didn’t buy anything new. We built this turkey shelter using what we had on hand or had salvaged over time. Not everything was perfect—and that’s part of the story too.

Item	Source	Cost
Broken playhouse	Facebook Marketplace	Free
Deck boards	From Mitch’s brother	Free
1x2" furring strips	Salvaged from RC car park	Free
2x2 scrap wood	On hand	Free
Clear plastic panels	RC car park salvage	Free
Hinges and latch	Salvaged from house projects	Free
Hardware cloth	On hand	Free
Screws	Salvaged and purchased mix	On hand
Conduit pipe (pull handle)	On hand	Free

🧰 Tools Used

Circular saw (or hand saw/reciprocating saw as backup)
Drill (for pilot holes and precision drilling)
Impact driver (or use a drill if that’s all you have)
Tape measure, square, pencil
Lots of patience and creativity 🧠

💡 Free stuff often takes more effort than shiny new supplies. We had to remove rusty, bent screws and adapt materials on the fly—but that’s part of the beauty of repurposing.

🛠️ The Vision: Functional, Free, and Fun

We didn’t need anything fancy—just a safe, dedicated space where the turkeys could roost, stretch, and strut. Our only real requirement: spend absolutely nothing.

As usual, Paige was all in. She never hesitates when I get an idea like this. The playhouse was so unstable when we picked it up that the wall started falling off as we loaded it into the truck. My mom caught it all on video—including me joking around pretending I was stuck inside the “tavern.” That clip’s a keeper.

We didn’t sketch a plan. I looked at the materials I had lying around—from old deck boards to spare hinges—and figured out what we could build based on what we already had.

🏡 Features That Made It Work

Here’s what we added to make the Turkey Tavern durable and mobile:

New floor from salvaged deck boards
Structural reinforcements with scrap wood
Windows framed with furring strips and covered with hardware cloth + clear plastic for ventilation and weatherproofing
Hinged front door with secure latch
Sled-style runners on the bottom: I cut deck boards at a 45° angle and drilled a ¾" hole for a conduit handle so we can pull it around the yard

🦃 Why We Call It the Turkey Tavern

Honestly, it just sounded fun. The structure looked a little like an old-timey saloon once we got the roof back in place. Add in a few gobbling patrons and a swinging door, and you’ve got yourself a tavern full of turkeys. The name stuck.

Our turkeys love it. And we love that it cost nothing but time, creativity, and teamwork.

As an extra added bonus it is also where the turkeys go when they get put in time out from chasing the chickens around the yard. Nothing is funnier than hearing someone yell "back to turkey time out for you!"

💬 What This Project Taught Us

This transformation perfectly captures what Free Friday is all about:👉 Seeing value in what others toss out👉 Making something functional out of scraps👉 Proving you don’t need money to live this lifestyle—you just need vision

More than that, it reminded us of the joy that comes from creating something as a family. It's not about perfection—it’s about progress, resourcefulness, and a little bit of goofy fun along the way.