Wood Shed Kit to Chicken Coop

[Smccau3]

Hi all!

We have had 4 chickens for a year and are working on expanding our flock as well as giving them their own designated space. Currently the chickens have a small chicken tractor that we are able to move around the yard. We have a fenced in yard that they are given free reign of. However, they are often under the deck or pooping on our deck. It has become inconvenient to clean up after them and they have made a significant portion of our yard into a mud pit.

All of that said, we love our chickens and want to give them a bigger coop. We are looking at buying a wooden shed kit and rigging it into a chicken coop. Has anyone done this before? Do you have any advice?

We are looking at this shed:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_383724-5765...oduct_qty_sales_dollar|1&state=R#BVRRWidgetID

We want to add a divider so part of the shed is storage and the other part is the coop.

We would appreciate any advice you have to share about this project.

 

[Chick Charm]

I have used a metal shed that was 8 X 10. Very similar in size with double doors in front. I Liked it very much. I used 6' high chain link fence panels to make the run. It worked just fine. I put the roosts in a corner and also divided an area for two feed bins to store feed stuffs. Gives them great protection. You will need to add a chicken pop door likely and some vents.

Best of wishes to ya.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

The first thing you should be adding to your list is WINDOWS, big ones and vents too for when the windows are closed in foul weather. It gets HOT in there and the weathers only gotten into the 70s so far, that makes ventilation very important.

Also, I would suggest putting it on a concrete slab but if it comes with a wood floor (probably OSB or Plywood) I would waterproof the floor with roof coat.

I have almost the same exact set-up with my breeder shed and I'm already kicking myself for cheaping out and not getting bigger windows. Here's a pic of my coop not quite finished. I also have a roofline vent for extra ventilation. You can see the white vents I installed above the doors (I also have another on the backside). I turned the double doors into dutch doubles and although I love them, I should have switched them to open from the outside inward.




The coop is divided in half, one side for breeders and one side for brooder/grow-out pen.
The runs are not yet attached, I only have chicks in there at present.

 

[Smccau3]

The first thing you should be adding to your list is WINDOWS, big ones and vents too for when the windows are closed in foul weather. It gets HOT in there and the weathers only gotten into the 70s so far, that makes ventilation very important.

Also, I would suggest putting it on a concrete slab but if it comes with a wood floor (probably OSB or Plywood) I would waterproof the floor with roof coat.

I have almost the same exact set-up with my breeder shed and I'm already kicking myself for cheaping out and not getting bigger windows. Here's a pic of my coop not quite finished. I also have a roofline vent for extra ventilation. You can see the white vents I installed above the doors (I also have another on the backside). I turned the double doors into dutch doubles and although I love them, I should have switched them to open from the outside inward.

Windows are definitely a priority as well as lots of ventilation. We are very excited to start this project and are grateful for all of your advice.

The shed we are looking at does come with a wood floor and we will definitely be waterproofing it. That is what we did with our current coop.

What is the setup inside of your coop? Do you have 2 doors, on to each section of the shed. Is there a door to walk between the sections? I'm really thinking about the inside of the coop and how to best set it up.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I put a diving wall right down the middle with no door inside. I use the exterior doors to enter and exit. I am seriously considering adding 2 more windows to each side, but I'm waiting to see just how hot it gets in there this summer. My other idea is to get a small fan to mount in front of the window and blow cool air in.
I have yet to get the coop wired for electricity but hoping that'll get done soon. I want plugs on each side.
I haven't had any issues with my setup yet (knock on wood).

Oh I forgot to say that I don't have a storage area in the coop, I wanted to utilize as much as possible for chickens, but its located right next to the barn so I keep my shavings, feed, ect in there.