Looking for advice on turning a shed into a coop

[cmom]

You may get some ideas here on your coop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/chicken-coops.12/

 

[BarelyCoop]

Rooster - you seem to have a lot of land and no immediate neighbors (that can be seen in the pictures), so you’ll probably be okay in terms of noise. How far from the coop is your house, and are your bedroom windows facing it?

I live on several acres and by ordinance I'm supposed to keep it max at 50 dba during the day and 45 dba at night. All neighbors around have acres of property as well so going over this limit here and there is probably not an issue. Plus there is a shooting range not too far so this isn't exactly the quietest neighborhood. Coop is about 200 ft from the house, master bedroom facing it at an angle. Would a rooster really provide that much more protection though?

To answer rosemarythyme and Mary, yes I can have rooster I guess as long as the neighbors dont complain about the noise he makes. I don't mind them being aggressive as I would primarily be getting them for protection so I think aggressiveness might help. Plus it would help with the not-getting-too-attach aspect as I cannot imagine having a pet one day and then eating it the next

 

[K0k0shka]

Would a rooster really provide that much more protection though?

Eh... In a free range situation, with a rooster is probably better than without a rooster, but still no guarantee. Safest of all is a secure pen, but once you go the free range route, you accept a certain degree of risk. Even if you are out there with them while they free range... some predators are bold, or desperate, and will try regardless, especially in fall/winter. A good rooster will be on the lookout and sound alarm calls to warn his flock, or even try to fight predators to protect the flock. But not all roosters do, and even the good ones may not notice a very sneaky predator, or may not react fast enough, etc. etc.... So it's better than without, but not significantly.

 

[BarelyCoop]

We have used gravel over the ground in some runs, and I have my reservations about it, because of the difficulty of shoveling poop/snow without taking the gravel along with it. The big *but* is, if you have any drainage/flooding issues at all, the gravel will be worth the hassle.

The shed sits on the side of a hill so there shouldn't be any problems with standing water. Some covered areas might get damp during heavier rain as the water comes down the hill. The only place right now I'm thinking about using gravel is in the coop itself, and if I only have to clean it out rarely due to DLM, then gravel shouldn't be too big of a headache. I haven't seen the inside get muddy at any point at all but on the flip side I had no business going in there at all so my observations are limited in scope. I'll cover the run with wood shavings or something similar just to keep the potential muddiness to the minimum.

The other thing you might want to consider is, before you add any birds, consider treating all surfaces with mite/lice control - permethrin should work.

Thank you for this, I normally try to keep chemical use to a minimum on the property, but it might be necessary in this case. I'll look further into this.

 

[BarelyCoop]

Eh... In a free range situation, with a rooster is probably better than without a rooster, but still no guarantee. Safest of all is a secure pen, but once you go the free range route, you accept a certain degree of risk. Even if you are out there with them while they free range... some predators are bold, or desperate, and will try regardless, especially in fall/winter. A good rooster will be on the lookout and sound alarm calls to warn his flock, or even try to fight predators to protect the flock. But not all roosters do, and even the good ones may not notice a very sneaky predator, or may not react fast enough, etc. etc.... So it's better than without, but not significantly.

Let me throw this into the mix for the sake of discussion... how about a goat or some other equally sized low maintenance farm animal for added protection? Is it better to just get a dog at that point that does well with chickens? I'm thinking if smaller predators see something bigger walking around with the chickens, they normally keep their distance?

 

[cmom]

Keeping a secure coop and run is best. You have to feed the protectors and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Good luck and have fun...

 

[cmom]

And

 

[K0k0shka]

Let me throw this into the mix for the sake of discussion... how about a goat or some other equally sized low maintenance farm animal for added protection?

Hadn't heard that one before... Seems questionable to me. Quick search shows some discussions on the subject on BYC:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/do-goats-protect-chickens.768072/
Anecdotes are not convincing. It will probably depend on how bold your predators are, and how lucky you are. I had a neighbor witness a hawk attack while she was out with her chickens, with 2 dogs, and 10 children, in her back yard. The attack happened just a few feet from where she was standing. So... it's still a risk. If you decide to give it a try, do make sure to get more than one goat. They're very social and need friends.

Dog would be better, but that's a whole new commitment, if you're up for it... Would need to be the right breed/temperament and be trained so it can do its job and not just play with (or try to eat) the chickens

 

[cmom]

My neighbor has goats and has lost several to coyotes.

 

[Cryss]

I live on several acres and by ordinance I'm supposed to keep it max at 50 dba during the day and 45 dba at night. All neighbors around have acres of property as well so going over this limit here and there is probably not an issue. Plus there is a shooting range not too far so this isn't exactly the quietest neighborhood. Coop is about 200 ft from the house, master bedroom facing it at an angle. Would a rooster really provide that much more protection though?

To answer rosemarythyme and Mary, yes I can have rooster I guess as long as the neighbors dont complain about the noise he makes. I don't mind them being aggressive as I would primarily be getting them for protection so I think aggressiveness might help. Plus it would help with the not-getting-too-attach aspect as I cannot imagine having a pet one day and then eating it the next

Yes there is the protection thing with free ranging roosters. Do you have small children? Could your rooster get into a neighbors yard where children are playing? If not then you could try having a rooster. Hopefully you won’t get an aggressive one. We’re not talking about aggression toward hens or critters. We are talking about aggression towards humans including the ones that feed him. Don’t judge his temperament before he reaches maturity. Young cockerels are usually the sweetest in the flock. Then hormones hit. Been there, done that, got the rooster.