Thoughts on this old thread?

[Cryss]

Stumbled across this old post by someone that doesn't seem to have hung around. I have one of these units and wondered if this persons coop held up. Guess I'll never know.
Any thoughts on this coop? Might be a future project for me.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/plastic-shed-chicken-coop.67752/#comment-505260

 

[SunHwaKwon]

My coop is a double walled plastic shed that I expanded using wood. Hang on for details and a picture.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

I would expect one of those used as a coop to last at least 10 years. I've seen a few of them used as storage sheds still in good condition after 10 years so I don't know why they wouldn't last when turned into a coop, there isn't anything to rot and as long as you keep up with possible UV degrading they should last for quite a while I would think. There are paints that are formulated to stick to that material and that would add a layer of UV protection to the exterior with just a couple of coats.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Not very good pics, sorry, and I'm in the process of expanding the run so I haven't done all the supports for the netting and shade cloth yet.

The shed itself is well over ten years old. The manufacturer is not even around for me to get more pieces - unfortunate because I'd really like more roof pieces, though the way I've done it allowed me to put a piece of ridge vent in it. I just took the glass panes out of the biggest window and covered it with 1/2" hardware cloth to increase the ventilating and air flow. It's so hot here.

Excuse the poop - I misplaced my scraper yesterday so I haven't scraped everything yet today.

Eventually the exterior will be painted to match my other shed that it's next to...

ETA it was originally 6x8 but I expanded it to 8x10.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

I'll say the downside to a plastic coop is that they are harder to repair or replace parts on should they become damaged, compared to a wood shed/coop. Mine has some damage from a storm with really high winds that I had to fill in with expanding foam. Some of the damage was that the doors were ripped off the shed, so all the plastic is gone where the hinges were previously located, and the pieces are designed in such a way that I could not just reverse them and have the broken parts face into the shed.

 

[aart]

Any thoughts on this coop?

Looks reasonable, if you like walking around bent over to tend to the birds.

@SunHwaKwon is your shed plastic?

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Yes, @aart it's made of sections about 2' wide on the door end and opposite wall and 3' wide sections on the sides that slide into sleeves to lock the pieces together. They screw into metal sleeves that are first attached to your base of choice before you begin assembling it all. All in all it's not a bad setup and it made it easy for me to disassemble and reassemble it when we moved halfway across the country at the beginning of the summer. Up in Maryland I had it on a wood floor elevated 2' but I needed to get it put together in a hurry when we got down here so for now it just has a dirt floor with hardware cloth staked to the ground underthe bedding to keep anything from burrowing in.