Pig pen turned chicken coop

[Coraline_abel]

My husband and I were given this building which was used for pigs. We were going to build our own chicken coop rather than buying one. Instead, we decided to just turn this into a coop for our new babies. It’s about 14x8 with sliding doors on each side. I would love to hear everyone’s ideas on what you think we should consider while building. Also, there’s rubber mats on the floor. Should I clean those up and put bedding over them or completely get rid of them?

 

[yickenscarf23]

So cute and creative! I have rubber mats in my horse stalls that I put bedding over and it's so easy to clean so I vote keep them. Especially with chickens I think anything you can hose off is always a plus.

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

the one thing I regreted when I built My coop is the size of the sectioned off storage room. I believe it is really a must

 

[centrarchid]

Think very seriously how you will keep raccoons out. Look into what people have been using in terms of wire sides. Chicken wire will have no place with your coop unless as a redundant layer to keep song birds away from feed. If it sits on a concrete pad, then have in mind that is where rodents will be nesting. Work hard to keep spilled feed to a minimum. Otherwise it should work well.

 

[aart]

Might want to think about keeping rodents and other pests out from under that floor.

Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1110498/wire-around-coop#post_17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

Maybe add larger roof overhangs too...to keep rain water out of and away from coop.