Leaky Roof/Floor

[Manhen]

But if you build little coops and runs inside the barn instead of pens it might be a good set up.

Will be tough for 150 chickens. Target.

You could just collect the water in the barrel for the chickens too.

This is the main option. The old days had a gutter, now a swiss cheese gutter, that fed an underground cistern with an electric pump. So, a funnel and a garden hose leading to the cistern. hmmm. I have to repair the electric to test the pump, and learn the best way to restore a cistern.

I confess it's not really a backyard chicken thing. We will have a yard tractor with pets, but we live on a farm, inactive with respect to agriculture, but still a farm. The goal is to provide the local food pantries with lots of rainbow eggs and maintain breeding pens for three breeds, I think the area is quite poor.

We have the acreage, so it looks like the cockerels will be assigned to a tractor to eat their way to heaven.

 

[Elsveta641]

Will be tough for 150 chickens. Target.
This is the main option. The old days had a gutter, now a swiss cheese gutter, that fed an underground cistern with an electric pump. So, a funnel and a garden hose leading to the cistern. hmmm. I have to repair the electric to test the pump, and learn the best way to restore a cistern.

I confess it's not really a backyard chicken thing. We will have a yard tractor with pets, but we live on a farm, inactive with respect to agriculture, but still a farm. The goal is to provide the local food pantries with lots of rainbow eggs and maintain breeding pens for three breeds, I think the area is quite poor.

We have the acreage, so it looks like the cockerels will be assigned to a tractor to eat their way to heaven.

We are on a farm as well and also have an old underground cistern and pumphouse. The cistern should be powerwashed with bleach water and rinsed them filled to see if it holds water. Cracks could be patched by trowel with quickcrete or you can use tar. If the pump is busted and it isn't cost effective to replace, a sludge pump (portable sump pump) can be used as long as the water is just for animals.

We have 3 8x10 pens and a 8x15 pen in the barn. They're built all along one side connected in a row and are about 8 feet high. The walls and roof are wire and 2x4 stud framing. Sucks so bad with the leaks. BUT you could do something similar (larger, for 150 birds)with the framing but only use wire to separate the individual pens. Then use something cheap but solid and waterproof like plastic paneling, discarded siding etc for the outer walls and top. That might work.

I'd at least just start with a small flock for a year and see how the seasons treat the birds in whatever set up you decide on. I wish I did! I spent thousands on every weird chicken my heart desires and then watched them all croak :/ Live and learn I guess

 

[Manhen]

I have mixed the barn floor's dirt with readymix to firm it up if wetness gets in. Roof screws will help. I have decided that most of the birds environment will be the roosts and the droppings board area, keeping them away from the muck. I do have excellent ventilation, and will improve it more should the flock get to big.

 

[Manhen]

I'd at least just start with a small flock for a year and see how the seasons treat the birds in whatever set up you decide on. I wish I did! I spent thousands on every weird chicken my heart desires and then watched them all croak :/ Live and learn I guess

I have been buying the hatcheries' choice of rainbow layers. $2.30 each in lots of 15. I also order enough of some breeds to be the starter flock, leghorns, welsummers and dominiqes are the goal. Second order arrives in the morning.

 

[Manhen]

UPDATE: Moving into the coop today. Well, the birds are. Roof repairman is coming this weekend. All is looking good, for once I am glad July and August are dry here.

 

[Manhen]

UPDATE: I have moved my chicks into the barn/coop. We had a tremendous downpour this afternoon and with no-ish wind they were able to find the dry 40% of the coop. It should dry relatively quickly, rain chances are decreasing and it is August. I did have a guy try to fix it for me, he was a big guy and the roof warned him to dismount. He also did not know about antique barns. So I will do it now.... I think we are going to need a bigger ladder.

 

[aart]

RutRoh...now a bigger hole in roof?

 

[Manhen]

RutRoh...now a bigger hole in roof?

Luckily no. My other, smaller neighbor (I have a bad inner ear,,,no roof work for me) tacked most of the loose sheet metal and there are only a few non-windy leaks now and they are small in heavy downpour. He is due back.

So as an update....we have three batches/shippments of birds (27, 31, and 30 birds) that arrived 4 weeks apart so the oldest is 60 days older than the youngest. One is still in the workshop, warm and safe at 1 week old. The other two are in the coop in the barn, which now has predator "proofing" and 3 separable cages, each about 8 foot by 13 foot. The largest section is 18 foot by 13 foot, and they are linearly built into the barn. The southernmost section, the largest also leads to a 6 foot by 13 foot wide lenai that is open to the south. There is a windbreak inside the lenai that covers the roosts and 3 foot further up into the roof structure. One set of roosts is done, for juveniles at 4 foot wide and has a oaken hinge attached to the wall, and an oaken hinge is on the wall for the adult roosts at 8 foot wide, this should hold all 86 birds if a little tight. The roosts can be lifted off (one is 11 2X4 pine lumber...ooof), and so I intend to replace the juvenile roosts with adult spaced boards.

It is entertaining to watch the 27 in the large cage with the roosts vie for top spot in the evening. I wonder if they know I think they are all being silly. It is when I am able to pet all the skittish ones...

Feeding is a 30lb hanging feeder and a pvc construct that works sufficiently is all. Watering is 2 2 gallon waters and one of those one gallong plastic chicky things.

So, after another week I will move the whole brooder into the first cage, confine the second batch to the second cage for awhile while completing the flock 1 and 2 merger during the night (they seem to get along fine then). By Thanksgiving they will all be at 10 weeks old and best of friends. Then I will build the nests....

So....good news, the birds are dry. Now winterization by putting some awnings on and a door to the south.

 

[Manhen]

We are on a farm as well and also have an old underground cistern and pumphouse. The cistern should be powerwashed with bleach water and rinsed them filled to see if it holds water. Cracks could be patched by trowel with quickcrete or you can use tar. If the pump is busted and it isn't cost effective to replace, a sludge pump (portable sump pump) can be used as long as the water is just for animals.

The cistern was build about 80 years ago. I think the stone walls were built by my great grandfather. I believe it all worked 10 years ago, but the breaker on the pump circuit wont grab, so it should be only an electrical problem. 10-20 years ago there was 3 feet of silt in it and it was not determined to be a problem. About 2000 ft2 of roofing feeds it. I can see some of the tile they had installed. Best bet is to "fix the wiring and try it" and if I can pump it clear that's good to go. If the pump has to be replaced I will have the cistern looked at first. No sense trashing a new pump.

 

[Manhen]

Birds R dry. Floor is soaked. Lots of air