Advice on shed/coop

[KentuckyDuckMomma]

I bought a starter copy from a friend but once I got it home, I realized it wouldn’t work very well because it’s so flimsy.

I’m new to chickens and was wondering if the back half of this shed would work as a coop. My plan is to repair the bottom rotted boards, add nesting boxes, a door, roost bars. Not sure what to do about the floor, it’s dirt right now. Also, add haywire cloth all around.

Will this work as a coop? Do I need to do something with the dirt floor?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Dirt floor is fine. How big are the gaps between the wood boards? They look rather large at a glance. I see some soffit vents on the first photo... you probably need more ventilation than that, but the gaps in the wood might actually make up for it, if they're left open (but maybe covered in hardware cloth, depending on the size of gaps).

How does the shed do in rain or snow? Does it stay fairly dry inside? Have you checked for drafts on a windy day?

 

[KentuckyDuckMomma]

Dirt floor is fine. How big are the gaps between the wood boards? They look rather large at a glance. I see some soffit vents on the first photo... you probably need more ventilation than that, but the gaps in the wood might actually make up for it, if they're left open (but maybe covered in hardware cloth, depending on the size of gaps).

How does the shed do in rain or snow? Does it stay fairly dry inside? Have you checked for drafts on a windy day?

It was originally used for basically old junk so no, I’ve not tested it out for anything just yet. The stuff was never really wet unless it was close to the front but I feel like a door would fix that. I thought about cutting out holes and adding a vent or two for more ventilation.

I was worried about the holes but I plan to put haywire cloth the entire building, possibly sandwiched if I can figure it out. My worry is the gaps being good in summer for a breeze and air but not too sure about winter

 

[Percheron chick]

That is going to be a perfect for your climate chicken coop.
It's built on the principles of an old tobacco barn. The spacing between the boards is on purpose to maximize air flow. It will stay relatively cool even in the summer. We had a converted tobacco barn for the horses in TN and it was always pleasant. I would pull the damaged boards off and replace them or run 2x6s around the bottom to beef it up. I would skirt the bottom with hardware cloth because you have a ton of nocturnal visitors. I wouldn't worry about lining the walls as the gaps look less than 1/2". You don't need any additional ventilation. The metal roof looks pretty new. Not rusted, crimped or full of old nail holes. Dirt floor is fine. Go with deep litter to cover the hardware cloth. You have lots of free bedding material. They won't even notice the occasional snow storm.

 

[3KillerBs]

That's a terrific structure to convert into a warm-climate chicken coop!

Hot Climate Chicken Housing and Care
Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

It will be great for summer and then, when winter comes, you can check to see if there are drafts in the roost area and, if necessary, provide some extra shelter for that area with tarps or removeable panels.

Deep Litter over dirt is great. If it's moist (not wet, just moist), you'll get active composting going. If it's dry, it's still an effective Deep Bedding.