Modify barn space or build new coop

[Deuce]

I'm getting ready to build my coop. Would it be feasible to modify space in my barn or should I build a new coop? I see most coops are stand-alone structures. Is this for ventilation, ease of cleaning, ease of gathering eggs, disease?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can do whatever you wish. Most people building coops don’t have an existing structure they can use. My main coop is the end of an existing shed.

A coop needs to provide roosts, probably nests, good ventilation, protection from predators, protection from weather, and it needs to stay dry. If you can do that in your barn, you get the added benefit of lots of storage space plus you can put most of your ventilation where it doesn’t rain.

 

[thomasboyle]

Most people with a barn have other animals, so they may not want the chickens in the same area as horses etc. We have a 40x50 barn that we are renovating (built in the early 1800's) and it was much easier and cheaper to get a separate shed converted to a coop than a portion of the barn. In my case, the land around the barn will be needed as turnout for horses, goats, sheep and the cow we want to get, so it made sense to have the chicken coop in a different area. But to each his own!

 

[henless]

I've converted 2 of my stalls into a coop and indoor run. I plan on putting a larger outside run later this spring/sumer. This still leaves me with 2 stalls for horses, tack room and hay room. Unless I get more chickens and need another stall!

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

If I had a barn or any other structure then I would have used that instead of building a coop.