Loving the idea of using an old corn crib we were given as a coop, has anyone done that/ have pictures? Here are my ideas.
Floor- is being cut off bc its old and rotted from sitting on wet ground. Plant to frame it in and put it about 2 feet off the ground. Planning on hardward cloth floor over 2x4s framed for the chickens. Then the half with the entrance door I plan on using as storage area and leaving it fenced off from the chicken half so that half I was just going to put a plywood floor.
Door- will be an old screen door facing east reinforced with hardware cloth.
The "chicken half" will be about 3x6' and I am planning on making just a simple hardware cloth door between their half and the storage half to allow for airflow. Though I am planning a wire floor, please know I plan on having the entire underside fenced off as part of the run and will bury wire to predator proof the run as well. Then because of the wind and predators I will probably put plywood onside the corn crib on their half, on the lower 2/3 (keeping in mind it will be 3 walls not four because the 4th will be the door to the storage area which faces the east and is inside the other screen door 4 feet away) I will then put hardward clothe on their half around the top 1/3 as well to keep the predators from trying to stick arms and whatnot in those slots. The other half I plan on basically leaving open as is except for the screen door and the hardware cloth/2x4 door separating the storage from the chickens. I dont think airflow will be a problem and Im hoping the extra layer of protection around their side in the winter is enough protection against the wind. If not, I may just wrap a tarp around the wind side.
Roof- the roof is also old and caved in and will be cut off so I will be reframing the top with 2x4s and laying down a layer of plywood and covering it with corugated metal sheeting.
The run I will cut a hole in their half for (need suggestions on how to make a door that opens from the outside of run)
and open into their fenced in run. Covered with hardware cloth on sides and chicken wire tied in the top (plan on covering 1/2 the run if I have extra corrugated metal sheets) and burying hardware cloth 1 foot skirted. then I'll probably hang the food and water from under the crib itself. I also need to figure our how and where to put a door to clean out the poop and since both the original corn crib doors are about 5-6 feet high I likely wont be using them for anything. I know its hard to imagine but I kind of have it in my head and just want to make sure I covered all my bases and see pictures if anyone has ever done a corn crib coop before. I want to retain as much of the original look of the crib as I can.
as a side note, I will be getting two of my hens before I even have it barely started (crib is coming later than it was supposed to be) and need some ideas for some temporary housing for them (maybe a week or 2) and wonder if ya'll think they'll be ok to free range during the day and still come back to their temp housing just to sleep?
Floor- is being cut off bc its old and rotted from sitting on wet ground. Plant to frame it in and put it about 2 feet off the ground. Planning on hardward cloth floor over 2x4s framed for the chickens. Then the half with the entrance door I plan on using as storage area and leaving it fenced off from the chicken half so that half I was just going to put a plywood floor.
Door- will be an old screen door facing east reinforced with hardware cloth.
The "chicken half" will be about 3x6' and I am planning on making just a simple hardware cloth door between their half and the storage half to allow for airflow. Though I am planning a wire floor, please know I plan on having the entire underside fenced off as part of the run and will bury wire to predator proof the run as well. Then because of the wind and predators I will probably put plywood onside the corn crib on their half, on the lower 2/3 (keeping in mind it will be 3 walls not four because the 4th will be the door to the storage area which faces the east and is inside the other screen door 4 feet away) I will then put hardward clothe on their half around the top 1/3 as well to keep the predators from trying to stick arms and whatnot in those slots. The other half I plan on basically leaving open as is except for the screen door and the hardware cloth/2x4 door separating the storage from the chickens. I dont think airflow will be a problem and Im hoping the extra layer of protection around their side in the winter is enough protection against the wind. If not, I may just wrap a tarp around the wind side.
Roof- the roof is also old and caved in and will be cut off so I will be reframing the top with 2x4s and laying down a layer of plywood and covering it with corugated metal sheeting.
The run I will cut a hole in their half for (need suggestions on how to make a door that opens from the outside of run)
and open into their fenced in run. Covered with hardware cloth on sides and chicken wire tied in the top (plan on covering 1/2 the run if I have extra corrugated metal sheets) and burying hardware cloth 1 foot skirted. then I'll probably hang the food and water from under the crib itself. I also need to figure our how and where to put a door to clean out the poop and since both the original corn crib doors are about 5-6 feet high I likely wont be using them for anything. I know its hard to imagine but I kind of have it in my head and just want to make sure I covered all my bases and see pictures if anyone has ever done a corn crib coop before. I want to retain as much of the original look of the crib as I can.
as a side note, I will be getting two of my hens before I even have it barely started (crib is coming later than it was supposed to be) and need some ideas for some temporary housing for them (maybe a week or 2) and wonder if ya'll think they'll be ok to free range during the day and still come back to their temp housing just to sleep?
Did end up basically tearing it apart and using the sides....my coop is more square than rectangle and we had an entire 6 foot ssection that was rotted out that we couldnt use, but I think it looks cute!
