New coop :)

[noahsmom]

I have decided to not use our barn for our coop, just to much moisture and the amount of money and work that will go into it I might as well buy a new building. So, I've been shopping around goin to different places to find what kind of deals I can find. I ended up deciding on two different buildings from lowes. One was an 8x8 for $598 and the other 10x8 for $798. We went to lowes and fortunately both of these were out on display and got to see the style and build in person. So, were going with the 10x8 but the 8x8 was still wonderful at a great price.
Here is what we decided on

We had already bought almost all materials for the barn and even started slowly working on it. I have already taken everything back and next week I will be purchasing this building. Another nice thing to is the building will be located even closer to our house then being way across the yard. Will just need to spend a little more for some roosts and poop board and will be ready!

Anyone else use any of lowes storage buildings?

 

[Rachy]

No but it looks like it'll make a great coop!

 

[noahsmom]

Thanks, I can't wait to get it home!

 

[MoonShadows]

That's going to make a nice coop. Best of luck with it. Please post pics as you customize it.

 

[noahsmom]

Thanks and I plan to of course, I'm looking for some poop board ideas right now! I will be able to house up to/under 13 chickens (some being bantams of course) since the run is 10x10, but I do hope to expand it around summer or fall to a 10x20! I will be able to use the full potential of the buildings space and have up to 20chickens, but I'm not pushing it, going to try and start small.

All the wood is supposed to be treated with this building, but would you paint the floor of this coop for extra protection from dampness etc.,.. I'm going to use bedding of course (pine pellets) but just thought it might be a good idea for extra protection.

 

[jteam]

your poop boards can be covered with nearly anything that provides a durable surface that can withstand the moisture and shoveling action. I used pieces of sheet metal, but only because I already had it. Other good ideas are vinyl flooring remnants, tile backer board, or FRP (fiber reinforced panels) from a building supply (think "plastic looking public restroom stall walls").

 

[noahsmom]

Thanks
I actually just remembered we have some laminate that was left here in the house from when the previous owners lived here I can probably use that for the floor of the coop?

 

[TXchickmum]

-should make a really nice coop!!!

 

[Jakoda]

I love starting with a blank slate

Here's some pics of my existing poop board and the new one I'll be putting into my revamped chicken area


below is one we built this winter..I"m making a few changes to it, I wanted this one to be lower than the above one, because the chickens are a heavy breed and seem to not to particularly like to jump as high on the above one.



The roost will go on top obviously, I had a chance to try this out when we had the recent storm and I dragged all the chicks in the basement for a couple days. Finding that bending over and UNDER to get into nesting boxes was rather a pain, so I'm going to just turn the whole thing around when I install it, since the openings of the nest box are just about flush with the top of the poop board/roost, will make for easier grabbing of eggs, will block up what you see here for the back

 

[fisherlady]

Thanks
I actually just remembered we have some laminate that was left here in the house from when the previous owners lived here I can probably use that for the floor of the coop?

We used a piece of 'left over' linoleum in ours and it worked great. Just make sure it is covered with whatever you are using for bedding to prevent it from being slippery.
You may need to cut out extra windows or small openings in the top of the coop to allow for ventilation if you haven't already planned them.
Looks like a nice start on the coop for you though.
I have used similar sheds for other uses, the only other precaution I would suggest is that you need to make sure you have a decent drainage base under the coop or you are setting it in a nice and dry yard location because the floors are usually made with 2x4 construction and if they remain damp it will eventually cause a soft floor issue. If the shed is built up on 4x4 runners or the floor is 2x6 treated it would be less of a concern... so just something you may want to check.
Have fun and am looking forward to seeing the renovation pics!