Barn into open air coop conversion

[Belott]

Looks real good henless (with chicks)!!!!

Are you going to block off the nest boxes to keep them from sleeping in there instead of the roosts?

David

 

[henless]

Looking GOOD!!

Thanks aart! It's looking better than I thought. I think I like how the paint is looking.

Looks real good henless (with chicks)!!!!

Are you going to block off the nest boxes to keep them from sleeping in there instead of the roosts?

David

I plan on it. Thinking about flipping the tubs over, and maybe putting a board up across the front of both rows until they get big enough for egg laying.

 

[LauriInWA]

It looks like it is coming along beautifully! I had to laugh about when you said you hadn't used it for horse for a while and everything gets stored there...that's what happened here...lol...even my kids have stuff stored out there..I had to do some moving around to get my one stall to convert to a coop. Looks good, cant wait to see it when you have it finished. Lauri

 

[henless]

It looks like it is coming along beautifully! I had to laugh about when you said you hadn't used it for horse for a while and everything gets stored there...that's what happened here...lol...even my kids have stuff stored out there..I had to do some moving around to get my one stall to convert to a coop. Looks good, cant wait to see it when you have it finished. Lauri

Ain't that the truth?! Just because you have a barn that is not being used at the moment, doesn't mean you want everyone's junk stored there at no charge! LOL


Despite the awful weather we are having here in Texas, we have been able to get some work done.

We started working on the roost and in coop brooder on Saturday. DH had to work most of the day, so we didn't get as much done. We did get the frame work in and flooring down for the brooder.

The poop board is going to be the top "shelf". Brooder is directly under it. Both measure 3' wide x 10' long.





The osb has been installed on both levels. The framework has a coat of kilz on it. I plan on painting it tomorrow. We got a roll of linoleum to put on the poop board, and we decided to go ahead and put some down in the brooder to protect it from water spills. The white diagonal 2x4 is one of my roost boards. I plan on putting up two, with a 36" spread, I believe there is enough room for two roosts.



It's a damp, cold day here in Texas. We're hoping to install the linoleum one evening this week when the weather isn't so damp. I want to make sure the glue dries really well so not going to attempt it today. Then we just need to frame out the two door fronts, add hardware cloth and attached the roost and the coop will be finished. Then I can move my babies out to their new home. They really need the room this brooder will give them.

 

[LauriInWA]

It looks awesome, you are doing a super job! Love the pics!

 

[alikap]

Hi all! I'm a newbie to barns, coops and chickens. There's a fantastic barn on the property, and I'm starting to clean it up and visualize where the chickens will go. Your photos and work are inspiring! I love what you're doing! I have a question about very old "leavings" on the barn's dirt floor. There's about 1-2 inches (depending on where you step) of very old goat and cow patties mixed with hay. No one's used the barn for over 5 years and when I tried to remove the layers down to the original dirt floor, my husband told me I was taking out the floor, and to leave it. I want it ALLL cleaned to the ground for compost. What's your take on this? I need to get the job moving and I'm stuck for 3 days on the floor issue!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’m not sure what his concern is? I don’t have enough information to know what the issues are.

That stuff will be great for compost, no doubt. But will that drop the floor low enough that it will cause the floor to hold water and stay wet? If you take it out do you need to replace it with clay dirt to raise it above ground level so it will keep water out? I added a few inches of clay dirt to mine for that reason before I added any bedding. It’s really nice to have a dry coop.

Will taking it out cause other problems? It’s hard to answer a question like this without more information.

 

[alikap]

I’m not sure what his concern is? I don’t have enough information to know what the issues are.

That stuff will be great for compost, no doubt. But will that drop the floor low enough that it will cause the floor to hold water and stay wet? If you take it out do you need to replace it with clay dirt to raise it above ground level so it will keep water out? I added a few inches of clay dirt to mine for that reason before I added any bedding. It’s really nice to have a dry coop.

Will taking it out cause other problems? It’s hard to answer a question like this without more information.

Hi Ridgerunner - Thanks for your response! It helped us focus on just what IS the problem! We've decided to go ahead and remove ALL the old compacted mix cause it's probably not sterile, and replace it with straw just for walking on. The straw can be replaced as needed. Water run-off or soaking in is not a problem there - it's got a roof over that open area. The birds will brood, roost and lay their eggs inside the barn and be let out each morning to roam. The area in question is an open area that is fully roofed and closed on 2 sides fully and on the other 2 sides partially. Evidently that's where all the goats/cows would go to stand to get out of the rain or sun. I can't wait to get that stuff in the compost bin! Now I will be able to SEE the flooring clearly, and trust that I will not break an ankle again on uneven ground!

 

[henless]

If the manure and hay have been there for a while, you may not need to compost it. I would be careful about taking too much out. We had to get dirt brought into our stalls to replace what the horse had walked out.


We've been able to do some more to our coop. The weather warmed up, so we were able to put down the linoleum on the poop boards. I have one of the roost painted, but need to get another one and paint it before putting them up.



We got the doors installed Monday. I got them painted yesterday. I'll post more pics once the get from my phone to yahoo. Sometimes it takes forever to get them there!

 

[henless]

My pics have finally come through. Seems like it takes forever sometimes!

Here is my in coop brooder. Everything is ready for the chicks to be moved from my DH's shop. He'll be glad to get his shop back!

I finished painting them Tuesday. Tuesday evening DH and I put the wire up. I'm sure glad you can buy hardware cloth in different widths. Makes it much easier to put up!
I will be putting two 2"x4"x10' boards across the top of the brooder for my roosts.

eta: I forgot that we also put in a board partition that we can close/open as we need it. So, when I'm not using it as a brooder, I can use it as a separation pen. I can have one 3'x10' pen, or shut the partition and have two 3'x5' pens.




I put the chicks in. There was so much room they were afraid to go anywhere but by their Premier heater. lol I had to coax them down to the other end with some feed. Once they realized they had all that room, they would just run back and forth flapping their wings. They were glad to get out of the watermelon box!





Still have a little bit to do. We're taking a break for now. I'll post more when we get it all done.