Am I nuts?

[Gwen]

My husband says I am. I want to put in a cute garden shed and use it as a chicken coop. My plan was that if the chickens didn't work out, I could use it as an outdoor studio/guest room type of thing. Hubby says it'll smell like chickens and I won't be able to get all the dirt and poop out. I was thinking I could hose it all down, sweep it out, etc., have the walls finished, sheetrocked or whatever, take up the linoleum and put down good flooring and be good to go. He says I'm nuts to spend so much on a chicken coop that can never be used for anything else. What do you think?

 

[Chickenaddict]

I say go for it but.... You do know once this addiction really sinks in you will be putting an addition on for more chickens in no time and thoughts of a garden shed/studio or whatever will be long gone

 

[Gwen]

Probably. But IF it doesn't, will the shed be useable for anything else?

 

[cassie]

First of all, chickens are not evil smelling if you manage them right. Secondly if you cover the floor with a piece of vinyl flooring and put shavings on top it will be easy to clean. Methinks hubby is trying to get out of some work. As a matter of fact, this sounds like something my DH would say if he thought I might fall for it.

 

[SurprisingWoman]

I had my chickens in the house for over three weeks. I cleaned their cage once. Not because it was smelly but because I felt badly that I hadn't.

If you use DE or something and the deep litter method I really can't imagine it not working.

My chickens are so far, so good.

I say try it. You can always clean and start over. I find very few things are so awful they can't be cleaned up after.

The only thing that comes to mind is my ex-husband and while he was a chicken he didn't have feathers.

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
I always side with the husband, so, yes, you're nuts.

 

[domino7]

Well, that's how I justified building a 8x16 coop to my wife. " Well honey, if the chickens don't work out we have a nice shed."

 

[Gwen]

Cassie, LOL, normally I would agree with you, but in this case, I don't think that's it. There is no work involved for him. I think he's trying to save me from myself. Sometimes my 'projects' don't always work out as I had envisioned.

Surprising woman, when I say not work out, I don't mean because I can't keep them clean. I mean I just may not like keeping chickens for whatever reason. I've been in many a well-managed coop and they don't smell at all. What is DE? Is that diatamaceous earth? I'm not planning to use that as it's my understanding that if they free range, they don't need it. I am hoping to use the deep litter method on linoleum tho inside the coop.

Domino - I see you think like I do! In our house, the roles are reversed and hubby is the conversative, responsible one while I'm the one who wants to buy a boat, go camping, build sheds. I'm the only wife I know who asked for (and received) a dremel for a birthday gift.

I only wanted it to make tombstones for Halloween decorations, but every household should have one, don't you think?

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Only time my chickens stink is when the run is wet. I throw down some DE and it's take care of. My mother doesn't even complain about the smell and she complains about everything.

 

[consdrs]

I'm with Joe, if you have to ask... your nut's.

but seriously, we have WAY more into our 2 coops then we would have if we had added a guest room on the house

.

Connie