Need help turning my garden shed into a coop

[MadabtChickens]

The only things you might have to worry about are hawks when the chickens are free ranging.

Yeah. We're going to see how it goes and if we lose any during the day then they'll probably end up being confined to the run. There are a lot of hawks around here that hang out in the trees by the house. I'm guessing there's no way to scare them off. lol

 

[Bullitt]

Yeah. We're going to see how it goes and if we lose any during the day then they'll probably end up being confined to the run. There are a lot of hawks around here that hang out in the trees by the house. I'm guessing there's no way to scare them off. lol

Well, you could build a birdhouse for Purple Martins, which will chase away hawks and crows. That is why farmers always try to have Martin houses up on poles.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1998-02-01/Three-Level-Birdhouse.aspx


You can also make Martin houses by cutting a hole in gourds and hanging the gourds on strings. I think the gourds can be painted to make them last a long time.

 

[bairo]

very good choice on the breeds as starters

. I think you might be happier with New Hampshire Reds versus RIR's though (IMPO)
As far as ventilation goes....read this article, it is very informative. https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop
Good luck, and keep us informed. This is a very addictive hobby

Okay. I had a big huge thing typed up and it disappeared, so I'm paraphrasing now. They are going to be free roam during the day, but we will be covering the top of the fenced in area for when we don't want them free roaming. Will I still need roof vents if I have a window? I will more than likely have the big doors open and a fan running during the summer. My uncle will be coming to run electric to the coop. Can you guys post pictures of the ventilation you have in your coops please? There is some siding on the inside of the coop, but it only goes up to the vertical beam, so there is no chance the chickens will fall down there.

The dogs have their own fenced-in yard and will only be around the chickens when we are. I'm not worried about them eating poo. The only one I let lick me doesn't eat poo and she's had plenty of chances with cows and horses all around us which is why she's the only one that's allowed to lick.

I don't care about how colorful, or not, the chickens are. I just want pretty eggs and average production. We picked up 4 Delawares and 2 Silkies yesterday. We will pick up 4 EEs and 4 RIRs when we can find them. We do not want any roos, so will be getting rid of whatever turns out to be a male.

I'm sorry if I missed any other questions. I stopped get notifications on this thread for some weird reason and it's kinda hard to catch up. I will read through the replies later and answer anything I missed. Thank you so much for your help so far!

 

[Coop de Grille]

We are near the end of converting a shed into a coop also. I added an additional vent to the top, right under the one that is in this picture. In the spring I am going to add a window on the left side wall to let sunlight in and to add ventilation. My run is only partially covered with a tin roof, then the rest is covered with hardware cloth mesh. I covered just enough to keep their grit bowl covered, and I can stand in there without getting wet on a rainy day.




I cut the inside back by four feet to have room to store feed and supplies. I keep this door open all day to air out the coop and let them get some sunshine. These pictures were taken before the chicks were put in the coop.




I have two doors because I am going to split it down the middle and make a left/right side coop. I will be adding a run off the left. This way I can put sick/broody hens or new chicks out in the coop without having to put them in with my older chickens.



I made nest boxes out of a shelf and dishpans. For now I put it behind the second door so I can access the nests without having to step inside the coop.

 

[bairo]

I think your doing a great job. Looks nice.

 

[MadabtChickens]

Thank you for the pictures, Chicken_S. And thank you everybody else for the input. I will post when I get the coop all finished.

 

[MadabtChickens]

Got the roost and the nest boxes done. Now we just need to get bedding and more ventilation.

 

[Bullitt]

It looks like a chicken palace, both of these shed conversions. Having a storage area makes a lot of sense, and you can open the main doors without the chickens getting out and to allow air and sunshine to get in.

MadabtChickens, if that is the height your nesting boxes will be at, you might want to add one more nesting box low to the ground if you plan to have any Silkies, as you mentioned.

Also, it appears the nesting boxes are sitting on a workbench or something. The chickens will stand on top of the boxes and in front of the boxes and poop there. Can you mount the nesting boxes to the wall? You can put a board at an angle on top of the nesting boxes so the chickens won't stand there. You can also just mount a pole in front of the nesting boxes to allow the chickens to hop up there, but there won't be a flat surface for the chickens to poop on. It will be easier to clean this way.

It's looking good.

 

[MontanaMomma]

I think the type and amount of ventilation needed depends on how many chickens you will have and what the weather is like where you are. We get cold winters here so I opted for several the vents like the one on your sheds rather than windows. Soffit vents are also nice in cold weather- no direct drafts on my babies! We have HOT summers so this summer we will construct a screen door that will go on in the summer then the insulated door will go back on for winter!

 

[MadabtChickens]

It looks like a chicken palace, both of these shed conversions. Having a storage area makes a lot of sense, and you can open the main doors without the chickens getting out and to allow air and sunshine to get in.

MadabtChickens, if that is the height your nesting boxes will be at, you might want to add one more nesting box low to the ground if you plan to have any Silkies, as you mentioned.

Also, it appears the nesting boxes are sitting on a workbench or something. The chickens will stand on top of the boxes and in front of the boxes and poop there. Can you mount the nesting boxes to the wall? You can put a board at an angle on top of the nesting boxes so the chickens won't stand there. You can also just mount a pole in front of the nesting boxes to allow the chickens to hop up there, but there won't be a flat surface for the chickens to poop on. It will be easier to clean this way.

It's looking good.

We have a garage 10' from the coop, so we will be storing bedding, food, and all that other stuff in there. If the Silkies can't get from the roost to the nest boxes then we will put a ramp up to the boxes. All that is there was built for the chickens, so we don't care if they stand there and the poop won't be hard to clean off. If we get annoyed with it then we'll fix it so they can't stand there. Thank you for the input.