[Lynda_T]

Im going to be buying a shed and want to convert it into a coup as im thinking it would be nicer for my girls to have a bit more space, easier to clean etc.  Just looking for some ideas as the best way to convert it? 
Whats the best things to use for nesting boxes?
Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[kimT]

How I would love that as a project.

Just make sure it is easy for you to clean out to avoid the back breaking work.

[lisa80]

we converted a wooden play house ,hubby cut door in half to make a stable door and fitted perches at various heights which the girls love!.Also he put a couple of nest boxes in dont forget some decent ventilation .ours is easy to clean just a good sweep out and wash down once a week.We use a thick layer of shavings on the floor it stops the poo from getting on the wood so no need for scraper can be a nightmare getting poo up

[bexy]

we converted our garden shed by cutting the bottom 18" off all round,with this we made the nesting box.
Just have to duck a bit when going through the door now,i am n the petite side but still bang my head now and then .... a bit of a novalty really though for me

[Roughlee Handled]

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=32947.0 is a list of considerations.
I have converted a shed.  I mate the pop hole in the door and I bought ready made nest boxes. (expensive).

Major consideration in the summer is heat.  A shed gets very hot.  I have added vents in to the shed and remove the glass in the summer. Next week or two I will replace the glass.

Here are some photos of my set-up



The white sheets are aluminium that I "found" and I have purple cushion flooring which cost £10.


Day of first use.

[craig1981]

for nest boxes in my shed i just used an old chest of drawers obviously with drawers removed and divided it into 2 . works a treat . pop hole i just cut out of the shed and and put hinges on it to shut and close it in the mornings . And as in the pics below i installed  a few shelves for all the accesories with a little light to help count the chickens at night to check casper hasnt done a runner again.

[lightyears]

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=32947.0 is a list of considerations.
I have converted a shed.  I mate the pop hole in the door and I bought ready made nest boxes. (expensive).

Major consideration in the summer is heat.  A shed gets very hot.  I have added vents in to the shed and remove the glass in the summer. Next week or two I will replace the glass.

Here are some photos of my set-up



The white sheets are aluminium that I "found" and I have purple cushion flooring which cost £10.


Day of first use.

Man....thats a nice shed, carpets too. i want one, when are you available 

[Roughlee Handled]

........
Man....thats a nice shed, carpets too. i want one, when are you available 

Not

[Lynda_T]

Thanks for all ur comments the pics of the shed is brilliant helps me get an idea of what i can do with mine which is now on order and is coming either the weekend or next week.
Cant wait!!
thanks again!   

[Emmaski]

My chickens are in a shed which i designed and my other half kitted out for me. They absolutely love it!

We have the main door so we can get in and out but we have also made a little door in the side which we open each morning. We have made all of the nestboxes across the back of the shed and they are about 1ft off of the floor so they still have floor space and they like to beup high. They also  have 'shelves' to roost on at night on one side of the shed which are about half way up the shed (in height).

The shelves in the shed are made up by lengths of batten with gaps in between (so all of the poo falls through it), same with the base of the nest box and this seems to work really well.

As i said, my chickens absolutely love it, spoilt little guys!

[NigelB]

When converting a shed for livestock of any kind, temperatures and air-supply must be paramount if you are to avoid causing suffering  to the animals/birds/fish/elephants/whatever that will live there....


Anyone stepping into a shed in the summer will immediately notice the heat being radiated from the ceiling. The (usually) black roof felt absorbs huge amounts of heat from the sun, and emits it as radiated heat inside the shed. It can affect the temperatures inside massively, much like leaving a car parked in the sun, and we all know what can happen to animals left inside those without there being enough ventilation to allow the air to carry away excess heat.

To avoid prematurely cooking our chickens, here's what I've done in the past to my own sheds, and it has helped tremendously in saving the trouble and effort involved in trying to solve heat/air problems further down the road.

Firstly, a coat of aluminium pain on the roof wouldn't go amiss, if practical. After that, I cover the inside of the ceiling in cooking foil, shiny side to the roof and using spray glue, to reflect as much heat back as possible. Then, using a sheet of 2" thick polystyrene sheet from the local builders merchants, I insulate between the rafters on the ceiling, again using spray glue to stick them there, and finally covering the lot with thin plywood sheet tacked to the rafters. (If you can afford to do this to the whole shed, you'll create a veritable palace for them.)
Doing the above will reduce the heating effect of the ceiling almost to zero noticeable effect, with the added bonus of it keeping the shed warmer in winter as heat doesn't escape through the roof either.

Air is the next priority for me, and the rule is plenty of it, but no draughts. This is usually easily solved by siting the air vents at different levels, one high up, near the roof, will naturally act as an exit point for air as heat rises, so site your intake vents low down so the incoming air doesn't simply go straight through the shed and out of the other side causing a draught.

Blimey, I did ramble didn't I? 

 

[agingchick]

this is what I did to my shed


with three more hens I am going to have to take the partition down and put in another perch and nest box
Diane

[agingchick]

ok thats not the clearest of pictures so..


It's just a 6x3 shed with a pop hole cut in the side some cork tiles for insulation and vent holes cut out at the top.

[richyrich7]

Hi consider having a droppings board 6-9" below the perch, it needs to be easily removable and wide enough to catch the poo,( about 15") it will save you an awful lot of cleaning in the long run as birds tend to do 2/3rds of their poo just before roost.
You can just scrape the poo off as and when you do the cleaning. Leaving the floor litter a lot cleaner and it lasts a lot longer too

[Lynda_T]

Thanks guys for all the advice and the pictures are fab!!  Its giving me tons of ideas.     Poor hens are drookit as we say up here (soaking) today it hasnt stopped raining since yesterday, the shed will be soo much better for them too when its like this.