coop / wind question

[eggdd]

i am thinking of turning one of those metal sheds you get at home depot or lowes into a coop. my only concern is the wind. we get some pretty severe storms during tornado season. does anyone have any experience with these sheds? they sell anchor kits for them - but am unsure of how well they work.

also, are there other concerns i should be thinking about?

thanks.

 

[M.sue]

I know people have converted old/used ones into coops and they work just fine. My DH built my coop and it is sided with barn tin, portable and about 18 inches high off the ground. We get some seasonal strong nasty winds ( house is surrounded by farmfields) and my DH anchors it down.....Better safe than sorry!!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Here's mine:
We have ours anchored and it is now 5 years old. We ran the wire all up in the ceiling joists and down on both sides anchored to t-posts buried very deep.
I love my coop, but there are things about it I should mention:

In our rainy moist winters, the ceiling has condensation on it. I run a 100 watt bulb in there when below freezing to give them a place to huddle under, and this also helps to dry it out.

I wish I had installed vinyl flooring on the wood, as the edges get WET on the inside from the rain, and it makes shavings wet. So I just dump sweet PDZ on the floor and scrape it daily (I treat the whole floor as a poop board). I hose it out once a year. The powder forms a coating on the floor and the poo gets rolled up in the powder as I scrape. I use no shavings except in the nest boxes.

It is really just a windbreak, as my coop isn't insulated. It definitely doesn't hold heat well. You need to cut lots of ventilation holes but ensure no draft (no air moving in the coop across the chickens). The doors get stuff in the tracks all the time which I have to scrape out. And that stuff in the tracks smells bad. So I pour bleach in there sometimes to clean it, and rinse.

So I wish for insulation and vinyl flooring. If you live where it gets very cold I would definitely insulate.

 

[LiLRedCV]

Absolutely, it can be done! I'd recommend anchoring it for the high winds tho'.

Here's one idea - although they are in a warmer climate. It can still be utilized by others with a little ingenuity:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-homesteading/backyard-chicken-coop-zm0z11zhun.aspx

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

Pour a cement slab, and put anchor bolts in the concrete when it is wet. The frame of my Uncle's shed had pilot hole at the bottom of the shed frame, where the bolts could come up through. Because the cement has a wood frame around it, it is easy enough to get a piece of 1 x 4 and put it across each of the corners. Then place your frame on top of the 1 x 4 to position the anchor bolts in the cement & up through the holes in the frame. Once the cement is set, slide the 1 x 4 out and the frame drops down, right into place & just add washers & lock nuts.

 

[eggdd]

Quote:
that sounds complicated. no?