confused on old coop

[michelleml]

We just purchased a old ranch and it has a good size coop but i just can't figure of what to do with the boxes attached to it.
1st picture outside of coop 6ft h by 20.5 feet long and 6 ft deep, picture 2 wooden boxes ,3. large box w4ft4 by5ft6, 4th picture w3ft 9
by L 2ft.6. not sure if i should you the bottom large area as nesting box area and the small box area as the roost any help is appreciated

michelle

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[Achickenwrangler#1]

ok, I'm baffled. Is it really a chicken coop, or a half way attempt to make it a coop, with way with some imagination and work it could be a great chicken house.

 

[Elaine E]

We used to make "condos" for our animals. Geese, ducks or sometimes goats on the bottom and the chicken houses on top. Maybe yours is for a couple different types of critters too.

 

[michelleml]

im not sure what it is i thought it was a chicken coop. The neighbors said they kept chickens at one time. I was thinking maybe i could put some nesting boxes to one side and have a roost on the other in the larger boxed in area. maybe use the smaller area on top for broody hens or just use large bottom area only.

 

[Kaitie09]

Don't quote me on this, but it looks like at one point it may have housed pigeons in that raised area. In the first picture, it looks almost like an access hole to the outside, above the chicken pop door, and the inside area in the 2nd pic would have been their nighttime enclosure. My neighbor has a similar setup in his barn, but up in his loft.

The bottom area could have possibly been for rabbits or just a breeding area for the chickens.

 

[JakeBremer]

I think the last picture is where the owners put their broody hen that was setting or hatching the eggs, and to raise the in there.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I really don't want to rain on your parade, but you will have a ton of work to do before it's OK for chickens....I don't mean to 'make it pretty' work, I mean to make it safe. The eaves are wide open. Anything can get in. I am a fan of wood floor, but those cinderblocks outside would be better off dug into the perameter of the footer....under those planks are perfect for rats and weasels. I don't know if they add to the structural integrity of the building but something must be done. It appears to have walls made only of tin...you'd have to make sure they are all fastened securely, a coons could pry them open like a sardine can---i think this was originally built to store equipment in,maybe hay...but converted for some chickens that had a hard time....it could become anything you want though---up for the challenge? I could do it.

 

[Nicole01]

I agree, it needs a lot of renovations before you add a flock. I'm a bit shocked they didn't clean it out before selling you the property.

The hay will mold, especially if it gets damp. I'd be disinfecting everything upon the massive repairs. I would swap the chicken wire for hardware cloth. Our run is 22x5x5. We use welded wire and hardware cloth, so we can keep the door open at night. Our coop is 100% predator free, we built a 12x4x9 square room inside our garage. We free range morning till night and keep 11 hens. We have 4 nest boxes.

Our run is about the same size as yours. In the winter we cover our run in plastic, so they have use all year round.

Up close

 

[canesisters]

You have an amazing diamond in the rough there. Yes, it will take a lot of work, but it can become a real jewel.
Have you considered using one of those boxes as a brooder or as a place for a broody hen to hatch and raise her bitties?
One thing I didn't consider when I was converting my shed into a coop - storage! You'll want a place to keep stuff. So turn one of those boxes into a chicken-proof closet.
Like someone else said - take the time to make it safe. You'll be grateful for it everytime you browse through the predator section of threads.

 

[michelleml]

We started to clean it out. this has a roof on it which is made of tin should that be replaced also and if so with what? behind the blocks is a wooden frame that goes all the way around i was wanting to redo the chicken wire with hardware cloth but not sure how to do the back of the walls that are tin and ideas? This is attached to an old barn we cleaned it out already it was about 4 ft high with old wood and trash. Any ideas or links to plans would be helpful at the time its just me and three kids (10yr, 3yr, 18m) Hubby is in our last duty station until movers can pick up our house hold things plus he is in the start of chemo treatments. So i will have to tackle this on my own.
Any help is appreciated
Thanks
Michelle