Converting a shed for poultry

As well as needing a secure run or free-range space in the daytime, your poultry will need somewhere safe and secure to go when it’s time to lay or go to sleep. But before moving them into the old garden shed, it’s worth upgrading to ensure they stay safe and happy.

Check the overall structure of the shed or wendy house and make sure it’s sturdy and secure with no gaps or damaged wood. You might need to consider moving the shed to an area with a solid floor. This will help prevent any predators like foxes digging their way inside the house.

Installing locks

Make sure all doors, lids and any nest boxes have secure locks on the outside to make sure they’re safe from predators at night and children who might want to let them out in the day.

• Two secure bolts on the outside – one at the top and bottom
• Sliding bolts on the outside of the door rather than swivel latches

Sliding bolt & padlock on shed door

Ventilation

It’s no surprise that wooden sheds get hot in the summer months. Make sure your converted shed has plenty of ventilation to help circulate air and keep things fresh. Good ventilation will help prevent respiratory illnesses. Here are a few tips to help:

• If the shed you wish to convert has windows, these should be replaced with small gauge welded mesh attached to the inside of the window frame. Chicken wire is not suitable as predators can easily get through it.
• Also using small gauge welded mesh, it’s worth creating a wooden framed inner mesh door. This will allow you to leave the main shed or wendy house door open throughout the day to create air flow during the summer, without risk of your poultry escaping or predators like foxes or stoats getting in.

Window ventilation on a shed

Insulation

To help keep your pets cosy in the winter months, it is worth lining the walls of your shed or wendy house with large sheets of wood or plywood. You can then place some insulation in-between this and the shed walls.

Stopping escapees!

Poultry can be loyal pets, they like the company of their humans and will be very excited to go over and say hello, especially if there’s some delicious grub on offer. To prevent them from getting too excited and escaping when you see them, it’s worth creating a step over barrier across the base of the door frame. This will allow you to go in and see them before they get the chance to get out.

Flooring

It is always a good idea to line the floor of the shed or wendy house with something like lino – this will help in making it easier to keep clean.

Connecting a run and large enclosure

Connecting your converted shed to a secure run is a great way of allowing your poultry access to areas. Here are a few things you can do:

• Attach the run directly onto the shed or wendy house using the correct wood screws, and create a pop hole between the shed and run. Just make sure it’s big enough for your poultry to get through. You can close off access overnight and open it in the morning.
• Position the shed in a secure aviary and create a pop hole in the shed big enough for your poultry to access. This can be locked up at night.

Pop hole between shed and run

Find out more about how to house your chickens, ducks and geese and what it takes to keep them happy and healthy.