Using shed for chicken coop. Need layout ideas

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

upload your video to You Tube and post a link here.

Thank you so much!!

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

Thank you so much!!

I’m trying to post but it’s not working

 

[KelseyBoxer]

Wow, thats going to be a nice coop! How long is the building? You could partition off a storage area inside. Maybe even a brooder for future babies!!

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

Wow, thats going to be a nice coop! How long is the building? You could partition off a storage area inside. Maybe even a brooder for future babies!!

Thank you!

It’s 16x 16. 256sqft
I was thinking of doing that as well! I just don’t know where to start lol!

 

[Chookwagn]

Wow, thats going to be a nice coop! How long is the building? You could partition off a storage area inside. Maybe even a brooder for future babies!!

This is going to be an amazing coop! A lot of us would be wishing we had a shed like that on our property to turn into a coop!

I second @KelseyBoxer idea of using part of it as a brooder for chicks, its a great idea.

Keep us updated with the progress

Sorry I'm not much use on how to make it suitable for your climate as I'm not familiar with your weather but still very interested all the same.

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

This is going to be an amazing coop! A lot of us would be wishing we had a shed like that on our property to turn into a coop!

I second @KelseyBoxer idea of using part of it as a brooder for chicks, its a great idea.

Keep us updated with the progress

Sorry I'm not much use on how to make it suitable for your climate as I'm not familiar with your weather but still very interested all the same.

Thank you, I appreciate it. I will definitely try to keep everyone updated

It’s totally okay! Everyone has been such great help already

 

[NatJ]

I just don’t know where to start lol!

You've already talked about most of the stuff you'll need:
clean it out, add ventilation, maybe do something to the floor, add a chicken door.

Beyond that, for your first chickens, I would add these items:

roost (2x4 running all the way across the shed, or a couple sawhorses in the middle, or anything else that suits your fancy. I recommend about as high as your waist, in a spot you won't have to walk too often.)

nestboxes (could be cardboard boxes or milk crates on the floor, to start with. You've got plenty of floor space, so no real need to put them higher unless you want to)

a board across the door so the bedding doesn't fall out when you open the door. Attach it with one screw at each end, so it's easy to take out at cleaning time.

a feeder & waterer (can go in the run or the coop)

That should take care of everything the chickens actually need. As time goes on, you will probably learn that you like some things and not others, and then you can adjust it to fit your preferences. People tend to have strong opinions about things like poop boards, how deep the bedding should be, how often to clean it out and replace the bedding, how high nestboxes should be, whether they can access the nestbox from outside the coop, separate storage area in the coop, brooder space built into the coop, and so forth. Any of the options can work well for the chickens, so it really comes down to what works best for you.

I like the kind of feeder that looks like a big tube with a round trough at the bottom, and can hang by a chain from the ceiling. Other people have other preferences. I like hanging waterers too, or a waterer that sits on a raised platform (like a plastic milk crate) so the chickens can't kick as much bedding in. Again, other people have other preferences.

 

[Ittybittyschmidtie]

You've already talked about most of the stuff you'll need:
clean it out, add ventilation, maybe do something to the floor, add a chicken door.

Beyond that, for your first chickens, I would add these items:

roost (2x4 running all the way across the shed, or a couple sawhorses in the middle, or anything else that suits your fancy. I recommend about as high as your waist, in a spot you won't have to walk too often.)

nestboxes (could be cardboard boxes or milk crates on the floor, to start with. You've got plenty of floor space, so no real need to put them higher unless you want to)

a board across the door so the bedding doesn't fall out when you open the door. Attach it with one screw at each end, so it's easy to take out at cleaning time.

a feeder & waterer (can go in the run or the coop)

That should take care of everything the chickens actually need. As time goes on, you will probably learn that you like some things and not others, and then you can adjust it to fit your preferences. People tend to have strong opinions about things like poop boards, how deep the bedding should be, how often to clean it out and replace the bedding, how high nestboxes should be, whether they can access the nestbox from outside the coop, separate storage area in the coop, brooder space built into the coop, and so forth. Any of the options can work well for the chickens, so it really comes down to what works best for you.

I like the kind of feeder that looks like a big tube with a round trough at the bottom, and can hang by a chain from the ceiling. Other people have other preferences. I like hanging waterers too, or a waterer that sits on a raised platform (like a plastic milk crate) so the chickens can't kick as much bedding in. Again, other people have other preferences.

You did an amazing job summarizing. Thank you. I now know where I need to begin. There are so many different styles it’s all about gathering ideas and seeing what works best. Again thank you sososososo much to you and everyone else

 

[CKfarm22]

Here’s our feeder. It’s a 3in pvc pipe cut to 2 feet with a 90° and 45° elbow, there’s a rubber cap that goes on top of it