Retrofitting a large, old coop

[Svejk]

Hi everyone, first time posting at this great forum.

I have a large (6x12 foot) henhouse that has been acting as a garden shed for a couple of decades. It has electricity, large windows, vents, etc. It also has a dirt floor that has been covered over with cinder block and plywood sheets (badly, I might add).

It has mice and a groundhog burrow. No coons, no skunks. I am at the edge of a city, straddling rural land and land that forbids livestock. My neighbors have chickens and they roam our yards freely. Thus, I don't really want to build a new outbuilding, I think it will attract too much attention.

I'm thinking about portioning off a section of this shed and making a coop for 2-4 free-range pullets. My thought is to pull up the boards in some areas, burying wire and covering with sand for the floor. Walls would be wire and 2x4 wood with a human-sized door and use the existing chicken-sized door for them to go outside. This chicken door is roughly ground level, is this a problem?

Any other tips or design considerations you might point out?
Thanks, I look forward to reading your advice.
Svejk

 

[CoopCrazy]

Sounds good to me , just make sure you cover any places that a predator may get in and have a pop door that you can close at night... Now you said neighbors birds are in your yard??? Chickens are socail creatures so you may end up losing your girls to the neighbors as they will try to flock with them ...

 

[Svejk]

Thanks for the reply CoopCrazy. I think the easiest way to retrofit the coop would be to build a self-enclosed frame inside the exiting coop, that way I'll be sure not to overlook any holes in 'This Old Coop'.

Thanks especially for the note on flocking with the neighbors. I will look into that. I haven't heard his rooster or seen his pullet for a while. I'll have to take a walk over and see what's up.