Happy dance- coop is almost done!

[KnightsMist]

We are building a coop in my existing barn (circa 1800s) that presently houses my horse and 2 mini donkeys. Last weekend I cleaned out the area (was being used for random storage) and pulled down some shelving and boards to clear the area. We finished the shell today- it is now fully enclosed! Next I need to add roost bars and poop boards and then nest boxes. But I'm so thrilled with how this came out and had to share!!

All wood was reused from other areas of the barn and the green door was just in a pile in the attic of the barn- so the aesthetic is maintained and you would never know we just built it! I'll share more when things are further along.

Before: open storage area
In process: All cleared out ready to build
Now: coop is enclosed! Wood boards and hardware cloth top to bottom, and has an existing wood floor.

 

[KnightsMist]

And they're outside now! I had hoped to put them out a couple days ago but we had a cold spell here. Back to seasonable temps, high 70s today. I still need to finish some things, adding the roost and poop boards and eventually nest boxes, but it's good enough for now

 

[aart]

The only effort will be to cement them in and grout them.
You might think they are cold and not as nice to walk on which is absolutely true so you cover them in wood in the form of shavings.

That's huge job/effort.
That would likely be disastrous in their climate, ceramic tile and grout wouldn't hold up to the freeze thaw cycle.

IF they wanted to put something down to protect the wood, a big sheet of vinyl flooring would be a better choice

 

[KnightsMist]

That's huge job/effort.
That would likely be disastrous in their climate, ceramic tile and grout wouldn't hold up to the freeze thaw cycle.

IF they wanted to put something down to protect the wood, a big sheet of vinyl flooring would be a better choice

Aart I agree with you. Beyond concreting and grouting, adding any other permanent type floor would not be allowed on our property as it is historically protected. This barn has held up to animals for over 100 years. We have made some flooring modifications in the 9 years we've had the property but those were mainly to accomodate the weight of horses.

I looked into sheets of vinyl flooring last night, and that might be something to pursue if needed, but I think at least initially I will stick with a good amount of bedding and regular cleaning. I do not plan to use the deep litter method because I know that would be a bad idea on a wood floor, I will likely just use shavings and strip it all out as needed, monthly or whatever timeframe seems to work best. And poop boards, I will be building poop boards under the roost and clean those daily or every other day., so that should help too.

 

[KnightsMist]

Love it!
However, your hardware cloth is not attached well enough. Add wood strips, screwed into the framing over all the edges, including the hardware cloth. Also consider 2"x 4" woven wire over at least the lower section of the screen door, over it's hardware cloth.
Cheap sheet vinyl would be good over the wood floor, although if the wood floor is dry, rubber stall mats work very well too. Anything to make things easier! Cleaning daily is a pain, consider deeper shavings and clean-out a couple times each year instead. It's a management choice, give yourself options.
Can you open a chicken door to the outside for a run? Or add a full sized door? And having that window opened almost all the time would be good, especially if you change it to hinge from the top, so when opened, it acts as an awning.
Mary

Hi, yes I still have modifications to make the coop. It will have a pop door out to a fenced in run- as soon as we build it..!

Modifying the window unfortunately is not an option for us but the barn is open 24/7 unless stormy weather, so there is plenty of ventilation and fresh air.

The screen door has hardware cloth over it as well, I don't intend to modify it further. Many of my options are limited by a historic preservation agreement on our property- we need approval from the historic society to make any changes. Thus, I'm trying to keep modifications to a minimum, to remain with the current aesthetic of the barn.

As I have over 9 years having horses and donkeys at home, I imagine my chicken keeping practices and structures may change over time to adjust to needs, with regard to cleaning etc. My preference for now is to not have any other material over the floor and adjust down the road if needed.

 

[KnightsMist]

I don't know who first invented poop boards but now that I have them I understand why they are the #1 most recommended item to folks building coops! So, so easy to clean. Girls are loving the new roost

Tomorrow is day 1 of building their run- I decided to outsource part of the job, so the frame and 'roof' (just 2x4 welded wire, not solid) will be done tomorrow, hope to get the hardware cloth up next week. Wish us luck!

 

[KnightsMist]

Uodated pix. We finally finished the roost and poop boards over the weekend. Still need to build nest boxes, but I have time. I had a grand idea abour building our run, but we may outsource it to a pro since we don't have a lot of spare time to get it done.

Girls are currently free ranging during the day and love scratching around and hiding in our lilac and forsythia bushes. Lots of bugs and space where they can also be shaded from the sun and protected from some predators. It will be nice to have the fenced run done soon though.

 

[KnightsMist]

Nice!
Will the roof be HC or solid?
Is it sloped for rain runoff?

The roof is 2x4 welded wire. Would have loved to do a solid roof but cost and permission from historic society (our property is protected, long story) were significant barriers. This will work for now, we can always go back and upgrade later if we feel it necessary.

 

[MissE]

The roof is 2x4 welded wire. Would have loved to do a solid roof but cost and permission from historic society (our property is protected, long story) were significant barriers. This will work for now, we can always go back and upgrade later if we feel it necessary.

Depending on the predators in your area, you may need to cover the 2x4 wire with hardware cloth.

Are you able to put up some kind of shade cloth? The girls will appreciate it on hot day.

Your coop and run are beautiful. Lots of room and ventilation. You will have some very happy cluckers.

 

[Folly's place]

Love it!
However, your hardware cloth is not attached well enough. Add wood strips, screwed into the framing over all the edges, including the hardware cloth. Also consider 2"x 4" woven wire over at least the lower section of the screen door, over it's hardware cloth.
Cheap sheet vinyl would be good over the wood floor, although if the wood floor is dry, rubber stall mats work very well too. Anything to make things easier! Cleaning daily is a pain, consider deeper shavings and clean-out a couple times each year instead. It's a management choice, give yourself options.
Can you open a chicken door to the outside for a run? Or add a full sized door? And having that window opened almost all the time would be good, especially if you change it to hinge from the top, so when opened, it acts as an awning.
Mary