Home depot sheds converted into coops?

[aubreynoramarie]

Has anyone done this? I am having to move very soon and I don't know what to do about my coop situation. I have five LF and four bantams and their current coop is built into out house so it can't come with us. I cannot build things, and even if I had the resources to do so my girls would have nowhere safe to go during the weeks it would take to build it. I have NO money, the only way I can buy one of these sheds is if I get the deposit back on the house were currently in.

Help??

 

[airmechreed]

It can be done...any structure can be made a coop, however even if you do it yourself it will take some money to get materials unless you have recycled materials available. I just built my own coop and run for about 300.00 but I too had no money so I did it over about 6 weeks but I had a small flock of 4 and a used rabbit cage for them to hang out while I did the construction, I also have a little bit of construction know how. Good Luck I hope all goes well for you.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Try looking on Craigs list too. You don't need a really big structure for 5 hens.

 

[lutz123]

We looked at Home Depot sheds when we were doing our coop design and ultimately decided against it because the quality wasn't as good as what a few of the local shed companies could offer for the same price or less. I didn't look at where you are located, but we can get Amish built sheds here pretty inexpensively in the Mid-Atlantic, and they are abundant.

As for conversion, regardless of where we bought it from, we wanted ventilation, and then just needed to add a chicken door, roosts, and nestboxes. We also opted for the entire floor being covered in glasboard (or you could use linoleum). Very easy conversion.

We looked at craigslist, but couldn't find anything that was cheap enough to make up for having to rent something to have it transported to our home (we wanted 8x10). It was easier just to buy new. I have seen some pretty creative coops though, and you could surely find something on craigslist that would be fun to use. Oh! I saw a wooden playhouse that was super cute at costco for $250. Could you swing that? Hardware cloth would make it safe.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Another thing that occurred to me is you could look up hoop coop on this forum and see if that might be an option for even a temporary coop. They look a little easier to make using cattle panels and pvc pipes and tarp.

 

[chicken995]

I vote craigslist as well. In the past two weeks I have seen two FREE coops come up in my area.

 

[Meghalu]

There is some good examples of shed/composter/deck storage container coops on this website http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/hhotm.html
Scroll down a bit and you'll see what I mean. The deck storage container in particular I think only costs about $100 from Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[ducks_rcool329]

This might be a little small, but you could always add on to it when you have the chance...
http://reno.craigslist.org/grd/2405910731.html
Hope that helps

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:
yep i saw that one, but i could buy a 4x4 shed for 100 smackers more!

I think one of the attractive things about getting a shed is that our new backyard is HUGE and in a shed i could also store the birds' food and bedding containers. Not to mention i would like to have a few more birds. Money isnt usually an issue but we have alot of things in this house that we have to fix before we move in, and its totally wiping us out.
I am going to check out some shed companies as well. i hadnt though of that. I drove by lowes this morning to look at their sheds. the steel ones were not as hot inside as i had thought they would be, but lowes seems more expensive than home depot. I dunno. were also thinking about getting goats to keep with the chickens since this yard already has a structure that would make a fine goat shelter. Do goats help deter cats and raccoons? those are our only predators.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Yep, I have a Lowe's shed (same thing as Home Depot sheds) that we converted. I love it! I wish we had poured a cement floor though instead of using the wood one that came with it. We are ripping that out this summer and pouring cement.