Converting shed to Chicken Coop

[JanetS]

I'm jealous of the size!!! Looking good.

 

[foreverlearning]

It looks great!

I love sand in my coop so this is a little hard for me to say, but you don't want sand in there. It works great but in the winter time it will get cold. Some people put straw over the sand in the winter time so their girls will be a little bit warmer. What you have to worry about is pine shavings or straw mixing in the sand, its not good.

Painting is great for mite problems. Unless you have a problem, I would wait on all that extra work. Mine is unpainted on the inside and I do fine.

Linoleum is great for the floors. I got the peel and stuck tiles, they were cheap and easy. Just make sure if you get the tiles you get them as close together as possible. I would have preferred a sheet but a full sheet of linoleum around here costs more than carpet or real tile.

Attic fans work well for ventilation. They are found cheap or free everywhere and they sell covers for them. I know you are worried about keeping them cool, I would be more worried about keeping them warm in winter. You can always open the door in summertime for air. If you plan on leaving that window open for winter I would place it against the normal wind. This allows for fresh air while not chilling them too much.

Have you thought about possibly some sort of hood for your vents? Like rain guards on car windows. It would allow for fresh air from below while blocking out the snow and rain on top. It would also allow for more small vents if you would like.

 

[silkiefluff]

I put down the floor and couldn't get the linoleum to completely cover the floor, so clean-up may be annoying, but once I find a bigger piece I'll replace it. I'm going to be using wood chips because I've liked them so far and have free access to them. I'm not really worried about the heat as I am the Winter. -30 is pretty chilly here in the Winter! I'm making sure of drafts and covering any little holes.

I got two of these for vents, one for the door, one for the back. Not sure if it's enough.


If I have paint left over I may paint the inside a bit. It still seems a bit dark even though I will have the doors open during the day and there's a large window in the back.

We got the new doors for the exterior made and the screen door for the inside. All the big things are done! It's getting exciting!

 

[Biologrady]

A sheet linoleum floor works great... We actually lift up the edges and the whole floorful of bedding just slides into a wheel barrow. Even tacked down with roofing nails would be easy to sweep. We use a straw-shavings combo which keeps the floor very very dry and sweepable with a broom; it's also soft and deep if it gets brutally cold, which it does on occasion.
My coop was also adapted from a shed. I love it. Just remember, you can never have too much ventilation, and keep it high to avoid drafts.

 

[silkiefluff]

Does that mean you'd recommend more ventilation? I've been reading like crazy, but I'm worried about having ventilation and it turning into a draft.

 

[thomasboyle]

Does that mean you'd recommend more ventilation? I've been reading like crazy, but I'm worried about having ventilation and it turning into a draft.

How big are the vents? If they are 12" in diameter, they should be OK. If they are 3-4", then two of them alone would not be enough. I have 2 18x36" windows in my coop, and one stays all the way open all year, and the other is open 25-50% in the winter, depending on the weather and temp that day. Cold and crisp is what you want in the winter, as cold and moist is a bad recipe for chickens.

 

[silkiefluff]

One is 4" and one is 6"... probably not enough? :s The window opens too, but I don't have a chain, so it's either open all the way or closed all the. And the roosts are off to the side of it, but the same level, so I wouldn't want it open in the Winter because that would be considered a draft, wouldn't it?

 

[barkinghills]

One tip about lots of light inside the coop...I have an 8x8' walk-in coop with 3 large screened windows. I used to have everything open all day and started to have a severe problem with egg pecking and eating. I stapled dark cloth over the windows and keep the large door closed during the day. As soon as I darkened the coop the egg eating problem stopped completely, and it has not recurred.

Good luck, and have fun with your new coop!

 

[Biologrady]

Looking at your pics, I'd put as much venting as possible over the door and over the window. Another option is to add vents in the roof itself, like you might have on your house, but that opens up new issues with possible leaks around them.

If it were mine, I'd cut some rectangles above the doors and window, put hardware cloth over them from the inside, and on the outside stick a board over them at a 45 degree angle to block the rain and some of the wind.

 

[silkiefluff]

Almost there! Chickens are in it now because I had to clean the other coop and give them a Sevin bath, so I figured it would be a good idea to Sevin them and put them in a clean coop.

Floor is in, poop board on the left and natural perch are up.


Poop board and perch. Poop board might need to be bigger, but it comes out easily for cleaning so it's no problem to switch it.


Water is hanging and food is on a plateform. Chicken wire was attached to the inside door we made, as well as the sides, so we can open the main doors during the day and let in light, and air. DE, hay, DE, shavings, a bit more DE went down. More will go down the colder it gets.


"Litter box" is sand, ashes and DE.


Chickens inside! They didn't know what to make of it.


We still need to winter-proof, cover small draft holes, paint the outside and fix the sliding door to the run, but I love it!