Garden to Chook shed conversion

greenaus · **Posted:** Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:23 am

As you know, I have spent as little as possible in the past on pens and stuff.

The result has been that I have built, rebuilt, re-rebuilt and on and on. Stuff has fallen down, blown down and blown away. Those winds on Tuesday (or Monday...one day this week) took one look at my efforts and laughed.

Well...

I've been researching and considering various options for a while, including $400+ A-frames and tractors made by people who know what they're doing. I've thought of garden sheds. I've thought of buying more tin (and building chook houses...yeah right :-?

). I'm still the high bidder on three lots of roofing iron and one garden shed. (If I win, I'll still honour those bids).

Anyway...

Take a look at these compact little sheds @ $199 each.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 0353633626

Imagine one set in the corner of a 4m x 4m pen enclosed with the 6ft chain mesh fencing from Kylie. Imagine it secured to the ground so the blasted thing doesn't get...well... blasted away. Imagine 2-5 chooks in there. Imagine a nesting box out of the weather. Imagine a roost out of the weather for when they go to bed at night. Imagine the pen covered with the $5 bird-proof netting from Bunnings so the chooks don't fly out and nothing flies in.

I hope those are good things you're imagining, because I just bought four of these little sheds. I'm having them delivered to one of the many depots, so delivery is FREE.

What could possibly go wrong?

Peter16 · **Posted:** Fri Aug 21, 2009 3:09 pm

same as my hen house.

water seeps into mine turning the deep straw into mush so i ended up making a raised floor.

Harvey WA · **Posted:** Sun Aug 23, 2009 6:22 pm

I think it’s a great idea and if you fasten it down well it will stay put. The winds here can be ferocious so we fasten down everything including the outdoor setting which is solid wood.

greenaus · **Posted:** Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:47 pm

greenaus wrote:

I'm still the high bidder on three lots of roofing iron and one garden shed. (If I win, I'll still honour those bids).

I'm picking up 6 sheets of tin tomorrow for $1 (plus travel time and about $15 fuel...but I'll probably end up at Bunnings, too "while I'm in the area" AND "...with a trailer" :roll:

).

Looks like no-one else wants the garden shed either, so it could be mine too by tomorrow night.

MyDorkings · **Joined:** Sun Aug 23, 2009 2:57 pm **Posts:** 2

Don't you just love 0 bids on ebay

spanky · **Joined:** Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:46 pm **Posts:** 117

Feel free to drop that extra shed off at my place, i'm also SE QLD

those little sheds look awesome, quick question tho, do you alter the door in any way or do you leave it like that to lock them in at night?

how many chooks would fit in one?

greenaus · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:58 am

I was outbid on the bigger shed. Great. I didn't have to drive all the way there, dismantle it and then bring it all the way home and put it back together.

Each shed will be in a 6ft enclosure surrounded by chain mesh fencing, with anti-bird netting over the top and maybe even shade cloth. I won't be locking the shed doors at night, especially at this time of the year. I don't get up early enough to let the chooks out.

Even though I know they are 1.5m wide and about 80cm deep, it won't be until I have one put together that I really work out positioning of food, water, nest and roost. It is then that I'll decide how many is too many. A pair or trio? No problem. A dozen? Too many.

Water probably won't be in the shed, but never say never.

julie at serenity · **Posted:** Thu Aug 27, 2009 8:57 pm

they do look good,

have you got them yet?

could we have some pictures please?

greenaus · **Posted:** Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:52 am

I picked them up yesterday afternoon. They're still on the trailer. The boxes were longer than I expected. On the drive home -- like every other day since I bought them -- I was thinking I should get more.

The Blue Orpington cockerel is ready and willing to have a go at the mating caper. He's now free-ranging 24/7. He and one (or two) of my Australorp pullets will get a "shedded" pen to themselves so I can see if he works and what he can produce.

The pullet from Ian is still alive. As long as she stays that way, her and one of the cockerels from Ian will go into another.

The Leghorn cockerel is fine where he is, but I may put a shed in the Leghorn pullets' pen. Once they are laying, I'll move the cockerel in there with them.

The fourth one will probably go into the Australorp pen. I have a particular plan for that shed. Once I put one together I'll know whether it will work. If so, I'm sure you guys will be among the first 50 to know. If it works, the others may all be done that way.

greenaus · **Posted:** Sat Aug 29, 2009 12:49 pm

julie at serenity wrote:

could we have some pictures please?

Yes.

The box says "Easy to Assemble" (about a dozen times).

You just open the box...

Attachment:

shed.jpg [ 48.24 KiB | Viewed 4601 times ]

...and stand back while it self-assembles in under ten seconds.

Attachment:

shed2.jpg [ 55.32 KiB | Viewed 4642 times ]

Unfortunately the self-assembly mechanism didn't work and I took around 3 1/2 hours to build it on my own.

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