Thoughts on converting a corner of this shed.

[Lilion]

If you haven't seen my prior posts, I live in SW Missouri. I'm getting 4 hens given to me in a couple weeks. Biggest worry is summer heat and humidity and predators.

This is our old, really cruddy, garden shed. It's 10x25. We only use it to store the mower and some fishing equipment. My thought was to take a 5x5 corner (first pic) and wall it off with hardware cloth. This is a very non-secure shed. As you can see, there are big gaps around the door and even at the roof (pics 2-4). We can NOT predator-proof the shed, but we CAN the corner in question whis is, ironically, the best sealed and driest part of the shed. We can add vents at the roof if necessary and windows are planned. This end of the shed is in shade and on the north side.

Biggest downsides I'm aware of: There is no electric or water and it's about 120 feet from the house, but we can run a very long extension cord if necessary for heated water, fans, etc. It's also right on our property line, close to the neighbors with small dogs and cats. I'll post more about that in the replies discussing the run.

All thoughts are welcome.

P.S. The rest of our property is WAY nicer than this awful shed!

 

[SourRoses]

Check out @3KillerBs article about ventilation.

From this thread and your other, I get the sense that you may be thinking of imperfect seals in your shed as ventilation substitutes. But air coming in any old where is not the same as targeted intentional ventilation. I hope that makes sense. Being made of metal you need to up the ventilation over what a wooden coop needs.

As for size, 5x5 might work in the strictest sense for 4 hens, but it won't offer you just-in-case for chicken math. It will be awkward to work inside of. It looks like you have much more space than that to work with.
"Bigger is always better". Seriously, I have never heard of anyone complaining their coop is too big. But we all wish for bigger... and still bigger...

I don't see why you are poopooing your shed. It looks structurally sound and useful.
Pictures abound of beautiful coops, but they are taken before it's been in service long, if at all.
"No plan survives contact with the enemy poo".

 

[SourRoses]

it looks as if a bear could tear off tin at the corners.

A bear could get into any coop. Bears get into houses and vehicles. Some people fend them off with baited electric wire. Or shoot them. But a coop would need to be built of thick concrete and strong doors to rely on it keeping them out...

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you. We may go a bit bigger, 5x5 was my thought but we'll really attach the walls where the rafters are so may be more like 6 or 7. We'll see.

As for ventilation, I do get it, which is why I asked the last question. How many vents up at the roofline do I need? Its 25 feet long. Grates are 16". I would hope to not do one every opening... more like every other... but if necessary I guess I could do all the way across.

I have a 6x8x6 coop and and 6x8x6 run. Im doing a sloped roof 6 inches on front, with windows on 3 sides of the coop at the top. And I hope that'll be all the venitlation they need. I hear alot that we generally underestimate our ventilation. Im much happier with my coop temp after slooping my roof today which makes much more air flow.

I guess its a trial and error thing depending on climate etc.

You need to first calculate the necessary square footage based on the number of birds, 1 square foot per bird. That's your THEORETICAL minimum for 24/7/365 ventilation .

Then, if you live in a hot climate you should probably double or triple that.

Beyond that, you may want additional supplemental ventilation that's opened in hot weather and closed in cold weather.

My brooder here has 16 square feet of absolutely draft-free permanent ventilation with an additional 10 square feet of supplemental ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/run-to-outdoor-brooder-conversion.76634/

You are measuring in inches what is usually measured in feet, so that gets a little confusing.

NAILED IT.

Those little louvered shed vents are essentially USELESS.

Taking strips of siding off and replacing them with hardware cloth is what's wanted.

 

[Jaime918]

Oh, what a nice size shed! It's not awful at all, it's got character.

An option for fans without cords, Ryobi makes one called the air cannon and it's an 18" I believe and can run on cord or their batteries. They've been a great help in not having a power source close to our coops. We use the large one in our large coop and the small non misting one in our small coop.

I don't feel like the solar fans would move enough air, but solar maybe an option for a water heater or a battery bank of some sort. Just some possible ideas.

 

[SourRoses]

As for ventilation, I do get it, which is why I asked the last question. How many vents up at the roofline do I need? Its 25 feet long. Grates are 16". I would hope to not do one every opening... more like every other... but if necessary I guess I could do all the way across.

It's really about the way the air moves. If you keep in mind that hot air rises, and you need replacement cool air to keep the flow going... Then you need ventilation at your highest point and equal ventilation at a lower point.

The grates you want to use, I don't know how much limiting factor there is from the louvered design. There will be some flow restriction, it's not the same as open ventilation, so more may be needed.
You are measuring in inches what is usually measured in feet, so that gets a little confusing.

 

[SourRoses]

Not sure if this has been said yet but, with the cost of lumber right now (at least in my area) and other parts and products, for just five hens you could get a small manufactured coop/run.

Erm... sorry, this is not a good idea. Those little prefabs are just terrible. They don't meet minimum requirements and you have to ad hoc ventilation, plus the materials are sub-par.
Kind of like using Ikea stuff as patio furniture... I actually have something like that going right now as I needed something to put my potted plants on and I hated that old desk. You don't want to know what it looks like now, but hey, 1/3rd of it is still capable of holding pots so I'm going to use it until it dies.
That's the reason we pound this issue, not to be pitb, but I can't even imagine the number of people who get those coops and regret it. Do they give up on chickens? How much money do they lose? I don't know.

OP, to get back to the reason for your thread... I want to encourage you that it shouldn't be too hard to install the HW Cloth instead of those vents. @3KillerBs had previously posted some electric metal shears that cost about $45. If you cut your metal siding straight enough, you could probably use it for the overhang. I have no advice on how to cut straight, you don't want to see what we did to our shed, lol, so we just covered it with trim. Circular Saws are heavy to hold sideways while up on a ladder!
1/2 inch HW Cloth seems to be everyone's favorite so it doesn't get clogged with dust or let in small predators. You can sandwich the HW cloth under trim boards or secure it with washers and screws. I think your shed will make a great coop and you'll have so much space for storage!

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you very helpful Im building m coop and working on ventalation at the moment just installed 2 fans.

I don't like fans myself because of the risk of fire and because I figure that the power will go out from grid overload just when the fan is needed most.

Many people do use barn-rated fans, however.

This is a safer installation for a non-barn-rated fan: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/window-fan-mount.75608/

 

[Silexian]

I would think it could work pretty nicely. Cut out a couple of window openings and a pop door. It would just be a couple of wire covered framed walls and a man door on the inside. Add a roost, nest box, feeder and a fount. You got yourself a coop.

 

[AGeese]

I don't think there's a thing as too much ventilation unless it's causing a draft. I keep a humidity gauge by the coop which is in my garage, which probably benefits from a high roof as there are only two vents on either side so I run fans since I have electric in there.