How would I turn this shed into a coop?

[Book]

If I got a shed like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Arrow-Hamlet-8-ft-x-6-ft-Steel-Storage-Building-HM86/100660039

How could I turn it into a coop? I would need a way to cut ventilation holes right? How?

Putting in roosts wouldn't be hard, nest boxes wouldn't be hard.

Could I make it movable do you think?

How many chickens would it house if the chickens are free ranging during the day?

 

[Hokum Coco]

How could I turn it into a coop? I would need a way to cut ventilation holes right? How? I put my ventilation ports in my doors also my Pop door for the birds (I wish in my set up I had of put it a little higher up about 12 inches due to the litter over the winter).

Could I make it movable do you think? My coop is 4x8 and I have it resting on a 2 wheel trailer that I was lucky enough to obtain.

How many chickens would it house if the chickens are free ranging during the day? Rule of thumb says 12.

If you are subject to winter in you area I would suggest doing away with those sliding doors and convert them to hinged doors swing out. Ice snow froze chicken poop will clog up the track and make the doors near impossible to open.

Here are a few tips and a quick look at my set up.

Watering

For along time I used heater tape around a bucket with chicken watering nipples. It worked excellent. However me being me I neglected to change the water as often as I should. This is what it looks like and it thermostatically controlled to come on at just above the freezing temperature. You would have to wrap it to suit your particular application if it is viable for your set up. It is available at Home Depot in Canada.




Last year I switched to white rubber contains the wife found somewhere. The freeze solid every night but the ice just pops out of them in the morning and I replenish them with fresh warm water. They have black ones at the feed store that are similar but large than mine.

The chickens congregate around them like people having their morning coffee. The only draw back is my yard is pepper with small ice bergs the size of the buckets.

April looks after that however..


My Coop is a salvaged 4x8 metal shed insulated with Styrofoam covered with veneer from interior doors from Habitat From Humanity. My floor are planks with a layer of tin for rodent proofing. On top of the tin I have a piece of vinyl flooring cut one foot longer than the length and width of my coop (roughly). Six inches squares are cut out of the 4 corners of the vinyl flooring. This allows the friction fitted flooring to travel up the walls six inches around the perimeter of my 4x8 salvaged metal coop. Shovel out the heavy stuff into a wheel barrow. Pop out the vinyl flooring hose it off pop it back in ( I recently cut the flooring into 3 smaller mats (easier to get in and out of the coop.)
Easy Peasy!

Bedding
I have used all types of litter for coops.

I have not tried sand (sand gets good reviews on this site).

Of all the things I tried to date wood pellets have been the best. (I tried wood pellets as a last resort when pine shavings were not available.) They are super absorbent and swell up and eventually turn to saw dust. The droppings just seem to vanish and turn to dust when it comes in contact with wood pellets .

Replace my litter and clean my coop every October after I harvest my garden.


Works for me in my deep litter method.

I do add to pellets from time to time.

I have anywhere from 10 to 24 birds housed in my 4x8 coop.

Through the winter months the pellets froze harder than concrete with -40º temperatures. The poop froze before it could be absorbed by the pellets and there was like a crusty layer of poop in certain areas where they collectively took aim (no smell, messy feet or flies @ -40º). When the crust got big enough to handle with gloves I picked it up and dropped it into my compost bin. Come April things started to look after themselves.

Nest boxes
In my nest boxes I fold a feed bag to fit (nest boxes are 1 ft³). When a bag gets soiled; fold a new one; pop out the soiled; pop in the new. Feed bags are a nylon mesh bag frozen poop just peels off in below freezing temperatures and just flakes off in summer when left out in the sun to bake and dry.



POOP BOARDS are the "BEST" addition yet. Handles well over ½ of the poop in my set up keeps ammonia smell in check 3½" below roost excellent for catching eggs laid through the night (roost are in cups for easier removal and cleaning). I recently friction fit a piece of vinyl flooring over my poop board.it makes clean up even easier; Pop out; Scrap; Hose; Pop in.

Winter months even easier flex over compost bin DONE!

Easy peasy!.

 

[res]

LOTS of ventilation holes! I've never lived in GA, but I've lived in the FL peninsula, and I assume your location will be just as hot and humid. I would also consider locking the doors open and making it an open front. It's pretty easy to make a "screen door" with a section of $20 cattle panel covered in hardware cloth. I've made several and they last forever and are very lightweight and easy to swing, even though they are super wide.

As for making it portable, I am not sure that will be very possible... Most metal sheds I have dealt with do not handle torque very well. However, You *might* be able to assemble it per the instructions, but do so on top of 2 reinforced 4x4 skids. Make sure you anchor your pulling apparatus to the skids, not the shed.

 

[Book]

Thank you all for the tips! I am leaning towards putting it right on the ground and not a floor, yes it would kill the grass but if I make it stationary it is going to kill the grass anyway! We free range during the day and lock up at night. So far we have only lost 3 birds one night when we forgot to lock up!

Any idea how one would go about making ventilation high up in the metal? What tool would one use?

 

[JadedPhoenix]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Suncast-...n-Storage-Shed-BMS7791/203702042?N=5yc1vZbtz2

Why not get one with windows to help with the ventilation?

 

[yellowbarn]

We just turned the Suncast Sutton into a chicken coop for 16 Barred Plymouth Hens, We placed it on skids to give it weight since we live in a windy area. Also, we removed the vent covers during the summer for better ventilation and installed a Pet Safe Pet Door which blends with the color of the shed. We're using the 12 x 18 baskets from Suncast for nesting boxes. The feeder, waterer, and a fan are hanging from the support truss. For once I have as chicken coop that is easy to keep clean.