The pig shed is underway...

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The pigs move in

Well, the pigs have moved in to their new home today and they are loving all the space :) Apart from a few small gaps around the door which I will have to look in to as the weather gets colder, it has been a pretty good build.

Here are the girls enjoying their new home :)

We recycled one of the hutch doors to use as a gate and water bottle holder. It is hinged to the door frame so swings back out of the way

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It looks great - and your girls seem to have taken to it straight away!
 
Yeeeeaaaah, girls look well pleased with their new home, was there lots of popcorning then?:)
 
Fantastic job, the piggies will love it, mine do. My shed upgrade is on hold at the moment, our house is in the process of getting the external walls stripped and re-rendered. There's going to be cement splashed all over the place, the bottom of the garden is off limits to the workmen, as that's were the pen is on a clean piece of lawn away from the noise. The shed will need re-stained once the work is complete.
 
The Highway Man said:
Fantastic job, the piggies will love it, mine do. My shed upgrade is on hold at the moment, our house is in the process of getting the external walls stripped and re-rendered. There's going to be cement splashed all over the place, the bottom of the garden is off limits to the workmen, as that's were the pen is on a clean piece of lawn away from the noise. The shed will need re-stained once the work is complete.
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Thank you :) Are yours free ranged or in hutches? How did you insulate your shed?

They have loads of cosies, fleeces and heat pads that I will use as it gets colder. I am worried about the colder months and realise I will have to insulate it somehow. Will they be ok in there during the winter? Obviously, I will bring them in if it gets stupidly cold but only as a last resort due to hubby being allergic and lack if room.
 
personally i would add a wire safety door to have when the main door is open, at the moment cats,rats,stoats , dogs and weasels could climb in to the shed, do make sure you have ventilation for when the door is closed at night.
 
fluff said:
personally i would add a wire safety door to have when the main door is open, at the moment cats,rats,stoats , dogs and weasels could climb in to the shed, do make sure you have ventilation for when the door is closed at night.
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I have a mesh frame that I use to cover the top door when it's open. I just took it off to take the photos :)

There are a few gaps around the door when it is closed. Is this ok for ventilation or would you suggest something else? I'm a bit wary leaving the top door open over night even with the mesh :...
 
I forgot to mention that we are quite lucky that the sun stays at the front of the house until around 3pm when it moves round the back so the shed isn't sat in the sun all day. The pigs are usually out in their run is nice weather when we are in as well.
 
It looks fantastic!
I personally think that the tiny gaps in the wood are perfectly adequate for ventilation - anything more and it becomes drafty in the winter. I've never added any other ventilation to my shed and I've never felt that it needed more - and, on really awful winter days, I leave their door closed day and night.
On warm days and nights I do leave the shed door open. I was wary at first, but then, when I thought about it, they are no more at risk in a shed with the door open (providing the mesh is well fitting etc..) than being in a hutch in the garden.
 
Claire W said:
Thank you :) Are yours free ranged or in hutches? How did you insulate your shed?

They have loads of cosies, fleeces and heat pads that I will use as it gets colder. I am worried about the colder months and realise I will have to insulate it somehow. Will they be ok in there during the winter? Obviously, I will bring them in if it gets stupidly cold but only as a last resort due to hubby being allergic and lack if room.
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Mine are in hutches, at the moment I have the Wickes space blanket insulation. That will be going on the walls and boarded over. I have also put electricity in mine so I have light and heating. Mine is a large 8x6 shed so when I clean the hutches in the winter, I put the light and heater on, shut the door and change them in comfort. ;)
 
The Highway Man said:
Mine are in hutches, at the moment I have the Wickes space blanket insulation. That will be going on the walls and boarded over. I have also put electricity in mine so I have light and heating. Mine is a large 8x6 shed so when I clean the hutches in the winter, I put the light and heater on, shut the door and change them in comfort. ;)
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Sounds fab and 8x6, wow :)
 
That's a monster of a shed - I'm very jealous!

I forgot to say that in the summer I remove the glass from my window - that creates a nice bit of airflow. Once they're free ranging I'm planning to replace the glass with a mash panel during the summer months.
 
It'll be even better once I finish it, at the moment both hutches are on the floor, the piggies hutch will be going on top of the buns hutch to free up more floor space, once the boards are up, I've got an old kitchen cupboard which is going up on the wall to put all their spare bowls, water bottles, grooming brushes etc. I'm putting a work bench in which will hold the bales of shavings/hay with a fridge underneath. The floor is getting vinyl covering so I can mop it. There are 2 40 litre bins going either side of the hutches to hold dried pig and bun food. Once it's done the way I want it, I'll post pigtures. ;)
 
That is one fab shed! You will have to show us the inside once it's finished :) I have vinyl in mine with newspaper etc on top. I also have a shelf for their food and bits and bobs and a cork board :))
 
These sheds are fab! I can't wait for my brother to move later this year so I can take over his bike shed and turn it into a piggy palace!
 
My guinea pigs are in a 6ft by 4ft shed. They have free range of the whole shed, but in winter months I put their hutch back in for extra warmth. Along with fleece, and extra hay. I think I will buy some heat pads soon to. My guinea pigs seem to love their shed, I managed to fit a tube that leads into an outdoor hutch, which then can be opened up onto an area where they can eat grass. So there is lots of room for the 6 of them, in summer months I freeze water bottles and wrap them up, they like to lie next to them. They also like some ice cubes, but I wait for them to defrost quite a bit before putting them in.
Yours guinea pigs seem very happy, they have a great shed!
 
Beccarella said:
I would love a shed but can't afford one :( they're so expensive new!
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I couldn't afford to buy mine. A mate gave me his 6 month old shed as when he moved house, his new house had breezeblock outhouse twice the size of the shed, so he didn't need it. The hutches were freebies renovated using reclaimed materials, the electricity materials were left overs from a rewiring job. The paving slabs were recycled freebies. The only things I'll have to buy is the boards to cover the insulation which was on offer, the floor covering is a cheap offcut. So I've got a good home for my pets for minimal cost. ;)
 
Claire W said:
I have a mesh frame that I use to cover the top door when it's open. I just took it off to take the photos :)

There are a few gaps around the door when it is closed. Is this ok for ventilation or would you suggest something else? I'm a bit wary leaving the top door open over night even with the mesh :...
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even the smallest gaps will allow mice and other beasties to gain access (a mouse can squeeze through a gap the same diametor as a pencil)
and the last thing you want is a family of mice setting up home in the shed, mice will sit in the food dishes and wee on to the food not nice for the pigs. put doulble thickness 1/4 x 1/4 mesh over any gaps.
 
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