Would love ideas/thoughts on my in progress shed coop!

[Chickytendie]

I recently was lucky enough to get a 8x12 shed for just the cost to have it moved to my house.
My dad and I have been in the process of turning half of it into a coop and the other half for storage.

Before photos:

I live on the side of a mountain and the pink arrow is the direction that the wind blows.
We still have yet to do the outside facade. it is sitting on a skirt so it sits well above the gravel pad.

The partition is built at 7ft. To make a 7x8 coop space. I have 3 (18inx27in) windows and thinking of adding a 4th to the storage side on the right of the nest boxes in the picture below. I have 12chickens that currently live in a smaller coop behind the shed.

The 3 nesting boxes on the left are 16inx16in. The box on the right is 12inx16in. They are 19in from the floor to the bottom of the box and 22in from the floor to the lip on the box.

The roosting area is 31inx69in. I plan to have 2 removable roosting bars made of 2x4s. I will probably also make a ramp for my senior ladies.
The space under the roosting area is 69”L X 31”W X 24”H. It will be a chicken hospital with its own exit to a separate run. We have yet to make removable doors so it will be open when not occupied.

The roof is going to be completely redone and we plan on adding a ridge vent. And possibly an attic exhaust fan at the peak of the back wall.
We are also adding electricity with a couple of outlets for a light and a fan.

For the floors/walls I was going to paint the whole thing white and use concrete sand as the coop litter with pdz on the poop board.

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on what you would add if this were your coop and anything else you think I’m missing.

 

[Saveria]

I had a couple ideas, but you may already be planning on them.

So, re-doing the roof with added ventilation is a great idea. I would get 1/2 hardware cloth "screens" secured very well to those windows frames, and then leave them open in all seasons (maybe not all of them in the winter, depending on how cold it gets there. Perhaps you will want the ones right next to the roosts closed).

The nesting boxes look great. I think it is better to have them higher up as well. You could attach a bar, either to the floor or the boxes that is about halfway between the boxes and the floor. That gives them a place to jump up while they are checking them out and deciding which they'd like to sit in today. Ours like that a lot.

You could also add a pop door to the side, so they won't walk through your storage to get out. Maybe that is already there? I saw a light spot in the picture, so maybe that is it.

If there are any weak spots in the floor, walls, or ceiling you can use the same size hardware cloth to cover them. You may want to think of doing a hardware cloth apron around the shed, too, if you think a weasel or raccoon could break through the floor at all, or could if the wood gets softer in the future, that may spare you from having to deal with that.

Looks great. You two are talented with wood!

 

[sdm111]

I recently was lucky enough to get a 8x12 shed for just the cost to have it moved to my house.
My dad and I have been in the process of turning half of it into a coop and the other half for storage.

Before photos:
View attachment 3570369View attachment 3570371
View attachment 3570366
I live on the side of a mountain and the pink arrow is the direction that the wind blows.
We still have yet to do the outside facade. it is sitting on a skirt so it sits well above the gravel pad.

View attachment 3570372
The partition is built at 7ft. To make a 7x8 coop space. I have 3 (18inx27in) windows and thinking of adding a 4th to the storage side on the right of the nest boxes in the picture below. I have 12chickens that currently live in a smaller coop behind the shed.
View attachment 3570373View attachment 3570374
The 3 nesting boxes on the left are 16inx16in. The box on the right is 12inx16in. They are 19in from the floor to the bottom of the box and 22in from the floor to the lip on the box.
View attachment 3570375
View attachment 3570390
The roosting area is 31inx69in. I plan to have 2 removable roosting bars made of 2x4s. I will probably also make a ramp for my senior ladies.
The space under the roosting area is 69”L X 31”W X 24”H. It will be a chicken hospital with its own exit to a separate run. We have yet to make removable doors so it will be open when not occupied.

View attachment 3570439

The roof is going to be completely redone and we plan on adding a ridge vent. And possibly an attic exhaust fan at the peak of the back wall.
We are also adding electricity with a couple of outlets for a light and a fan.

For the floors/walls I was going to paint the whole thing white and use concrete sand as the coop litter with pdz on the poop board.

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on what you would add if this were your coop and anything else you think I’m missing.

Cool, I like it. Especially for the price. Looking good be sure to update as you go.

 

[Sally PB]

I like the idea of painting the interior white. It really brightens up my coop, and I'm glad I did. I used a decent grade of exterior paint. Not the cheapest, but not a premium grade. I got a 5 gallon bucket, and all the "stuff" I build for the chickens gets painted white.

Oh... I did learn that they really mean it when they say to store paint above freezing. I had half a gallon of the brown paint I used on the exterior and forgot it was in the garage last fall. I wanted to touch up some spots this spring... nope, not usable any more.

 

[Chickytendie]

~UPDATE~
This has taken a little longer than expected but we usually only work on this after work a few days a week and one weekend day.

We ripped off the old roof shingles and the edge boards and replaced those. We cut out a ridge vent at the top.

Here is the new roof with ridge vent installed!

We added the roosting bars that can be easily lifted off for a better clean.

I had to choose a paint color which took way too long I went with “feather quill”

The outside still needs some work on the doors + a handle and latch.

I’m thinking about making the board in front a little ladder with a platform in front of the window.

The inside paint color is “Swiss coffee” and I didn’t get enough because we ran out . I’m hoping to finish painting the inside sometime in the next week or so.

The next step I think is to cut the pop doors and start on building a run!!

 

[FunClucks]

It could be the angle of the pictures, but have you done a chicken fit check, and a chicken butt fit check? Like, if you take a full size chicken and place her / him on the roost, where would the poop fall while the chicken was standing or sitting/asleep? Check with the chicken facing both ways. Make sure that poop location is at least a few inches inside the edge of your poop board, and there's no way for them to poop on each other. Also, when chickens are standing/sitting on both roosts, can they reach over or over and down and peck each other? Cause you really don't want them to be able to do that. Bullying on the roost is a big thing for many flocks, and can create issues.

You may find you need to space those roosts farther apart, and it can decrease contention within the flock if they're both at the same level.

My roost is shaped like a U, but horizontal. The birds at the corner bends peck each other unmercifully. I'm working on getting one long roost put up so the ones who want to peck have less access to victims, and the victims can move away (often they don't, crazy birds).

When you have all mature birds, spacing the roosts closer to the poop board can discourage hens from roosting directly on it, instead of on the roost, if they can't fit under the roost, they're less likely to get pooped on.

When you have pullets or chicks, they may try to roost on the poop board if they're not given a better options separated from the main flock, so be prepared for that.

I love your shed and am extremely jealous!!! It looks gorgeous!!!

 

[mowin]

You need more ventilation up high. Higher than the birds heads while on roost. The ridge vent is ok during the summer, but will be useless if covered in snow. I'd remove most of the gable end siding and cover that with HC. You can use the siding you remove and hinge it from the top to make "awnings" that will keep out driving rain and snow, and you can adjust how far they are open to control drafts.

 

[Chickytendie]

You need more ventilation up high. Higher than the birds heads while on roost. The ridge vent is ok during the summer, but will be useless if covered in snow. I'd remove most of the gable end siding and cover that with HC. You can use the siding you remove and hinge it from the top to make "awnings" that will keep out driving rain and snow, and you can adjust how far they are open to control drafts.

I have the areas where the ceiling meets the walls open on both sides. I will definitely be looking into adding more at the gable ends. That’s a good idea thank you!

 

[goldenyears]

View attachment 3598992
I have the areas where the ceiling meets the walls open on both sides. I will definitely be looking into adding more at the gable ends. That’s a good idea thank you!

Great score on the shed! Looks like you’re doing a nice job. I see a piano hinge on the storage side of the nesting boxes, presumably to get eggs without going inside the coop area. Not sure what type of bedding you’re gonna use in the nest boxes, but I add a “lip” on all of mine to help keep the bedding/mats in the boxes. I’m an industrial hemp user in my coops and go with the deep litter method so can’t comment on your poop board setup. One more thing: Hurry up!!! The girls will love their new digs.

 

[FunClucks]

View attachment 3598992
I have the areas where the ceiling meets the walls open on both sides. I will definitely be looking into adding more at the gable ends. That’s a good idea thank you!

Great ventilation where you've indicated, one thought for you. Make sure you cover all those openings with 1/2" hardware cloth. That is a common access area for small predators who can climb or drop down from trees. You'll be fine for who knows how long, and then it will be a really bad day. So best to avoid that at the beginning by covering any gaps larger than 1/2" with 1/2" 19 gage hardware cloth.

I still love your coop and am totally jealous!!!