8 x 10 shed coop

[arsnow]

I have posted on this before several years ago, but I'm bringing it up again. I have an old storage shed that is probably 8' x 10' that would be easy to convert to a stationary coop. It already has full-length selves on the right side as you walk in. Does anyone have any ideas on how to convert this thing? It's even wired for electricity, though as far back as I can remember (20 yrs. or so) it has never been hooked up to electricity.

It was my dad's dream before he passed away to make this shed into a coop. I'm sure I could fit lots of cluckers in it. I have another post about a chicken tractor I'm planning on building. Would this be a better use of time and money?

 

[HenPecked_bychildren]

I would imagine all you need to do is cut some ventilation into it.

 

[arsnow]

It's me again. I have a book of chicken coop ideas that features an A-frame chicken tractor that's 12' x 24'. It's huge compared to what I want to do (with 20 nest boxes and 4 roosts), but if I downsize it to 12' square, would it hold 25+ cluckers? Redundant question anyone?

 

[McNugget]

Take a look at my BYC page, you will see the interior of my coop. It's about the size you are talking about (give or take a ft or 2). You can see the roosting rods (made from tree branches) that are nailed to 2X4's graduating up toward the wall. I have a chain that I use to lift them up when cleaning the floor, makes it easy to clean under them. I have 12 nesting boxes (made from scraps) but they only use the lower 8 for laying and roost in the upper 4 (lots of poop in those every week). 8 (4 upper, 4 lower) on the opposite wall and 4 shown in the pic. These have been attached to the wall which they weren't in the pic. I don't have electricity in mine.

Once we had the house built, we fenced it in using the lower 3 ft as chicken wire and the upper as used cattle wire. Works great! Never had one to "fly the coop". Used lots of scrap lumber and old windows. We had lots of used landscaping tembers we used as fence posts. Very low cost for the size of the coop and lot. Even bought the paint from the paint store as rejected custom color! $3 a gallon! Using older/used materials is a very cost saving way to go! This is a chicken house after all. I think the only thing new we bought was the chicken wire for the lower 3 ft of fence. The rest of the materials we either already had or got from people who wanted to get rid surplus.

My chickens seem to be very happy with their "condo". Also not pictured is the feed storage bend that I keep in the house too. The roof is one slant (10 ft to 7 slope), and I collect rain water in buckets for easy watering of the birds (don't have to tote water too/from the coop as much). My friend gave me a gutter, I just need to install on the low side so I can use a large (new) trash can to collect more water than my 2 - 5 gal buckets do.

The shelves of your shed might be easy make the nesting boxes (bottom of the shelf as the bottom of the box) if they are not too high.

Good luck!

 

[chicks4kids]

I just started converting my shed into a coop. I have a design layed out on this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3801392#p3801392
Maybe that could give you some ideas. Mine has shelves on both sides, but I'm just going to insulate those closed. I don't want a build up of chicken poo on those. I have decided that in my storage area, I will leave it usable for storage on the left side, but not on the brooder (right) side.

Hopefully you can get some ideas from that

 

[bison]

I would take the top shelf off, leave the shelf supports in, and use them to install a roost on. I took used landscape timbers, ripped them in half with a table saw and laid the rounded side up as a roost. Also, maybe convert the lower shelf into a few nesting boxes...