Shed into Coop - Need Ideas & Suggestions

[JackE]

Ditto on the shredding......

And, I'd bet they would peck at, and eat the liquid nail seam sealer.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

I second JackE's suggestion on using BlackJack, just tried this product and I love the easy peasy installation. It will be a very durable under DLM floor surface. I would also second the chickens pecking and eating liquid nails that is peeking out of any seams, it tends to look like a worm or other tasty treat to the birds.

 

[clickdb]

Fair enough about the plastic, I am in such a hurry to finish I need to take a step back and think it through some more. I don't need it to be done "today!", so thanks for correcting my over zealousness.
I am going to look into the BJ57, that is the type of sealant I had originally had in mind. My local lowes doesn't carry it, nor any in a 50 mile radius apparently. I'll think about it some more and do something about it next weekend.
Thanks everyone!

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

I believe you can go to the Lowe's website, order it and have it delivered to your local store for pickup.

Or see what brand product that is similar that they carry, just don't go for an aluminized sealant meant for trailer roofs.

If you have an ACE Hardware nearby, they usually carry the Ames brand products which are awesome but rather expensive compared to the Blackjack 57.

 

[countrychix]

Your progress so far looks great. One suggestion though is if you have any heavy breeds as I do is you'll want a lower roost for them. I had a rooster jump from a 28" roost and break a leg. He was about 11 pounds at the time. He never healed correctly but after a year and a half is finally able to get around half way decent with very limited use of the bad leg. My bigger boys will not even try to roost even after I lowered the roosts to 20" off the floor. Keep up the good work.

 

[bbhorsefly]

The chickens will shred the plastic, I would not try that.  You want something good to cover the floor.  Go to Lowes and buy a big bucket of Blackjack #57.  It's a rubberized roof coat product.  If it can stand up to what mother nature throws at it year round, on a roof, protecting a chicken coop floor is nothing to it.  Unlike vinyl or linoleum, this stuff bonds tight to the floor.  Nothing will get under it.  It totally seals all floor joints, and the seam/gap where the walls meet the floor.  To apply, just stir well (The most important part), then just dump on the floor and push it around with a paint roller on a stick/mop handle.  I have had this stuff down in my coop for over 5 yrs, and it looks the same as it did when I first put it down.  IMO, it's the best coop floor protector you can get.

Ooooo! I've never heard of his before! I'll have to look at his stuff too! Now that I've gotten the chicken bug, I can see us adding more coops in future and this sounds great!

 

[clickdb]

Your progress so far looks great. One suggestion though is if you have any heavy breeds as I do is you'll want a lower roost for them. I had a rooster jump from a 28" roost and break a leg. He was about 11 pounds at the time. He never healed correctly but after a year and a half is finally able to get around half way decent with very limited use of the bad leg. My bigger boys will not even try to roost even after I lowered the roosts to 20" off the floor. Keep up the good work.

thanks for the encouragement, and the idea for a lower roost. I feel better about blocking off the rafters, i would hate for one of my birds to "fly" off them and break a leg. My flock consists of a few easter eggers, 2 delawares, 2 RIR/PRs, a barred rock, and a bunch of australorps. would any/all of those be considered heavy breeds? I keep reading about making the roosts as high as reasonably possible. I can always lower one of the ones i installed if they need it.

 

[olderoo]

How will you seal the openings in winter?

Ventilation is not the same as big holes in the walls. That seems good this time of year. And it does let air in.

But what you really want is air exchange, while excluding winters cold and frigid winds.
Big holes in the gables kinda defeat this.

Ventilation is typically achieved by inlets top and bottom, usually rain shielded. The rest of the house is kept tight.
One line of inlets is near the floor, with an exterior flashing cover over each to keep out rain.
The second, or exhaust vent, is near the roof line, protected by the roof overhang against driving rain there.
Windows that tilt out from the bottom or top have also been used to do the same.

The idea is to let out the respiration moisture that comes of keeping birds in an enclosed space, along with their raw animal heat. As you can guess, moisture in a desert environment is not such an issue, but once you close things up for winter, that changes.

Insulating is also an excellent plan. Have you considered it?.

 

[Cris Kelly]

My son and I are also converting a shed. It was built 70+ years ago and is rock solid, except for the roof. We are rebuilding the trusses and laying down a new roof. I'm still debating whether or not I should cut off access to the rafters. I love seeing all the coop builds and what elements are incorporated as well as the advice on flooring. Here's a picture of the shed, sans roof.

 

[olderoo]

Use the attic space for storage and keep the birds out.
There are plenty of things that need storing around a chicken coop

But, the last thing you need is chickens running amok overhead.