Barn Stall Conversion Question

[jlquick30]

I'm not an expert by any means, but I would probably just do outside walls, unless you have really extreme temps. The floor might get cold during the winter -- but we just put down wood chips in ours (and clean it regularly).

 

[FlaRocky]

We're doing something similar - turning our tack room into a coop and then letting them free range. Our has more protection, but less ventilation -- I think we might take the windows out and cover with hardware cloth or something. We are putting our nesting boxes on the shelves (similar to yours) with an added perch for them to land on. We used thick tree branches across the back as roosts but I think yours could easily go where you mentioned.

Not sure where you live, but if it's somewhere cold you might want to add some insulation - we're in Texas so it never gets very cold in the barn. Plywood should be enough to keep out predators, as long as there are no big gaps.

FlaRocky - Would love to see pictures of your stall conversions, if you have any!

It is not fancy... And not insulated....

I have an extra large dog/wolf size crate for the broody hens. The roost is an old horse blanket rack attached to the wall, then another support board added. I just used stuff on hand from the horses and dogs. Maye

 

[Kansaseq]

Wow, I am so jealous. You guys have entire BARNS!! Man, that would be nice. Both of your coops are and will be very nice. Thanks for sharing.

 

[dominiques]

Thanks Maye for your pictures! What a great idea using a dog crate for your broody hen! We have an extra dog crate and nearly gave it away. I had a feeling I could use it for the chickens.Using stuff on hand is how we want to go too. I have a feeling my largest expense will be the hardware cloth and whatever else I need for predator proofing. How did you decide where to put your wire fencing inside your coop? I'm still so nervous about predators and want to be sure I do what I need to do to make this crate predator proof. Any tips on how you predator proofed it would be helpful. Thanks again! Mary

 

[dominiques]

Just heard from a Dominique breeding expert up here in Maine and she says one perk of Heritage birds, which Dominiques are, is they are very cold tolerant, small combs and so don't need extra insulation. That's great relief. But back to predator proofing. What do we need to do inside the stall to make it predator proof?

 

[jlquick30]

Can't tell from the pictures... does your stall close all the way? Ours have doors that shut, so we just sealed off the corners where no animals can get in. Our slats are close enough together that nothing can get through - foxes, raccoons, etc. If yours are like mine, hardware cloth or chicken wire should be sufficient, but if there is an opening, you will have to have something that can close it off, even if it's a tarp that you can fasten down and then get back through when needed.

 

[dominiques]

The door does shut. It's even a door that has 2 parts. A top half and a bottom half; they can both be open or shut together or one open, one shut. Thinking a screen door would be good. I keep coming back to wondering about hardware cloth. Do I need to cover the floor with it or just where the floor and wall meet? I'm trying to think like a predator but am having a hard time!

 

[jlquick30]

I think we are just going to do between the walls and the ground, maybe a little lower. People have warned about digging predators - but if you put hardware cloth on the bottom, you would have to cover it up really well to keep the chicken's feet protected. Maybe heavy mats or something instead, like I've seen on other threads?

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I think you have a very interesting project goin there. To think like a predator is easy. Do you have a crowbar, or similar? Start with on wall and methodically go over every square inch, can you dig under the boards? Can you easily pull them off? Can you push through? One of your walls appears to have a bunch of various boards nailed over openings...simply pry those off and cover the window door type openings with hardware cloth or another real door and nail down some trim over the edges. Close off any holes greater than one inch big. Rule of thumb--if you can push a hot dog through it, it's not safe. As for ventilation---get the fresh air poultry house by woods, at Norton press....excellent....chickens need ventilation, loads of it...preferably on the south and east ends, with the other walls tighter..so no drafts. I am adding to my coop, it's a full moniter style, but i have just put in a large window on the south side, which I left open during this last hurricane type thunderstorm we had the coop stayed dry inside. I want to add two more windows, on the west for ventilation in summer, and east for ventilation in winter...all have shutter style window closure and framed inside with hardware cloth...PS. use either screws with washers (expensive)...or u shape nails (small) that you hammer in don't use staples, a child could tear that apart. Good luck, and keep it simple and therefore---more fun!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I just looked at your pic again..you have woods floors! Great! Put down a full sheet of linoleum if you want then cover that with pine chips or straw...frankly I just cover my wood floor with chips. You can add boards along the wall at the floor if it's not secure there and it will look intentional, like baseboard trim. Hint...use screws rather than nails unless you're absolutely certain that's where it will stay forever...much easier to move later when you change your mind.