Looking for advice on turning a shed into a coop

[BarelyCoop]

Hey guys! Been lurking here for a bit trying to absorb as much info as possible, but at this point I think I may need some more direct advice for my situation. I'm trying to repurpose an existing "shed" into a coop this spring. It was on the property when I bought the house, seems like it may have housed some kind of animals in here at one point. This is in southeastern PA, so we do have plenty of hawks, foxes, and black snakes. Temperatures in winter time are generally in the 20's. I used to do home renovations before so I see great potential here (as bad as it may look at the moment). Approximate size 18x10:

(images of other angles attached)

At the moment my plan is to layer the walls with plywood on the inside to cover off the gaps in between the existing boards. Then build another ~4ft wall on the left side of the opening and add a ~6ft door to cover the rest of the opening up. Line some nesting boxes on the left side of the shed with access from outside (I have a path that leads to the left side of the shed so that would be easiest side to access). Build the run to the right of the shed completely fenced in (not fencing the front entrance in for easy cleanup).

My primary concern is the floor situation... which is dirt. I'm trying not to break the bank here and reuse anything I have laying around, so going with a wood or concrete floor is not preferable. Not sure how appropriate deep litter method would be in this case, but that is what I'm leaning towards at the moment. My wife and I have a newborn and full time jobs so spending a lot of time caring for the chicken coop is not in the cards.

We don't really have a set budget, but ideally the less we spend on it the better, and I just want to make sure that the money spent goes towards the things that actually matter. Any advice appreciated, thanks for reading!

 

[CJLR]

You can just use the dirt floor with shavings or mulch on top and clean it out once or twice a month depending on how many birds you have and a little advice on the nesting boxes I have 15 hens I used to have a coop with at least 10 nesting boxes and the hens all fought over 1 so only do 3 boxes at the most do a hanging feeder and waterer for less waste and it will keep it clean for the run do netting on the top to keep out the Hawks make sure to build it to where you can shut them up in the shedat night to protect them from coyotes wolves and racoons and opossums out also if you have skunks all those things will eat chickens

 

[NuggetTheChicken]

Great Ideas! You could maybe put down gravel or stall mats for the floor, deep litter on top. Don't forget to add some ventilation. You're on the right track, this coop has a lot of potential, and I am sure you can make it super functional for your needs. Be sure to post pics when you are done!

 

[BarelyCoop]

Great Ideas! You could maybe put down gravel or stall mats for the floor, deep litter on top. Don't forget to add some ventilation. You're on the right track, this coop has a lot of potential, and I am sure you can make it super functional for your needs. Be sure to post pics when you are done!

Thanks! I probably wouldn't spend money on stall mats, but I do have gravel available so at this point it wouldn't cost me anything to put a layer of it down first. As far as ventilation goes, the rafters are open on the right side of the shed. I think I will also cut some openings out on the left side. I want to avoid opening anything up on the far/back side of it as usually that is the direction the wind is coming in from.

 

[50-45-1]

Well i definately see potential there.
Your plan so far sounds like a good one, but my concern is the floor, as i can think of quite a few critters that could dig under that wall and gain access to your chickens.
You will have to make sure there is no gaps or openings up by the rafters bigger than an half inch. A weasel can fit thru a knot hole about the size of a quarter.
My coop had a dirt floor and my husband and i dug a trench around it , bent and laid hardware cloth down and out like L shape, all the way around. Conecting it to the lower wall then fastening the cedar shake over the top.
This will work. Alot cheeper than cement floor, which would be nice also.
Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[BarelyCoop]

Well i definately see potential there.
Your plan so far sounds like a good one, but my concern is the floor, as i can think of quite a few critters that could dig under that wall and gain access to your chickens.
You will have to make sure there is no gaps or openings up by the rafters bigger than an half inch. A weasel can fit thru a knot hole about the size of a quarter.
My coop had a dirt floor and my husband and i dug a trench around it , bent and laid hardware cloth down and out like L shape, all the way around. Conecting it to the lower wall then fastening the cedar shake over the top.
This will work. Alot cheeper than cement floor, which would be nice also.
Good luck and keep us updated.

Yup, the plan is to dig around the outside and bury hardware cloth in at an angle. Also going to "seal" up the rafters with hardware cloth so nothing aside from bugs can get in. Foxes are my biggest concern even with the fortifications as I know we have them in the vicinity. Hawks are a concern when the chickens will be free ranging outside of the run, but I will try to limit the free range time to when I am going to be outside myself. I hear roosters help to warn the hens, but I'm still on the fence whether I will be mixing a rooster in with my flock...

 

[K0k0shka]

That's a nice-looking building! Big and spacious, and the wood looks to be in good shape.

People have already addressed the biggest issues. I want to say a few words on the "newborn and full time jobs" part. I've been there (and my kids are still very young) so I understand where you are at this point. I would recommend investing in infrastructure that will minimize upkeep on your part. Get an automatic chicken door. Yes, they're not cheap, but with the baby and the jobs, you probably wouldn't want to get up early and rush home before dark every single day to let the chickens in/out. That itself is a huge commitment and not practical in your situation. Also, get no-waste feeders and waterers that have a large capacity and can go a long time between refills. Cuts down on that chore. I know a lot of people on here are big fans of poop boards and will advertise them heavily, but I don't think they would be ideal in your situation. Scraping/scooping them clean is another daily commitment. Yeah yeah it's "just" 10 minutes, but when you've got 2 feet of snow and the baby is running a fever, you're not gonna want to trudge out there to scoop chicken poop. Look into the deep litter method (moist), or the deep bedding method (dry), or some other way you can manage the poop without daily upkeep. And lastly, I don't know if you've decided on what breeds you want, but consider getting kid-friendly breeds. Chickens are a long term commitment and they'll probably still be around once your baby gets a little older and wants to help and interact with them. Would be nice if they were calm and approachable. I know ultimately it still depends on each bird's personality, but still, some breeds are more likely to be docile and good with kids than others. Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
All great advice! Predator proofing can't be skimped on, or bad things will happen. Make sure that the perimeter is good, and use deep litter on that nice dirt floor. Also make sure that any drainage issues are fixed first!
Those big window openings, covered in hardware cloth, will give great ventilation, and can be managed in winter too. have a big opening in the door too, and the south side. Ventilation, and partially covered with rolled vinyl in winter.
Mary

 

[BarelyCoop]

Also, get no-waste feeders and waterers that have a large capacity and can go a long time between refills. Cuts down on that chore.

Yup already have this in mind as well. I will be putting together some PVC feeders I saw in one of the videos, spill free and kept a lot of feed in. Also will try to slope the roof of this shed a tad more, or cover off the run partially with roof panels, attach gutters, and collect rainwater for the chickens.

The automatic chicken door I still have to look into, I'm worried about accidentally locking chicken(s) out or allowing a predator in if it manages to get through the run defenses. Curious how the whole dusk/dawn sensor thing works, can't imagine timers are really any more reliable?

 

[K0k0shka]

he automatic chicken door I still have to look into, I'm worried about accidentally locking chicken(s) out or allowing a predator in if it manages to get through the run defenses. Curious how the whole dusk/dawn sensor thing works, can't imagine timers are really any more reliable?

Look up automatic doors on here, lots of threads and good discussions. People seem to prefer setting the time themselves to light sensors, because light can vary with weather (clouds, etc.) and affect the sensor when you don't want it to. Though timers have their downsides as well, like the shifting dusk/dawn times or daylight savings time.

One alternative to the automatic door that will achieve the same goal (remove the need for manual opening/closing every day) is if you make your run super duper extremely ultra secure, and then leave the pop door open 24/7. Lots of people do that and never close the pop door. Just make sure your run defenses are solid though. I had to make that decision myself, and chose the automatic door and a less-than-perfect run, because a perfect run would've blown my budget. The door was much cheaper. The run will still stop large things like raccoons, foxes and hawks, which are our main culprits around here, just not the smaller things like weasels. So the auto door will have to be good enough, because I can't afford to cover the entire run in 1/2" hardware cloth (that stuff is shockingly expensive!).