using a metal shed

[froglipsrgood8]

hi im new here, name is nicole. ive never raised chickens. my mother in law has and has offered to give advice and some help but im needing more suggestions from ya'll. heres my situation. i have a metal box truck frame that we use as a shed. it sits on a concrete patio and is partially covered by an awning but still gets considerable heat. there are no trees in the yard and is a very small yard any way. could i use the shed, and how and what suggestions to get the shed ready.
also, the patio that is concrete sits under the awning completely and has allot of space. would it be possible to fence that area in and should i use some kind of ground cover like hay so that the chickens could come out or would it be wiser to just set up a fenced area that is cat/preditor proof in the grassy area of the small yard. ohios weather gets pretty humid and heat is definately an issue in my yard. We also have allot of lurking cats. my yard is actually enclosed by a picket fence so its rare that any thing ever gets in besides cats. However I have seen a few garter snakes and not sure if they are an issue.
I need all the help I can get if i decide that I do want to go ahead and raise them
thanks all

 

[Hokum Coco]

This is my converted metal shed. It has a 4x8 foot print and houses as many as 15 birds with no issues (3 levels with a run).

I insulated with 2 inch Styrofoam and covered the inside with discarded interior door veneer.

I took the original metal doors off and put hinged 1/2inch plywood doors with ventilation windows and a guillotine style pop door (more winter friendly you will find).

The shed was a discarded relatives shed that I fixed up I actually used the metal doors to reinforce the structure.

 

[froglipsrgood8]

Fantastic! I never thought about taking the doors off and replacing. That will solve the window issue and trying to cut windows out of metal. Thanks for the info!

Nicole