It’s 12’ square and I think 12’ high at the peak.
I do not have chickens myself, but my brother does. Every 2-3 years, he picks up & moves the shed to another location, because the chickens shit constantly. Gets so bad he cannot keep up. You will not have that option, so stop & think in advance how you plan to keep the place clean. Depending on your tolerance for cleanliness, it may not be feasible to use the shed for anything else once you’ve had chickens in there for a few months.
Also, the chickens attract all manner of wildlife, from other birds who want to grab food, to snakes who want to steal eggs, up to downright predators who want to eat your chickens. Realize you cannot simply let them out in the morning & come back from work in the evening & expect everything to be alright.
I’d put a workshop in there and simply build the coop next to it. The chickens won’t care that it has concrete floor and electricity but you’ll appreciate it.
Chickens will need some form of heat in the winter, yes?
Honestly I’m in Florida so it didn’t even occur to me. I’m glad you asked and others gave you better info!
To expand on the other person re: heat: not really but sort of. Dry and out of the wind, and make sure the water dish stays liquid (they make self regulating pads that are peck proof for ~$20).
Ive heard it’s actually bad to have the coop toasty, it screws up their biology to deal with the cold going from hot to cold.
I am in hardiness zone 4a in northern Maine. It’s gets VERY cold here. Water dishes will definitely freeze. They don’t have to be toasty, but I don’t think -20 or whatever is a good coop temperature?
No. People have been keeping chickens in some of the coldest climates for ages
I suggest ducks. Stink less, less noise, can be trained to come out of the coop to forage in the yard and return… The only real downside is less frequent eggs.
I hear duck shit is much more trouble than chicken shit.
I can’t imagine something worse than chicken shit. I’m curious on what you think makes it troublesome.
I would like both. But, stupid question: do ducks not require a water feature?
A small trough will do. They don’t need to swim in it. I suspect the need will change based on the variety of ducks you choose.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrrUBr6fdJU Nate has some videos about raising ducks that night help you decide.
