Plastic sheds as coop Ideas

[Marcymom3]

This was a very timely topic for me. Before Christmas I found a 4x8' Rubbermaid Shed on an e-bulletin board for sale for $100, and was lucky enough to be the first person interested. The people had disassembled it and it was in really great shape. For the moment I am using it for storing the metal trashcans I keep feed and scratch in. Oh, and a bale of shavings. I had the same idea to use the bottom for storage and put a pop door into the existing run. But I'm worried about ventilation. I am wondering how successfully we will be able to put some inexpensive small windows in it. Was actually thinking of putting some hardware cloth covered openings on the doors and maybe the back wall. For $100 I didn't think I could go wrong!

Thanks for posting!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I have a rubbermaid shed as a coop. Look on my page for pictures. It works well for me, although lacking in charm. Very easy to clean. One concern people have is getting too hot. Mine does not get hot, but it is in the shade most of the time. It came with a plastic/resin floor. I just drilled a small hole and cut the pop hole with a jigsaw. I do not have a pop door.
I don't think you'd want to cut holes in the walls to fill the air channels.

Imp

Here's a link, 'cause finding pages confuses me. lol
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/imps-chickens-and-coop

What a timely post Imp! I had been looking back through old threads and found a post about seeing your BYC page. But I couldn't find your BYC page even after clicking on your profile.

I looked and looked! Then here you have a link to it- thank you very much!

Thank you for the thread, OP. I am thinking about making our Rubbermaid shed the coop.

 

[Imp]

Quote: I just read in the last day or so that you can put the link to your page in the "coop" field in your profile under community, and it will show up as a link under your avatar. I did it, and it works.
Imp

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: I just read in the last day or so that you can put the link to your page in the "coop" field in your profile under community, and it will show up as a link under your avatar. I did it, and it works.
Imp






Thank you! I just put the link under my avatar.

Your coop is nice and that is just what I want to do- put in some wooden droppings boards and have the whole thing removable. I have some linoleum scraps for the floor I might use as the floor is textured.

I will be adding some type of window or ventilation hole to the shed but don't want to make the same mistake I made with my metal shed...too much ventilation and the whole thing is wet on the inside...floor, ceilings, walls. The fog rolls inside the coop.

Thank you Imp!

 

[blessedchick]

Is it hard to put a window in the vinyl/resin sheds? What about the pop door?

I just keep going back and forth between the less expensive, metal, Arrow sheds and the resin, more $$ Lifetime shed. The Lifetime shed would just need some additional ventilation tweaks and the Arrow would need windows and more ventilation...any input??

Thank you all!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Is it hard to put a window in the vinyl/resin sheds? What about the pop door?

I just keep going back and forth between the less expensive, metal, Arrow sheds and the resin, more $$ Lifetime shed. The Lifetime shed would just need some additional ventilation tweaks and the Arrow would need windows and more ventilation...any input??

Thank you all!

I can give you my opinion although I am not the expert here:

What I have discovered is that I had mold in my metal shed coop due to the condensation on the roof and walls. I bleach it ever so often but ugh! In the past I had kept it warmer inside it. This winter I didn't keep it very warm and I had terrible mold smell in there. I will not put chickens back in there unless I have to. My Rubbermaid Big Max shed is dry as a bone in there, I believe because it has those thick walls (air insulation gap).

But I live in the Pac. NW where the wintertime equals rain.

I have been reading about sawzall cutting through the resin sheds ok. I have to buy one and hopefully it will work because I need to cut out the pop door.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
I drilled a hole and used a jigsaw. I saved the piece so I could put it back if I ever decommisioned the resin shed. Was very easy to cut. I do not have a popdoor just a pophole into the run.

I've been looking for an old stained glass window to put in the shed so I can see it from the house. I have a light in it. My plan was to cut a hole the same size as the window and sandwich it with a wood frame in and out, and bolt the whole thing together, with some silicone to seal it.

Imp

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
I drilled a hole and used a jigsaw. I saved the piece so I could put it back if I ever decommisioned the resin shed. Was very easy to cut. I do not have a popdoor just a pophole into the run.

I've been looking for an old stained glass window to put in the shed so I can see it from the house. I have a light in it. My plan was to cut a hole the same size as the window and sandwich it with a wood frame in and out, and bolt the whole thing together, with some silicone to seal it.

Imp




Stained glass will be gorgeous!

I have enjoyed seeing other people's stained glass they have in the coop...there were two of them that posted on BYC with pics.

Thank you for the jigsaw reference, as we have one of those already.

 

[JenBirdRansom]

I make stained glass windows (and other art pieces) and am just outside Seattle so if I can be of any help....just let me know.

 

[mondotomhead]

I bought one of the plastic/resin sheds last autumn pretty much the same size and shape as your picture. I really love it. Its very easy to clean, the shavings I use easily sweeps up. We made roosts out out 2x4's for my 10 little bantams and there is room for ten more when we make roosts for the other side. My DD used a jigsaw(?) to cut out a chicken door in the side and we put hinges and a "locking" hinge on the piece we took out. The piece snaps right back in. This door opens into a chicken run.

I wish I had a picture to show you but I'm at work right now.