Corn Crib Silo for a Coop

DyaSna

In the Brooder
May 28, 2019
12
33
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I am a newbie and we have a corn crib silo that I want to use for the coop. I know we will have to hard wire over the crib fence as they are too big to keep any weasels out, however it has a good concrete floor which I think it worth using instead of using it as a run.

We are going to build a coop inside the crib, so the girls will be safe at night. I have roughly 80 SQ FT to have in the silo. There is a lot of discussions on sizing, does it make a difference if I have a lot of vertical space by the way we build their roost? I think it is best that I have a tall walk in coop with a standard door. I know we will have 12-15 chickens at a time, but would like extra space to keep 20 as our daughter will be 4H. I would really like to use 50 sq ft. which will work for 12-13 chickens, so they have some run space in the silo, plus we will have an exterior run that we can open and close. I don't think I can get enough space making an elevated coop.

I know if I outgrow the coop inside the silo, building on will be more difficult and my husband probably wouldn't be happy with me--but he'd do something. I thought about letting them run in the silo and just having a small run under a coop for them if I built outside the silo. I just think them being inside the silo with the concrete floor would be best. If I could gain vertical sq ft that would help me if I did get to 20 chickens.

Thoughts??
 
Sounds as you have figured this out well Welcome to Backyard chickens have you looked in the coops forums of the site tons of info but hardware cloth is the only way or electric fence to deter predators
 
Could you have a couple different floors within the Silo with steps for the chickens which could also act as a ladder or create a hatch you could open ( just remember to push the hatch up -not pull down:sick!) to get in to Clean and/or gather eggs?

OR...

I think of silos as being very tall..would it be possible to cut ten or so feet off the Silos top, attach the two with a walk way? I'm just trying to imagine & I'm thinking outside the box (or cylinder in this case) not having any pictures to go off of makes it a little challenging. So, I hope my visions are coming across.
 
Sounds as you have figured this out well Welcome to Backyard chickens have you looked in the coops forums of the site tons of info but hardware cloth is the only way or electric fence to deter predators
Thanks and yes, I will only use hardwire for sure but we can go to a charger if necessary. Since we own horses, I actually have a charger not in use.
 
Could you have a couple different floors within the Silo with steps for the chickens which could also act as a ladder or create a hatch you could open ( just remember to push the hatch up -not pull down:sick!) to get in to Clean and/or gather eggs?

OR...

I think of silos as being very tall..would it be possible to cut ten or so feet off the Silos top, attach the two with a walk way? I'm just trying to imagine & I'm thinking outside the box (or cylinder in this case) not having any pictures to go off of makes it a little challenging. So, I hope my visions are coming across.
 
I am going to get a picture and post, but they are very tall, and I plan to put a wire rood inside so that predators can climb up and get in from the top. I do think I could separate into 2 floors of roosting space on one side and then the nest boxes on the other with a ladder and put feed and water under there for them.
 
There is a lot of discussions on sizing, does it make a difference if I have a lot of vertical space by the way we build their roost?
Vertical space can help, especially for ventilation and air quality.
And depending on the floor space, roosts and poop boards up higher can help...but not much.

Waiting for pics and dimensions....am assuming silo is round, so what is diameter?

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @DyaSna
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
upload_2019-5-30_16-58-9.png
 
Yep, just how tall?

Because I hear "corn crib" and think large box with wooden slats, 1 inch gap between slats. :idunno

Anyway... you said 80 square feet... and a max of 20 chickens... so I would make the entire thing a coop. Wrap it in sturdy hardware cloth, and then attach a huge run.

But yep, pictures would help.
 

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