Converting an Old Shed

[aart]

I tried prying at one of the flat tiles after seeing the ones that fell off, but they seem stuck tight (for now anyway). I guess the adhesive needs gravity going for it - maybe good for that kind of strain but not a shear force like a tile on a wall trying to slump downwards. However, it's something I will keep checking periodically for the flat tiles even after the shavings go in.

If spills get down around the tile edges it may swell that chip board and pop tiles.

 

[Sefirothe]

I tried prying at one of the flat tiles after seeing the ones that fell off, but they seem stuck tight (for now anyway). I guess the adhesive needs gravity going for it - maybe good for that kind of strain but not a shear force like a tile on a wall trying to slump downwards. However, it's something I will keep checking periodically for the flat tiles even after the shavings go in.


It was these:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...l-Tile-Flooring-20-sqft-case-SS2018/206403289

Yep. Same brand. Great.

I am only planning on using mine on the floor, not the walls. Glad to hear they seem to be working ok so far on the floor.

 

[Sefirothe]

First and last time the new floor will ever be this clean...will be picking up bunch of shavings bags tomorrow.
View attachment 3669773


HWC over the old glass wall windows.
View attachment 3669772

Still need to HWC the plexiglass door windows (since I don't want anybody flying up and smacking the plexiglass thinking it's a way out), but the structure is now officially in use tonight as a chicken sleeping area for two sub-flocks of youngsters in their own mini enclosures that I moved into it to get them out of the house. There are 6 pullets in a mini cube enclosure I made a while back and 3 cockerels in a dog crate. Ultimately the pullets will go to my main flock and the cockerels to a bachelor flock living in my old setup (but the main flock is still occupying that).

Ok, another question! My shed has a single window the exact same as yours. I want to put hardware cloth inside the shed over the window also. How are you getting to the windows to open/close them if needed? Unscrew the hardware cloth each time?

I was thinking of making a wood framed screen on hinges for mine....

 

[DonyaQuick]

If spills get down around the tile edges it may swell that chip board and pop tiles.

Aside from generally trying to not have water in there most times, I have a 3ftx3ft tray with about a 4" lip that any waterer will go in for times when there has to be one (for the learn-this-is-your-new-home period and for blizzard days).

Ok, another question! My shed has a single window the exact same as yours. I want to put hardware cloth inside the shed over the window also. How are you getting to the windows to open/close them if needed? Unscrew the hardware cloth each time?

I was thinking of making a wood framed screen on hinges for mine....

I originally had plans for a frame on hinges...that was before the desperate, I-needed-this-done-last-month phase set in. It was also before my husband unintentionally foam-sealed one of them shut lol. Even if they opened properly, the windows will need to be closed until May-ish, possibly later. They may not need opening since that side doesn't get sun in summer; didn't have them open at any point during the shed redo work over the summer. Foam aside, the windows could barely move anyway so I would probably replace them if it ever looks like I need the extra ventillation.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Unexpected problem: fresh large flake shavings + new vinyl floor = slip & slide! That's ok for my 2-3lb pullets right now, but I'll have to sort that out before my big girls go in (I've got an 8.5lb hen that reaaally does not need to tokyo drift around in there). The vinyl is textured and grips well to a shoe...didn't have the same slippy issue with leaves that blew in. Areas where the shavings is more packed down are better, but of course the pullets are rearranging it regularly. Maybe just the fluffy factor of just-opened bags of large-flake? I have some bags of denser, finer shavings I could have used that maybe woudl have packed in better, but they're really dusty so I don't usually like using them in indoor spaces.

This is the tray for the waterer I mentioned. It's been doing well so far for my pullets, who are getting introduced to the space first.

And how things are on the other side currently. This is all temporary stuff while the chunnel is in progress and whiel I get my act together with proper roosts and nest boxes.

 

[aart]

Unexpected problem: fresh large flake shavings + new vinyl floor = slip & slide!

They'll adjust.
I've had a vinyl floor and used large flake pine shavings for 10 years,
never had an injury due to it.
Slipiness is worse when shavings are fresh.

You might want to hang your feeder and put the waterer on a concrete block in that pan to keep those shavings out of them.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Chunnel in progress. Going to put some grippy tape on the ramp tomorrow so it doesn't become a slide going down and a weird gameshow going up. Dowel ridges don't work very well for a couple of my hens for whatever reason but may end up doing that too if the grip tape doesn't stay put.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Grippy strips applied to chunnel ramp. They work sooooo much better to let chickens just walk straight up and down with ease than little dowel bits like I've got on my prefabs. Now I just have to see how well the grip strips hold up over time.

If the strips degrade fast, I might go with some kind of thicker textured mat would have to do some hunting for the right thing in the right size. I saw some grippy textured stuff for horse stalls that looked appealing but it came in way too big quantities for me and was pretty expensive as a result.

EDIT: meant to say one of my bugaboos with the dowl bits is that going downhill for my hens means toes getting crunched up as they slide down and hit the next bar with their longest toe - so half the time they try to jump off the side instead which is obviously not what I want here.

 

[DonyaQuick]

The chunnel is now joined up and fully HWCed with a side access door so I can service the auto door if needed. And with that...this thing is now fully operational and the main flock joins my pullets in the new setup. Still things to do (like roof panels on the chunnel) but it can be done with chickens moved in.

Couldn't get my phone to behave inside the shed but they're having fun in there and spending their first night in it tonight. Mr Monster gets a lot of camera time in this thread, but my other roo, Mr Cuddles Junior (the white one) deserves some praise today despite his crabby nature. This afternoon was his first exposure to the interior of the build today in all respsects (he didn't get sneak peeks along the way like Monster did). It's also Junior's first time in with the pullets at bed time with everyone needing to sleep in the same place. I was sure I was going to be manually moving pullets who are still nervous about the big hens, but Junior marched up and down that chunnel ramp for a good half hour as it was going dark to get everyone gathered in the shed where they belong. I'd been worried whether the concept "go downhill to go to bed" could be a problem here, but not for Junior. Smart boy.

It is still pretty parse in there right now. Modular cube and kennel are gone, so it's just the food/water station, a nest box, and that makeshift roost. More nest boxes coming soon since I already built another, although my hens are molting so there's not a lot of nest box demand right now. The nest boxes will also get elevated some, just not sure how much yet. I have a vision-impared hen I have to keep in mind with that (she's extremely far-sighted so basically no depth perception within 4ft or so). Wondering about keeping one box pretty low for her and having the others sat on the ledge.

 

[DonyaQuick]

Well, I found an unexpected perk of having done the row of tiles along the sides, even though I had to screw them onto the OSB in kind of a derpy way. I thought I was putting that rim in to protect against mud feet and poop, but apparently it protects against one more thing. We all know 1/2in HWC is great for predator protection, but of course it doesn't stop all animals. Some tiny things can wiggle right through low 1/2in HWC, like baby mice, some shrews, small garter snakes, etc....so when a snack is stupid enough to enter the run just after dawn on a chilly morning and Mr. Monster decides to bring breakfast back to the ladies in the cozy coop....the ungodly murder scene resulting from the hens slapping some poor creature's carcass all over a corner of the wall was washable.