Need advice - resin shed as coop

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

I bought a prefab coop in September for my flock of 4. It suits them fine, but I want to expand my flock to 12 in the fall, so I am researching ideas for something larger now.

I have found this resin shed at home depot -

I would cut a pop door in the side, remove the plexiglass door windows and replace with hardware cloth, and add 2 of these roof vents which are supposed to be quite good at moving air -

There is a gable vent on the back side of this shed, which I could enlarge or duplicate on the front side.

I would add roosts and nesting boxes inside. It's 49 sq ft, so 4 sq ft per bird. I do have a large run but I don't confine the hens to the run, they can roam wherever they please (in the fenced in yard).

Thoughts?

 

[Matilda Belle]

I personally wouldn't do it. I think you'll have a humidity/temperature/ventilation problem with the plastic. @aart is the coop expert though; and perhaps she can chime in.

 

[aart]

Prefab sheds have some distinct disadvantages....like no roof overhangs , which makes it hard to protect any ventilation. The vent you propose might help but probably not enough.

I would add roosts and nesting boxes inside. It's 49 sq ft, so 4 sq ft per bird. I do have a large run but I don't confine the hens to the run, they can roam wherever they please (in the fenced in yard).

So bare minimum space requirements......and not great in an MA winter, unless the run is weather proof. Pics of run might help here.

 

[perkolator]

In my opinion I'd say its possible. Would probably be fine for where I'm at in CA where there isn't any humidity or real winter weather with snow and whatnot - all of which is a major factor in whether or not it would work. I'd think ventilation would be easy enough to figure out, but having a nonporous construction is the major challenge here as it will promote condensation inside. If this was going underneath a fully roofed structure where it's away from water/snow, that's an entirely different situation.

 

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

Thank you for the feedback! Sounds like I should reconsider. I have another coop idea, so I will post that in a new thread for more responses

 

[Mtnboomer]

I would not be surprised if you had condensation inside with only roof vents and mesh on the doors. Add vents to opposing sides as well and place so the unvented wall faces north.
Personally, you can easily build a better coop on a lower budget, but I totally understand the convenience factor.

 

[Chickiechickieboomboom]

I would not be surprised if you had condensation inside with only roof vents and mesh on the doors. Add vents to opposing sides as well and place so the unvented wall faces north.
Personally, you can easily build a better coop on a lower budget, but I totally understand the convenience factor.

I priced out my plan B coop idea last night, which is a 4'x16' lean-to coop that I would build from scratch myself using pressure treated lumber, plywood siding, and metal roofing. My materials list is over $900 and I am certain I am missing a lot of items I would need I'm also not confident in my ability to achieve a polished looking result.

 

[Acre4Me]

I priced out my plan B coop idea last night, which is a 4'x16' lean-to coop that I would build from scratch myself using pressure treated lumber, plywood siding, and metal roofing. My materials list is over $900 and I am certain I am missing a lot of items I would need I'm also not confident in my ability to achieve a polished looking result.

Your first egg will be the most expensive egg you've ever held.

I'm not sure how hot or humid you are in MA. If your plastic shed will be in the shade mostly or fully during the hot months, then it could work with all the ventilation discussed. But, if in full sun, I'd be hesitant to use an all-plastic coop because things like this can get very hot inside. Position of the coop will matter for ventilation too - making sure that air can move through yet not allow it to be really drafty or breezy on the roost area. But, this could work out well given the right placement and extra ventilation.

 

[ezeo]

it's easy to cut windows into a resin shed with a jigsaw. cover the windows with hardware cloth, and you have a well-ventilated coop.

 

[aart]

I priced out my plan B coop idea last night, which is a 4'x16' lean-to coop that I would build from scratch myself using pressure treated lumber, plywood siding, and metal roofing. My materials list is over $900 and I am certain I am missing a lot of items I would need I'm also not confident in my ability to achieve a polished looking result.

Why 4x16 instead of 8x8?
4' is tight for fitting everything into and getting in there yourself,
8x8 you could walk into during those nasty winter days.
You only need pressure treated wood for the parts that touch the ground.
For an example on building, look at shed plans for basic floor and wall framing,
other things can be tweaked, like big roof overhangs with soffit venting.