chickens
shed & run design
framed chicken sheds
A framed chicken shed is one built using proper framing timbers.  The main advantage of these sheds is that the size can be varied to suit your specific needs while the main disadvantage is that they are both costly and time consuming to build.

advantages/disadvantages summary


Photo of an Australian chicken shed design.
An Australian chicken shed design.  Note that it has large open sections to allow a breeze to flow through.  Image courtesy of "Keeping Poultry" a Department of Agriculture Tasmania publication.

Photo of a North American chicken shed design.
An American chicken shed design.  It has smaller windows and shutters to protect the chickens from extreme cold in winter.  Image courtesy of "Raising Poultry the Modern Way" by Leonard S. Mercia.



Photo of a chicken shed in winter.
A chicken shed and run in North America. As the winters are much colder than Australian Winters the sheds are mainly designed to keep the chickens warm while here in Australia our sheds are designed to keep the chickens cool in order to cope with our long hot Summers.  Image courtesy of the internet.
Advantages
  • Size can be varied to suit your specific needs.
     
  • Sheds can be wider and larger than the largest prefabricated chicken sheds.
     
  • Allows you to attach guttering so rainwater runoff can be collected from the roof.
     
  • The walls and roof can be insulated.
     
  • The interior can be lined with cement sheeting to minimise the number of cracks and crevices.  Cracks make ideal hiding spots for red spider mites.
     
  • Gives you the option to install lighting and power fittings.

Disadvantages
  • Can be both expensive and time consuming to build.
     
  • Requires specialised building skills and equipment to construct.
     
  • May require a council permit to build.
     
Framed chicken shed designs
There are any number of framed chicken shed designs available for download from the internet, some are free while others require a nominal fee to download. 
As well most reputable poultry books have a section on chicken shed design and construction. 
Another good source of chicken shed designs would be your local poultry club.  Members of poultry clubs have huge experience in designing and building chicken sheds.

environmental factors in chicken shed design
When looking at chicken shed designs on the internet be aware that they will vary greatly depending on the climate they have been designed for.

As Australia's climate is pretty warm most sheds built here are of an open design with large windows with chicken wire covering them to allow a cool breeze to flow through when the wether is hot.

Sheds designed for the Northern European or American climate usually have much smaller windows and shutters that can be placed over the them in the winter to help keep the chickens warm.

Make sure that the type of design you choose suits your climatic conditions.


cultural differences in chicken shed design
There may in fact simply be cultural differences in chicken shed designs.  For instance almost all the designs from North America that I have seen have wooden floors and are mounted on concrete (AKA breeze or cinder) blocks.  Whereas in Australia many of the designs are mounted on poured concrete slabs.   Most of the larger chicken sheds I have seen here in Australia have been on concrete slabs.

While a chicken shed on a concrete slab is easier to make rat proof there appears to be no environmental reason for the preference.  Both flooring types would be sound, it may simply come down to what you prefer.