Help...Trying to convert and old dairy barn into a future fowl area...

[Percheron chick]

I was thinking of renovating a window into a door. But, I would love to have an automatic chicken door.

Outdoors is totally open. I have about 1800 started Christmas trees up the hill..but, not even near the barn. I can allocate whatever to a run. I do have Hawks and neighbor dogs and chayote and fox.

I was thinking maybe frame the inside with 2x4 with 1/2 hardware cloth. Hardware cloth ceiling. Then in the winter if needed use those styrofoam panels to throw up around them...if I make it in the corner I only have to worry about putting up 2 walls....which would be cheaper. I have lots of old doors and screen doors to use.

I def have whatever space I need in there it is huge.

If the walls were lime washed what do I need to do? It hasn't had cattle in there since mid 90's

Very cool old barn. What's it's history?

You've got great natural light. I would do exactly what you are thinking of doing. Make floor to ceiling wire panels with a nice person door to each pen. You've got all the 6x6 headers that run the length of the stanchions that you can nail the panels to. For the bottom, you will need a concrete drill bit to make some holes for bolts. Drill a hole in the bottom 2x4 for the bolt and you are in business. You can easily add 2 panels as you have time to build the next pen. You don't need to make a hardware cloth ceiling because you will run the pens up to the ceiling. Don't worry about insulating it. You will have to put the pop door up in the window. You will just have a long ramp up and a longer ramp down. Don't need to bring the dirt level outside up. Just have longer ramps. If you open the roll up doors, you will have even better light. You could make a frame for the door ways and cover it in HW cloth or just start by buying some panel gates that you can easily open and close. The interior of the barn will make a great winter run but you will need to limit the area they have access to or you will have poop on everything.

I have never head of limewashing but reading up on it, it's perfectly safe (no chemicals or toxins) for chickens. The dried lime wash is the same chemical composition of egg shells (calcium carbonate). You do it on a regular basis to seal the pores of the cinder blocks to keep water out.

 

[Purpletie3]

Cool ideas...thanks. Wouldn't you be worried about cracks between the boards on the ceiling? I like the idea of doing the big space first and then section one it as I need it. Didn't think of the ramp window...that would totally work...& most of the windows are blown out right now. I did buy replacements but didn't get that far....

I believe history was 1950's dairy barn. They lost the farm years ago and sectioned it off and sold it off. I bought the dilapidated house and 14 acres. Just traded 3 acres for the old barn and 1.5 acres. Needed shelter for my tractor.

 

[Purpletie3]

I was thinking of putting the extra roo's on patrol on the outside of the inside pen. Stuff can get moved to avoid poop. There's more barn.

 

[Percheron chick]

Didn't notice that part. I have had a bobcat climb up the stall wall and gain access to the chickens with just the 6 inches between the rafters and ceiling. You can cut plywood or just take some wire to block the opening. Cheaper than covering the entire top.

Make a frame for the missing window. Make the smallest pop door your chickens can fit through (12x12) and put plexiglass in the rest. You could make a small landing at the pop door. Place your roosts so they use that same ramp.

 

[Purpletie3]

Didn't notice that part. I have had a bobcat climb up the stall wall and gain access to the chickens with just the 6 inches between the rafters and ceiling. You can cut plywood or just take some wire to block the opening. Cheaper than covering the entire top.

Make a frame for the missing window. Make the smallest pop door your chickens can fit through (12x12) and put plexiglass in the rest. You could make a small landing at the pop door. Place your roosts so they use that same ramp.

I like all of those ideas! I think I will be okay on the rafter issue if I run under the support beams...tricky framing maybe but I am a young retired gal with many skills! Just strangely found a love for these little chickens!

A bobcat would make me buy some serious fire power. I was thinking of electrifying the run anyhow!

 

[misfitmorgan]

I like all of those ideas! I think I will be okay on the rafter issue if I run under the support beams...tricky framing maybe but I am a young retired gal with many skills! Just strangely found a love for these little chickens!

A bobcat would make me buy some serious fire power. I was thinking of electrifying the run anyhow!

You may not want to put electricity to the run. Chickens are not the brightest and being zapped with electric does not make for happy birds.

 

[Purpletie3]

I didn't know how they took a zap...maybe just a line on the outside of their run...???

O my goodness I am going to be crazy busy.

 

[Free Feather]

Keep us updated.

 

[misfitmorgan]

If you can make sure the metal/wire they touch isnt electrified should be fine. i have seen chickens shocked by electric fences and it isnt pretty. i had a friend who electrified her hardware cloth thinking it would keep them safe.....she un-plugged it when she found a dead chicken stuck in the fence, twitching every time it the fencer pulsed. She had hardware cloth on the outside and chicken wire on the inside, chick stuck its head through and tried to go forward when it got shocked and wedged its head into the space between the two types of wire. Pretty sure it died from a heart attack and not the electric itself. Even if they dont get stuck when they get shocked they tend to take off running and scare the whole flock. If you had a very large pasture with electric netting that would be fine cause the entire flock would just run away but in a smaller run there isnt really anywhere to run but into the other side of the run...which is also electrified lol. Get what i mean?

 

[Percheron chick]

A stand of electric wire outside the run can be a good deterrent for predators IF you install it correctly. I am surprised that connecting it to the hardware cloth worked. It should of been shorted out by the ground, the fence posts... anywhere it touched something that wasn't plastic. Build you run as you normally would than run a single strand of electric fencing wire about a foot or 18 inches off the ground on the outside where the chickens can't reach it. The fence charger has to deliver enough of a shock for whatever animal you are tying to keep out. A chicken needs very little (it is dependent upon the size of the animal and the amount of product you are trying to energize). I have touched a hotwire in a tiger cub enclosure and it threw me to the ground. Touching a horse hot wire will just make me jump. You will be limited by having to go solar and they don't have the bite of a 110 pulser.