Just purchased this shed for new coop!!!

[AngieMaesChix]

It’s 8.5x12.5!!! So how many chickens can I house comfortably?? I’m super excited about this find!! Will be picking up once this quarantine is over and hopefully the ground a bit more solid if not be fighting mud lol but it will be worth it!! Was not previously used as a shed so I’d like to see some of your designs for the inside!! I’m going to do an all open coop aside from I may put a brooder area(I’m not sure yet) to help with introductions for newbies...I figure three /four nesting boxes at most..and will probably go with the wood divider type for those along with various perches and of course a poop bar...I’ll also be repainting and adding ventilation...so let me see your coops and ideas!! Thanks in advance!!

 

[blackdog043]

I built an 8 x 12 coop, here's some pics for ideas.

Brooder under the poop board.

 

[mowin]

Nice find. Too bad it has to be dismantled. But it sounds like your husband has that part covered.

As far as snow, my gals hate it... Half of my run is covered. If there's more than a 1/2" of snow in the uncovered area, there won't be a track in it

 

[AngieMaesChix]

Yeah it’s gonna suck dismantling it but soo worth it in the end!! But this was a super find!! $300 is all I’m paying for it and I can make it however I want inside etc with saving this kind of money I can go pretty elaborate on ventilation windows and furnishings for the inside as well as the run and even gonna paint the outside though I’m not sure what colors yet my last was barn red / white trim which I do love..but thinking may a bit much here in town trying to think up something funny/cute to name it...kinda like some do on here like that eggplant one I may have to make a post/contest about that help me name my coop something with the color or my chickens or idk something...lots of creative people on here bet would get some good ideas!!

 

[Folly's place]

Very nice!
You have to dismantle it to move it, right? Big project, but a nice building.
Will you have it on a concrete foundation? If possible, that would be wonderful.
Do add big window openings, with hardware cloth, especially on the south and maybe east sides, and in the 'people door'. In winter you can partially cover them with rolled vinyl for wind protection. Also, hardware cloth over open soffets.
Having two or more sections in there that can be either open or closed as needed for the flock and new chicks is totally worth it! My coop/ run combination has grown over time, and is now larger than yours, and has five separate areas for that. Consider a hardware cloth wall with a door, so there's still good air flow whether closed or opened, and at least chicken doors to the outside from both sections.
Maybe fifteen standard sized birds, at least in winter, so everyone is comfortable. There will be times (weeks!) when the flock needs to be locked in, because of predation, or snowstorms, so be ready to manage that.
In summer, I go 'over capacity' a bit at times, but scale back by fall, so the flock can get along in winter. My summer chicks get thinned out, for the freezer or sold, so flock size will vary a bit.
Mary

 

[AngieMaesChix]

There will be a concrete foundation my man does concrete for a living so it’s a bonus I will have him add...and that’s what I’m thinking 15/20 birds max...I plan on adding as much ventilation as I can and the ole man will also be helping with that...I have a chain link run as well not sure on measurements but it’s decent sized though I will probably add on to it as well as add hardware cloth around and down into the ground along with a cover for the top probably half roofed for protection from elements such as providing shade...

 

[Acre4Me]

Nice find, and hello from Ohio!

not sure what you mean by all open coop. Will they have 24/7 access to the run, so pop door stays open? That is convenient, but likely means you need to have a predator proof run area.

Position the people door away from the prevailing winter winds and snow. Otherwise, door will freeze shut. Or plan to put a roof extension over the doorway.

when adding windows, don’t rely solely on those for ventilation. In the winter they still need ventilation, but not drafts on the birds. So, you will likely close the windows in winter. put lots of ventilation up high, well above the roosts. If you are dismantling this shed to move it, then you may have an opportunity to put the roof on top of some 2x4s (narrow side up) to get under-eave ventilation. Cover these openings with HWC. If winds create problems here during a storm, you can use thin furnace filters to mitigate the wind or add baffles to the outside of the shed to deflect wind. You can add roof vents as well, there are a variety of styles.


if goin on top of dirt ground, then add a HWC skirt to deter predators. If the ground gets soggy or any pooling water, then raise the ground, relocate the coop site, or raise the coop. We luckily built an elevated coop... one huge storm dropped a lot of rain and the southern most portion of the run (including the southern most portion of the coop footprint) had flowing water! The coop is 2.5’ above the ground. But the wind was fierce during that storm and still the corner of the coop got wet inside due to the driving rain!!! We were surprised. We fixed the issue, so no more flowing water in the run.

Make sure nest boxes are lower than roosts.

with that size coop, you can fit approx 25 birds. Less if you get a lot of snow and there won’t be any covered areas in the run, causing the birds to hang out in the coop More than usual.

good luck! It’s a nice project to plan for while staying at home!

 

[aart]

Nice size, but.....Geez, how ya going to move that thing?!
Is it wood or metal?
Check out my coop page......and the 3 articles linked in my signature.

 

[AngieMaesChix]

It will have to be disassembled...and it’s wood but some metal as well...

 

[AngieMaesChix]

No they won’t have 24/7 access to the run though it will be predator proof...I meant all open inside I’m debating on wether to add a little section to introduce new birds or separate it into two separated coops...but I think I’m going for the more open with a small section to introduce new flock members...there will be concrete floor in the coop but not the run I figure dirt would be better? I have a part of yard that stays primarily dry in the backyard so it should be a good spot...I like the idea of raising the roof for ventilation will be running that by Harv for sure...yeah I’m pretty excited to get started...hopefully be able to pick up within next couple weeks and get started on it..