# Chicken House From Rubbermaid Shed?



## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Ive got a Rubbermaid shed that I would like to turn into a Chicken/duck shed. Anybody Got Ideas?
Inside its 25" by 47" by 71" tall
Currently Ive got 4 chickens and 6 ducks.
Im thinking adding some windows/vents on the east and west at the top , nests 18 in off the laying floor that would be covered to keep manure of the nests and Ducks. And of course some roost bars


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## scrapiron (Jul 23, 2011)

Place it in the shade, and like you said, good ventilation.


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## aart (Oct 20, 2012)

I would suggest getting something bigger.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

This is just their night roosting shed they have 8'x16 night run and a 80'x80, daytime pen


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

What is the floor made of? If it's wood never ever ever give ducks water in the shed!!!!! It's how I ruined the floor of my rabbit shed. 

Ventilation is essential! And shade, if it's not shaded it will heat like an oven. Ever been in a porta-pot on a summer day? Imagine that with the door closed and being there for a couple hours. Otherwise sounds like a good plan.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

PLASTIC ! The entire thing is plastic , that's one of the things that attracted me to it, easy cleaning!


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## FarmerKat (Jul 3, 2014)

I would personally not use plastic ... here is why. I used a large plastic bin for a brooder with a chicken wire over the top. We kept a thermometer in it. We kept it in a garage and we did not have to use heat lamp during the day - the temperatures were right in the 90s and 80s - which may be too high for older birds. After we moved the chicks to the tractor, I left the bin sitting outside under a tree (partial shade, it's not a very thick tree) before I got to cleaning it. The thermometer was still in there and it was 110 degrees in the bin with an open top when I came to clean it out.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

I don't expect them to be inside in the daytime except possibly when they are cold in the winter s it sounds like that heat thing would work fine.

LOL sometimes its hits 100 here so that 110 doesn't sound real bad!


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## FarmerKat (Jul 3, 2014)

AmericanStand said:


> I don't expect them to be inside in the daytime except possibly when they are cold in the winter s it sounds like that heat thing would work fine.
> 
> LOL sometimes its hits 100 here so that 110 doesn't sound real bad!


It may not sound bad, but the outside temperature was about 85 that day. So the plastic heated up pretty fast and way beyond the outside temp.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

You can get a solar fan from amazon to take care of the heat if you find out it is a problem. It not like problems can't be solved.:happy:


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## PD-Riverman (May 24, 2007)

AmericanStand said:


> I don't expect them to be inside in the daytime except possibly when they are cold in the winter s it sounds like that heat thing would work fine.


LOL. I promice you your rubbermaid shed will work fine/great. My Hens would Love to Have a Condo like that, LOL. Personally I would put my nesting boxes outside. Speaking from experience, I have used 4 regular plastic A roof dog houses I got free(like this http://www.lowes.com/pd_289697-73671-25194_0__?productId=1241381&Ntt=dog+house&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Ddog%2Bhouse&facetInfo= )as Coops for several years, housing as many as 8 grown hens in each one. I do have roost/perches for them inside and a few vent holes. All they do is roost at night in them. All food/water/nesting boxes is outside. I also use modified 55 gallon barrels to roost 6/8 full size chickens or 10 bantams at night. Never a Problem! OOOOps Most of mine are not in the shade---well they are at night, I do have shade for the chickens but not usually the "coop". I Laugh at some comments, I have had chickens for almost 60 years, I promice you that you do not need 4sqft(or what ever is recommended) per chicken for a Coop just to roost in. I housed up to 112 grown chickens/normanally 60 to 70 in a 6ftx6ft coop for years and never had a problem. Now if you were going to keep them closed up in it all the time with food/water/nesting boxes, you do need ALOT of sqft per chicken!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I too find the square foot thing funny. You know that those plastic wrapped and chilled chickens never got more than 1sqft per while they were alive. Granted, we all want our birds to have room to move around but most chickens just don't get that.


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## PrincessFerf (Apr 25, 2008)

I use one of those types of sheds for our meat poultry (chickens and turkey). We only raise those during the summer months and I have a rigged-up "screen" that I put at one of the doors to provide extra air circulation. Our shed is under a tree and is always shaded. I should add that there is an attached run that is about 6 times the size of the shed, so the birds are often outside.

It has worked very well for us. When the last of the birds are butchered, it is easy to hose-out and clean. Then the shed becomes storage for the patio set and other summer-use-only stuff.


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