Using Pre-cut Mini Barn KITS - Newbie with ???s

[sharol]

My DH is the most tolerant man on the planet. When I said I wanted chickens (we live in the country, so there aren't city issues), he didn't give me a hard time. He drove me 200 miles pulling a trailer (each way) to buy a portable chicken tractor. He SUGGESTED that the girls needed larger quarters for winter. He helped put windows and a pop-door in the new (metal) building and wrecked 2 weekends working on the new coop and run fence. He is amazing.

This morning he asked for the green eggs for breakfast. He likes the chickens too.

He thinks I'm going to get rid of the original tractor (actually a Hen Hoop) in the spring to recoup (no pun intended) some of the money I spent on it. I have 7 chickens in a 6x8 building. I have room for 5 more chickens. I really want to hatch some eggs this spring if I can borrow an incubator. I think the Hoop would make a great grow-out coop or isolation coop if someone gets sick or I decide to add an older experienced rooster to the flock next spring. I can keep the babies in the hoop until they get big enough to free range in the yard with the older girls and then join them in the coop next fall. I don't think he will mind a bit.

I'm NOT ADDICTED to chickens. I'm not. Really I'm not.

 

[Horizon Structures]

You've gotten some good replies so far. It would definitely be possible to adapt a shed kit like that to a coop... but take care to account for all the details ahead of time! Plan for gable venting, windows (probably with hardwire cloth bolted on the outside), and decide if you want outside access to the nest boxes, lights inside AND out, etc. And I would probably do more than one window.

If you're in doubt about the time or skills available to you to do the coop, you could also get something like this delivered already as a coop, ready to go. Time is money, haha. PM or email me if you're interested!

 

[knjinnm]

Quote:
Hi,
Yes make sure the shed is made of good quality 2X4's and has good quality siding. Some of them use soft 2X3's and thin siding which may be fine for a garden/backyard storage shed but a coop needs to be able to withstand constant probing by predators, same with the run.
Joe

 

[sab]

Thanks for all your responses. Here is a link to my chicken tractor http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B002JXW29S/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen

I have 3 chickens and a duck wintering over in WV in this. The darn birds are roosting on top of it at night. I throw them in and they come back out. Gotta have something better by next fall.... So far, the weather has not seemed to effect their egg production or their combs or feet. In fact, duck just started laying eggs the week before Christmas and ole Hateful is getting squatty and I expect her to start laying any day.

Sally