My friend wants to convert a badly made storage shed into a chicken coop.

[JimWOllis]

Hello everyone,

So I have a bit of a dilemma in that a friend of mine is set on trying to convert an old badly made shed into a chicken coop for up to 5 chickens.

This will be the first time my friend has ever had chickens and they want to use & convert the existing structure instead of tearing it down (although it does not necessarily need to be torn down in place of a coop).

The current shed is made of particle board and the floor is already in a state of semi-rot, there is no existing ventilation and this would have to be added on, along with a run area for the chickens, a ramp, nesting boxes and roosting bars a door way for the chickens to come and go etc.

I think it is a bad idea to try to modify this poorly built shed structure and am primarily concerned with the health of the birds. I am also involved with permaculture design so I know there is a better way to build a coop and stack functions in some manner.

Any advice on convincing my friend this is a bad idea? I plan to show her a few other local coops that two friends have which were designed for chickens.

I'm somewhat open to seeing plans of a retrofit if anyone has done something like this before successfully, but my knowledge in construction and experience seeing other coops is telling me this is a bad idea.


I can take pictures of the existing shed if that's needed for further info.

My friend also has another friend saying that this it is a good idea to use the existing shed, but they also do not have much construction experience or practical experience with chickens.


Best regards,
- Jim Ollis

 

[silis]

Your friend could take out the rotten parts and replace them with new wood from stores like Lowes. that will not cost much. And chickens are pretty simple to keep so it should not be a big deal. She should first ask if she can have chickens where she lives.

or if its really really bad she can buy a new one or build one herself. You could find one on the internet for a few hundred dollars. Don't worry

 

[scooter147]

As far as the rotten boards are concerned direct her to the predator threads. That way she can read the posts on how predators can be to get a chicken dinner and if rotten a raccoon especially will just rip right through it.
So is she replaces the rotten boards retrofitting the rest of the coop so a few hens can live comfortable and healthy is not that big of a chore. I've done it a couple times and trust me I have trouble hanging a picture.

 

[aart]

Could always just take the rotten floor out if the rest of it (especially the roof) is intact...but yes, there's more to consider when building something and some folks just like to cobble it....and some folks don't. It's their building so.....all you can do is advise.

Some pics would be helpful for folks here to comment on and your friends can see the remarks and decide.