"Before Photos" of my run down Coop. Any advice??

[ClevelandChick]

I have this old building on my property that once allegedly housed chickens. I am hoping to remodel it to use as a future chicken coop that may house about 3 egg layers. Though the building may look like a tear down to some, I do not want to tear it down as it is grandfathered in as being a 3rd building on my property so one way or the other I need to fix-it up a bit.

As you can see it needs a bit of TLC - a door, paint, some boards replaced, etc. I also need to get the current occupants out of the coop - well beneath it - either ground hogs or raccoons. I plan on tearing up the floor so I can put wire underneath it so hoping the commotion will scare them out long enough for me then to channel around the building and bury wire and rocks to keep them critters out.

Besides the obvious repairs it needs, I am wondering if I should make a small enclosure in the structure for the chickens or should I use the whole building as a coop? My budget is very limited and I plan on making this as green as possible and upcycling materials to make this a wonderful place for some new chicks to call "home".

Thanks in advance for your assistance!



West side of coop with two large windows. This is north of our barn so it doesnt get much sun.




South side/ entrance needs door but has a small window. This side gets full sun.




Inside looking NW...




NE corner...




East side of the coop where I'm thinking the run will go. Its the sunniest ground area around the coop. Thinking of boarding up the door and have the run access where it was/is.


The roof albeit ugly is sound and I'm considering growing grass and sedum on it.


Thanks for looking!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I love the feel of this building and I would try to salvage it too!!!! Once you get your inhabitants out...I recall a family of woodchucks living in our old coop. ugh-- I would fortify the perimeter of the building with the hardware cloth or go to an old pit where they are dumping dug up cement chunks or what have you and lay those up against the lower boards. Hardware cloth on the windows (Which I LOVE!) Linoleum on your floors and paint the inside too (helps with mites/Lice issues) I agree on removing the big white door and painting that whole building red --It's totally charming red! It's good that it's in a bit of shade. Better to keep the birds on the cooler side in the summer. You may want to make that consideration for the side of the coop for the run. If you're not free ranging then consider the shadier side of the coop for the run. Other than that--What A Fun Project! I wish I could come over and help with this one! LOL.

 

[chickenlady772]

Love that little cottage type you got there! So cute. Perfect for a restore project. Post pics please.

 

[crazyfeathers]

Love the building as well, I would definitely fix it up.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

Insure the foundation is Sound and well Fixt, for safety.

 

[Themehmeh]

that's going to be such a good coop!

I would put some linoleum or other non absorbent flooring on the bottom in a way that is easy to remove.
I would also get some perches from trees you have on your lot if possible. any fairly straight branches about an inch in diameter that don't come from sappy softwood trees are good.

You could keep a lot more than 3 in there....

 

[nayeli]

I love it, I would save it too. Unfortunately I can't offter much help. I would include a run if your not going to free range the chickens though!

 

[foreverlearning]

It would be cheaper to make the entire thing a coop rather then to section off a part of it. I would flea bomb it as raccoons tend to have them and they will bite (or try to) anything living. 1/2" hardware cloth on the windows so you can get a breeze during the summer. For any wood needed you can get free pallets on craigslist.org. Tree branches make great roost and you might want to look into poop boards for your ease in cleaning. Good luck and update us with pics!

 

[ChocoClover]

You really must get the animals out of it for good. Otherwise, they will be predators to your chickens. However, I think that even if it is difficult, it is worth salvaging. Make sure your doorframe is sound, though. That can be an easy place for predators to get into.