Cutting out Vents in existing Shed

[tbitt]

We are turning an existing garden shed into a "duck house"

Existing Shed:

Facing the shed; the run will be on the right.

I am very interested in your ideas about cutting out vents and doors.

I am sure I want a "pop" door on the right side, so any ideas would be great.


But what I am most interested in is the vents. As you see I can not go high on the sides, I can put some in on the front and back.
I see where people have cut out the wall and reused it to close it back up when needed. What are the rules of thumb for doing that?


We do have 2 small windows with screens that we will be installing; one on the Left side - as high as we can get it, and one on the back wall.
With a Pop door on the right, how much more openings will we need for a good cross breeze and for proper ventilation?

I have “ideas” but would love all of your input – we are getting close to cutting time and I want to make sure we do it right, the first time.

Thanks all!

 

[mandelyn]

If you have the right tools, I would cut out the top open part of each front door and reinforce it if needed. Let's you walk right up and peak in.

There's likely studs on the sides, maybe every other stud gets a little window, framed out and with hardware cloth (between the shed and the frame for security)

Then add one up on top in the back, not too big, and something that will deflect rain water. The vent covers are good for that, so the size of hole would have to fit the size of the vent (hardware cloth between the vent and the opening)

Then a pop door on the side somewhere.

If it's for ducks, see about incorporating a watering station indoors, a standard waterer will make a heck of a mess. I have mine elevated on a welded wire covered frame with a plastic catch pan below it, bedding stays dry.

Also something I wish I had done was either paint the floor to seal it, or laid down linoleum.

Wish I had that shed! Looks huge!

 

[tbitt]

We bought vinyl mildew resistant bathroom wall covering to put on the floor. I hope it works like I want it to.

We are toying with putting in a small window on the doors......but they are not easy to find at a good price.

I am also worried about leaking..... you wrote something about deflecting the rain water.... I am not sure what you mean by that.




We have yet to figure out the watering thing. We know they will make a quick mess of things... Do you have pictures of your watering system? Maybe seeing some things might give us an idea.



The shed is a very nice size 8' x 15' And I got it free a few years ago...we only had to pick it up and bring it home!

 

[savingpurple]

How I wish I could have that size !!! You will have such a nice coop when you are done !!

 

[mandelyn]

This is their inside food/water, there is a plastic tote I cut the wood to fit around. Covered the top with welded wire. They can sift through the water like they do and the splash falls into the tote.

Our shed came with solid doors, and they were awful. We replaced them with barn type doors and a window in each. They're covered in welded wire only, no actual window. It faces South, and rain doesn't come in through those. Rain does blow in on the west side though, so there is only a pop door there.

You can see one of the doors here, we finally got them painted after the pictures.

The side windows are catching runoff from the roof, so we need to add a gutter to that side. There isn't much of an overhang from the roof.

Do you know the vent covers I'm talking about? They're usually aluminum or PVC, with slats facing down. Those downward facing slats are what deflects rain water so that it doesn't blow right into the coop. You see them on the outside of houses for crawl spaces and attics to allow air in/out.

I tinkered with your shed and outlined what I was thinking. If you have windows, one on each side would be fine too. You can't shut them all up in the winter, you'll need some strategic openings. I only block off the North facing window in the winter, for example.

This kind of vent cover can be used, openings cut to fit it. Just be sure to add security with welded wire behind it.

Really it can go how ever you want it. All that matters is good ventilation. Some up high, some down low or in the middle.

 

[tbitt]

Oh, ya..those vents would work great! I bet I can find them failry inexpensive

I only have 2 windoews, we want to put one on the back wall and then one centered on the left wall...that is were most of the wind comes from and we are hoping that having those two open will give great ventillation during the day. I will close the one on the left at night, it will be close to the ground....so I think I will still need vents on that side...


I am definately going to look into a big tub to enclose, for watering over night. That is a GREAT idea!

 

[Ridgerunner]

For chickens it might be a problem, but as long as your ducks don't roost up high, it should work out OK. I'd cut out an area just under both overhangs maybe 6" to 8" wide all along the side and cover that with hardware cloth, leaving it permanently open. Any air exchange will be over their heads, so they will not be in a draft. I'd also put a louvered vent up high on the back to help get rid of the excess heat in the summer. I don't do ducks but I'd think the heat in the summer will be more of a problem for you than the cold in the winter, even where you live.

The hardware covered cutouts will let in a little light. Not sure if it is enough for you or not. As for a window, should you decide you need one, cut out between two studs on the side and cover it with hardware cloth. If you are worried about rain blowing in, you can cover it with a sheet of plexiglass or something like that. Or hinge the plexiglass at the top so it can be moved out and put a hinged brace on each bottom corner where you can securely prop it open at an angle. You can them close it in the winter if you wish and it will help prevent rain from blowing in.

Or look for a window on Craigslist.

Good luck!

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

Quote:
On the advice of many from BackYardChickens, we painted the interior of our coop (see pictures and details here: http://www.betterhensandgardens.com/2010/07/04/new-chicken-coop-protection/ ); and after over a year, are very glad we did. You might want to consider painting/protecting the interior in addition to linoleum.

Also, if you take a look at the pictures, you can get an idea of the amount of ventilation in our coop, initially it seemed like it would be plenty; however, we're adding vents at the ends near the top - lots of ventilation is a good thing.

 

[angry gary]

Quote:
i picked up some similiar to them at lowe's for under $2 each.