Ch1ckPea
In the Brooder
Hi! First off, thanks for everything I’ve already learned from you guys just by lurking around here. I did that thing I’m not supposed to do, I bought baby chicks before my coop and run were done. They are only 3 days old, so we should have enough time if we get on it soon! I have this sweet shed I am planning to convert, but I have next to no construction experience, nor does my husband, so feel free to speak to me like I’m a child! We do have access to tons of tools, all kinds of saws, all kinds of scrap wood, old windows, etc. We just moved in with my elderly grandmother to assist her after my woodworking/collector grandpa passed away, so we’ve got lots at our disposal.
I’ll put all my questions at the end for ease, also I appreciate any feedback otherwise! And blind guesses on what chicks I have! Got an assortment of 10 from Meyer (half rare breed, half rainbow) plus Meal Maker.
First, baby chick tax.
The shed in question:
It has metal siding and roof and is lined with plywood inside and has a plywood floor. Groundhogs have dug under and I can see it’s up on cinderblocks. (Working on eliminating groundhogs and will replace dirt) No pics of inside as it still needs to be cleared out but overall it seems pretty weather-proof.
Now, the plans I have drawn up for it. The shed is 7.5’x10.5’ on the outside and I plan to make the run 10.5x12 off the left side as you are facing the door. I’d like to put one of those wire walls I see so often on here about 3 ft inside the door of the shed for storage.
Front:
Side of shed that indicates how I want to do ventilation. Basically, holes right under the eaves, covered in hardware cloth but always open. Both sides of shed. I live in Southern MO. This will give me about 10-12 square feet of vent not including the 2x2 windows front and back. Plan to close those up in the winter.
Ok, brace yourself, here comes the questions.
How exactly will I cut these vents and the hole in the back? Should I take off the metal panels and just chop six inches off the top and replace, same with the plywood on the inside? Do I cut it while it’s still attached to the building? I don’t know if there will be studs between the metal and plywood or not. How will I seal that gap between the metal and plywood? Expanding foam? Cutting wood to fasten longways between the vertical pieces? Like I said, we have all kinds of tools, I saw something that looked like power tin snips. This is the part that is stressing me the most.
Can I just cover the windows in hardware cloth from the inside, then staple over heavy duty plastic in the winter? We do get down to 0F occasionally in the winter.
If anybody knows of a great tutorial or video on how to build doors, please link me. We will need a new solid one for the coop and a mesh one for the run.
If I wanted to save a little money, could I cover the whole run in welded wire, then only the bottom portion and the apron with hardware cloth? How far up does the hardware cloth need to go? I’ve read 2 or 3 feet. Don’t want to cut corners on safety so if we have to we will do all hardware cloth.
Any ideas how I can connect the top of the run to the top of the coop?
Really appreciate your help!
I’ll put all my questions at the end for ease, also I appreciate any feedback otherwise! And blind guesses on what chicks I have! Got an assortment of 10 from Meyer (half rare breed, half rainbow) plus Meal Maker.
First, baby chick tax.
The shed in question:
It has metal siding and roof and is lined with plywood inside and has a plywood floor. Groundhogs have dug under and I can see it’s up on cinderblocks. (Working on eliminating groundhogs and will replace dirt) No pics of inside as it still needs to be cleared out but overall it seems pretty weather-proof.
Now, the plans I have drawn up for it. The shed is 7.5’x10.5’ on the outside and I plan to make the run 10.5x12 off the left side as you are facing the door. I’d like to put one of those wire walls I see so often on here about 3 ft inside the door of the shed for storage.
Front:
Side of shed that indicates how I want to do ventilation. Basically, holes right under the eaves, covered in hardware cloth but always open. Both sides of shed. I live in Southern MO. This will give me about 10-12 square feet of vent not including the 2x2 windows front and back. Plan to close those up in the winter.
Ok, brace yourself, here comes the questions.
How exactly will I cut these vents and the hole in the back? Should I take off the metal panels and just chop six inches off the top and replace, same with the plywood on the inside? Do I cut it while it’s still attached to the building? I don’t know if there will be studs between the metal and plywood or not. How will I seal that gap between the metal and plywood? Expanding foam? Cutting wood to fasten longways between the vertical pieces? Like I said, we have all kinds of tools, I saw something that looked like power tin snips. This is the part that is stressing me the most.
Can I just cover the windows in hardware cloth from the inside, then staple over heavy duty plastic in the winter? We do get down to 0F occasionally in the winter.
If anybody knows of a great tutorial or video on how to build doors, please link me. We will need a new solid one for the coop and a mesh one for the run.
If I wanted to save a little money, could I cover the whole run in welded wire, then only the bottom portion and the apron with hardware cloth? How far up does the hardware cloth need to go? I’ve read 2 or 3 feet. Don’t want to cut corners on safety so if we have to we will do all hardware cloth.
Any ideas how I can connect the top of the run to the top of the coop?
Really appreciate your help!
