coop within a large barn??

[jwchicklady]

thanks for the pictures--gives me some good ideas. any other chickens being kept in large barns?? I am looking for pictures of your set up and how to predator proof.
thanks

 

[dsedler]

Yep, mine is a converted stall in the horse barn.

View of the whole barn from the outside.

The inside of the barn before the coop was built. The stall at the end on the left is what eventually becomes the coop.

The outside before the run was built.

The inside door to the coop.

Inside the coop

The run.

These are all rough pics from while we were building. Right now I built an a-frame over the open end of the run and have covered it with a tarp so the girls can go out even in bad weather. We did cover the black bars inside the coop with chicken wire so nothing could get in and the chickens couldn't get out. And the cattle panels on the outside are now covered with hardware cloth and the entire run is surrounded with 3 strands of electric fencing. The top under the tarp is covered with bird netting to keep flying critters out. So far I've not had any losses (knocking on wood as hard as I can). Right now I have hay bales stacked against the front and side bars to help keep it warm in winter and I will cover the wire on the door with plastic here soon. The stall doors for the horses are open all the time so the horses can go in and out as they please, so the entire barn is not sealed during the winter. They should be able to keep the coop warm enough with what I've done that I won't need heat (which I won't use in the barn. Too much at risk if I have a fire.) They will have a heated dish to keep the water thawed. So far everyone seems happy and they have just started laying eggs this past week, so it's working for them so far