Making a shed conversion.

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Shadowchaser

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Hi all,
I’ve read almost every shed post in the pinned thread but have a few questions before I press order!

My hutch is too small for the pigs I have, is there any benefit to keeping the hutch within the shed itself (open at all times) or is it better to maximise space and just have lots of little hides/boxes and individual areas to sleep.

I am purchasing a 6x4 with windows. Ventilation wise is it best to remove the Perspex and put wire instead? I was planning on fitting an internal wired door, with the normal door closed it’s going to be quite dark. If I open the external door for light and ventilation won’t it get very cold? At the moment the hutch seems more ventilated than a shed would be.

In the heat I was planning on getting a large outdoor run with a shade. I have lots of very cool and shady spots in the garden. At a push I could bring them inside. Does this sound okay or would it stress them out being brought in and out? The shed will be in a shady spot outside my back door.

Substrate wise, do I cover the whole base or is it okay to have Lino and then just areas of hay and shavings? I was thinking of how long it would take to rake through all of those shavings for poo and wee!

Heating, I was thinking a greenhouse or oil filled radiator plus snugglesafes and insulating the shed itself. Can anyone tell me what they found works best?

Finally… mice and rats! I live surrounded by woodland and have lots of them. Is it realistic to think they won’t also invade the pig shed? How do I rat proof? They don’t bother me normally but I would rather not open the door and find thousands of them hopping about with the pigs. We have a fat lazy cat who might deter some but not all!

It’s either this or a 5x2 CC but I feel like a shed would give them more space and enable them to be a bit more free, if I’m wrong please correct me 😄
 
You can either keep the hutch and keep the door open, or not have a hutch at all. The choice is yours.

My shed still has its normal glass windows. I haven’t not replaced them with wire. You could make these so they can be opened maybe but then as cold air drops, the piggies will be exposed to draught in winter.

I have an internal mesh (stable style) door and then the normal outer (stable style) door. The door mesh door is used in summer but in winter the normal solid outer door is kept closed to keep
them warm. It is not dark as there is a window. I have never had any issue with this.
Yes if you try to use the mesh door in winter they are going to get cold.

You need to put something down to protect the wood off the floor. Then put bedding on top.

Yes mice and rats are a risk and could invade the shed.
@Engel lined her shed with fine mesh stapled to the walls (I’d also suggest you do the ceiling and floor) and then the insulation on top. It would have to be fine mesh as rats can get through very small spaces.

As you have four piggies a 5x2 isn’t big enough, it would need to be a 6x2 c&c.

Member Gallery: Sheds
 
Your biggest challenge is summer and the heat. Huts can get very hot quite quickly so I would site the shed in a shady place away from midday sunlight. I would keep your hutch inside the shed and perhaps get on C & C grids so when you open the door they don’t rush out past you. Lino offcuts are great for she’d bases often carpet shops are happy to give you for free or a small price
 
Thank you both!

It would need a full height internal door hence asking husband to build a mesh one for airflow- I was just wondering about days where it’s mild and rainy, leaving it open would be better for airflow. Unless I got a plastic cover! I like to be able to see them from the back door through the hutch so it would be a shame to not see them at all. I’m worried during winter it’s going to be harder to give them attention as it presently is…they are just starting to come out of their shells but still very nervous!

I have a giant dog and a cat so even something half height would be too small.

I could use c&c grids to stop them running out and keep the shavings from falling out though that’s a good idea!

in summer they would have to go in the run outside…is there a predator proof one available incase I'm not supervising?
 
Shadowchaser said:
Thank you both!

It would need a full height internal door hence asking husband to build a mesh one for airflow- I was just wondering about days where it’s mild and rainy, leaving it open would be better for airflow. Unless I got a plastic cover! I like to be able to see them from the back door through the hutch so it would be a shame to not see them at all. I’m worried during winter it’s going to be harder to give them attention as it presently is…they are just starting to come out of their shells but still very nervous!

I have a giant dog and a cat so even something half height would be too small.

I could use c&c grids to stop them running out and keep the shavings from falling out though that’s a good idea!

in summer they would have to go in the run outside…is there a predator proof one available incase I'm not supervising?
Click to expand...

My door is a stable door so when mild and raining I can leave it half and half - solid outer door is closed at the bottom, and top mesh half mesh in use.
I’m not sure how you will manage it being open but rainy.

Re winter - that’s why I like having mine in a shed. I just go and sit out there with them….away from squabbling teenage daughters!

No run is going to be totally predator proof, that is why it’s advised they are not left out while you aren’t there to watch them. Plus breezes on hot weather can make runs even if they are in the shade too hot
 
I have our piggies in a shed I bought for them. We have a stable door and a window. The window has wire internally with the ability to open the window so I can go out and leave it open knowing they are secure. The stable door I have a mesh insert that we use when the weather is good. Again means I can leave them secure.
We have the hutches in the shed as we find it easier to keep the hutches warm in the cold weather rather than the whole shed, I am lucky enough to have power to the shed so we have lights and both hutches have greenhouse heaters fixed in them, we also have a microwave that we use for heating the snuggle safes.
Hope that is of help. 😊
 
Thankyou for your reply @Spaghetti & Noodles 😊

I’m looking at greenhouse heaters- are they safe to use all the time? Also does it cost much to run them?

I was considering buying a small hutch to completely fill with hay and snugglesafes as a bed so I could heat that too. Knowing my luck they wouldn’t sleep in it though 😄
 
Shadowchaser said:
Thankyou for your reply @Spaghetti & Noodles 😊

I’m looking at greenhouse heaters- are they safe to use all the time? Also does it cost much to run them?

I was considering buying a small hutch to completely fill with hay and snugglesafes as a bed so I could heat that too. Knowing my luck they wouldn’t sleep in it though 😄
Click to expand...
We have them mounted in the top of the hutches and cut a small notch at the back to feed the wire through so they are well out of the way, during the coldest months we leave them on all the time and haven't had a problem, my husband researched them and I don't think they are expensive to run, I'll try and take a photo later today.
We have found that they seem warm enough, if it is really cold they are shut into the hutches as I know that is warmer than them having the run of the shed, they also get shut in over night through the winter and we still cover the hutches with old blankets/duvets. I have digital fridge thermometers in the shed and hutches and during the winter there is definitely a difference between the two.
 
The issue the OP will have is that there are four piggies and only a 5 foot hutch which isn’t big enough so they cant really be shut into the hutch. A 6ft hutch won’t fit in the 6ft shed (internally it is less than 6ft) (6ft being the minimum for four sows) so youre going to need to make sure the shed is kept warm enough or that there are warm areas ie hides with Snugglesafes in spread around the shed.
Youre looking to take the chill off with a heater and I would think as you’re likely going to need to heat the whole shed space that an oil filled might be best.

The whole shed floor will need to be protected with something like lino but then the whole floor covered with shavings and hay. You then need to spot clean it twice a day and sweep the whole thing out once a week.
 
All really good ideas! Thankyou!

I feel very invested in this, they were supposed to be children’s pets but I love watching them out of the window (hence I didn’t want to shut them in a shed but they are very messy little things!)

I can put the hutch in (or buy a small hutch) heat it and leave the doors open and pray everyone goes in of their own accord…I do have snugglesafes but not enough to warm lots of areas.

I’ll speak to husband about an oil filled, he’s the one paying the bills 😄

Here’s a photo of my favourite one, just because!
 

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Shadowchaser said:
All really good ideas! Thankyou!

I feel very invested in this, they were supposed to be children’s pets but I love watching them out of the window (hence I didn’t want to shut them in a shed but they are very messy little things!)

I can put the hutch in (or buy a small hutch) heat it and leave the doors open and pray everyone goes in of their own accord…I do have snugglesafes but not enough to warm lots of areas.

I’ll speak to husband about an oil filled, he’s the one paying the bills 😄

Here’s a photo of my favourite one, just because!
Click to expand...

You will want a snugglesafe per piggy but over time you could add more
 
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