Questions on closing in a lean-to for a coop

[shannondee12]

As you can tell, I am cleaning up this "lean to" area on the side of my cellar to make room for my chickens. This was originally a 2 story building and this side was also closed in with a door so the block has never been sealed. Should I use a sealer, exterior paint or good old fashioned white wash?

The floor could use some patch but not sure it I should just seal it or apply some vinyl flooring?




This is the current coop. Kind of crappy looking because I made it fast due to someone giving me chickens when I hadn't planned on getting them until next spring. As you can tell, the open part of the building has electric and on the other side of the block wall is my water so it would be easy to install. The other side is my pump house and I have free gas so we keep a smaller gas heater in there in the winter to keep the water from freezing which is great because I have free gas. I am also assuming that a smidge of warmth will permiate through the block wall to help with the chickens so I will not be adding any extra heating source. It does have open rafters that we use for storing stuff like trapping supplies and I hang my black walnuts from there to dry. We have a real problem with black snake up there in the summer but I am not sure how to close it off or not close it off and still protect the chickens.

 

[jetdog]

I would build a border with 2x6 or 2x8 and fill it with sand, very easy to maintain, hardware cloth on the outside of the run and on the ceiling to keep the snake out, lastly I would find the snake and chop it into little pieces.

 

[Alaskan]

I am not sure about your other questions...

except for sealing everything.

I would look at the best way to seal the block and the concrete. Either with some kind of sealer, or paint. I am not sure what would be best, but I do know that if they are not sealed then they will suck up the stink for ever and ever and you will never get it out again.

Also, even though a vinyl floor is fine, you will want to seal or paint the concrete before you put the vinyl down.

 

[shannondee12]

I would build a border with 2x6 or 2x8 and fill it with sand, very easy to maintain, hardware cloth on the outside of the run and on the ceiling to keep the snake out, lastly I would find the snake and chop it into little pieces.

The run will have a border and filled with sand but this area will be the actual coop. I want to wall it up and rearrange the fencing to connect to the 6 x 6 posts that are the supports showing. I moved back here (my childhood home) in June and since then have caught and killed 3 black snakes, all over 5 feet in length, in those rafters. I guess basically I just want suggestions on how to seal it up and make it sanitary and snake/coyote proof.

 

[jetdog]

I would use 1/2 hardware cloth on the walls and ceiling to seal everything off, a snake shouldn't be able to get through the wire if it's pulled tight and secured properly.

 

[Primo]

Sealing can be tricky to do it right (cleaning, acid etching etc). I might look into putting some furring strips on the wall then use bathroom type paneling on the floor and wall (probably only need to come up a couple feet on the wall.) Just some thoughts

 

[yogifink]

For the floor and wall, why do anything to it? Drop in your sand and be done with it. Keep it simple. The only reason you should worry about putting anything on the wall would be for ascetics. I would patch up the holes and cracks on the pad using concrete on the hole and crake sealer on the cracks. As for covering the floor, I don’t think it is necessary, so I would save the money for something else, unless you had something already sitting around - its all going to get covered in sand and chicken waste anyway.

As for closing it in, I would personally enclose it like a barn with metal siding by using some 2x material between the 6x6's and hanging the siding on the 2x running vertically. I would also set the metal siding into the ground about a foot, and then patch up every nook I would find with expanding foam and flashing.

 

[yogifink]

Sealing can be tricky to do it right (cleaning, acid etching etc). I might look into putting some furring strips on the wall then use bathroom type paneling on the floor and wall (probably only need to come up a couple feet on the wall.) Just some thoughts

At first I really liked this idea, furring strips and some plywood or paneling would probably be less expensive than sealer. However, now that I have rolled it around a bit, the spaces behind the wall material would provide a void for snakes and rodents to nest in....

 

[McKinneyMike]

At first I really liked this idea, furring strips and some plywood or paneling would probably be less expensive than sealer. However, now that I have rolled it around a bit, the spaces behind the wall material would provide a void for snakes and rodents to nest in....

I agree completely. No need to provide shelter for rodents and snakes!

 

[shannondee12]

I couldn't put up firring strips on the block wall even if I wanted to because they are 100 year old block that isn't flat sided. They are shaped, mold poured blocks. I did start putting up studs today on 24 inch centers. I decided to not do the entire covered area so i ended up going 8 feet by 10 feet. I recently remodeled my master bath so I had pulled out of the the 1x3's and saved them. I also have a frosted glass shower door that at first was going to put it on its side and use as a long window for more natural light but now I am thinking to put it in the wall as an actual door. More light in the winter with it closed and I will cover the opening with hardware cloth and it could be opened in the summer for breeze/ventilation. Gotta use what I got. I have tons of paint, both interior and exterior with different finishes. If I painted the floor then glued down a sheet of vinyl flooring, would that work? I feel like I need to seal it somehow to keep the odors from being absorbed, even with sand in there.

Here is a picture of the rafters as they are now. Mostly just storage for un-dipped traps and overflow wood from my wood shop.