New chicken room in a barn - what would you do??

[startingover]

I've spent the evening scouring the internet for cool ideas INSIDE coops. What has worked - what hasn't, etc. I would really really love to see pictures of the insides of everyone's coop that your guineas and/or chickens are in. What do your guineas/chickens love the most? What won't they go near? How high are your roosts?

We are rebuilding a 100 year old barn that was originally a milking parlor on the first floor, the second floor was half the barn and it was a chicken room (the gentleman who built it started his chicken/turkey raising in this barn - today his grandchildren run the business on a different property and sell thousands of turkeys and chickens a year) There was also a 3rd and 4th floor on the barn. The 4th floor was up above the chicken room which made the chicken room ceiling about 8-9 feet tall. We are not planning on putting all the floors back in. Redesigning the barn a little and putting the second floor all the way acrossed the barn. The first floor will be for the horses, LGD's, and the tractor. The chicken/guinea room will stay at half the barn on the second floor which will make it 30x24 feet. Hay and storage for the other half of the second floor. We are not putting the floor above the chicken room which would then make the ceiling some 30 feet tall. I would like to put roosts up there for the guineas. The walls and floor are all old tongue and groove wood.

I have a lot of space to be creative and I'm looking for lots of ideas so that I can make it my own. The chickens I know will stay in the barn. I want my guineas to WANT to stay in the barn at night (hence the tall ceiling) I would LOVE for them to nest in the barn too.

Just trying to get lots of opinions on what other people would do if they had the space...

I don't know how to put images on here.... hmmm or I would add a pic of what the room itself will mostly look like.

 

[Celtic Hill]

I was training at a barn that had a lot of chickens that had full run of the barn, well they would mess everywhere! So unless you have a "stall" for the chickens i wouldn't put them in the barn. JMO

 

[startingover]

The chicken room is on the second floor. They will have their own entrance where they don't have to come into the main floor.

 

[Celtic Hill]

Quote:
Oh cool! Hold on, did i read this right? a 4 floor barn!?

 

[startingover]

Quote:
Oh cool! Hold on, did i read this right? a 4 floor barn!?

It was originally 4 floors.. we are only putting 2 back in. Originally it had a main floor, went up about 8 steps to the second floor which was half the barn and that was the chicken room, went up a few more steps to the 3rd floor which was also half the barn and that was used for hay storage, and then there was a ladder to the 4th floor which was also half the barn and was above the chicken room.

Still trying to figure out how to post images. If you like old barns - you will love this one. Most unique old barn I have ever seen...

 

[startingover]

Here is my blog that I don't update too often but plan to now - there are some pics on there:

http://startingover-anewlifeinthecountry.blogspot.com/

 

[NonnasBabies]

Quote:
Check this link out and it will help you!! https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=504

Missi

 

[cfdf]

Wow! That is a neat barn. Looks like a lot of work! Good for you and yours! I bet you will have tons of fun raising animals in that.

 

[Cluckn Crazy]

With six chicks on our kitchen table under heat, we're just getting started. We have almost completed our coop project. We have an old shed we didn't want to get into fixing so we built a coop to place inside. Its nothing special - but will be warm and predator proof (unlike the shed!!) We put in a window that will line up with the sheds only window on the south side for some winter sun. We will build a tunnel to get to an outside run. I'll have more pictures by the end of the week. Good luck!

 

[IonaFarm]

Our barn is over 60 years old. We used one of the stalls/tack room for the coop. The floor was dirt so DH put down patio blocks-makes it easier to sweep out. Hung nest boxes on the wall.

It already had a window. Put up a door frame just inside the sliding barn door and hung a screen door. They can see out , I can see in, plenty of ventilation. Sliding door can be closed this winter if needed. Cut a pop hole to the out side.

Built a run outside. It took longer to build the run than to convert the room. It's working out great.

Only thing is I would love to have a little hen house all decorated up. I'll just have to decorate around the run.