Garden Shed Hen House Remodel

[blackdog043]

If you have good ventilation but not drafty on your chickens they will be fine. A dry cold coop is much better than a smaller warm humid coop.

When you cut out your poop door, make sure you have it 6 - 8 inches above your floor. This will help keep your bedding in the coop when they go in & out.

 

[LJoWilly]

Very nice!!

 

[RonC]

Chickens will pick pebbles out of the dirt in the run but a handful or two of grit won't hurt either.

 

[UrbnGardenPeeps]

Fallacy...adequate ventilation makes 'holding heat' moot.

Roosts in run are fine, keep them lower than the ones in coop,
they prefer to sleep on the hghest place.

Thanks! That article is very informative! The shed has venting all around the eaves as well as having the two windows. We're going to retool the human door so it will have hardware cloth with removable wood panels. From what the article said, I'd be better off insulating the walls and just managing drafts in winter? Making sure the roost isn't "in the line of fire" from wind, etc. The coldest it's ever gotten here is about -6.

 

[UrbnGardenPeeps]

Chickens will pick pebbles out of the dirt in the run but a handful or two of grit won't hurt either.

Ok, I will probably feel better with both.

 

[UrbnGardenPeeps]

If you have good ventilation but not drafty on your chickens they will be fine. A dry cold coop is much better than a smaller warm humid coop.

When you cut out your poop door, make sure you have it 6 - 8 inches above your floor. This will help keep your bedding in the coop when they go in & out.

So would we need a ramp inside too then?

 

[blackdog043]

No, I have mine 6 inches from the floor. I nailed a couple 2 x 4's between the studs, to make it wider for them to walk over, instead of just the wood siding. Hope that makes sense, I don't have a picture.

 

[UrbnGardenPeeps]

Yeah that does make sense. Good idea.

 

[aart]

Thanks! That article is very informative! The shed has venting all around the eaves as well as having the two windows. We're going to retool the human door so it will have hardware cloth with removable wood panels. From what the article said, I'd be better off insulating the walls and just managing drafts in winter? Making sure the roost isn't "in the line of fire" from wind, etc. The coldest it's ever gotten here is about -6.

I wouldn't bother insulating, drafts should be observed and managed.
I use cardboard baffles in winter, on mesh 'ceiling' of coop, right over main roost which is close to open eave.

You must mean the ventilation article in my signature?
Some good info there but all not carved in stone.
Here's a pretty good discussion on ventilation:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1048597/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts

 

[UrbnGardenPeeps]

You must mean the ventilation article in my signature?
Some good info there but all not carved in stone.
Here's a pretty good discussion on ventilation:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1048597/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts

Yes, I was referring to your signature. Thanks for sharing the thread. I read the entire thing!

The two windows on my shed face north and east. Winds always come from the west around here. The drafts would really just be between the two windows. If I put my roost in the southwest corner, would I ever really need to close up the windows during the winter? There are vents in the eaves continuously around the edge - like house vents.