Should I build a coop in an old existing barn or get a new coop?

[Metella]

Yeah - I watched a fox actually chew a hole in the side of my chicken wire - ran out and chased him off..... got what they call hardware cloth - which is just stiffer wire in a small square pattern. No chewing through that ! Chicken wire is only good to partition the inside of a coop or maybe cover the top as an open air roof to keep hawks out.

Should never have been named chicken wire !!! ha ha ha ha

 

[joan1708]

That is a cool barn. Those 100 year old wood planks in the wall are valuable! They don't make stuff like that anymore. Does the roof leak? I'd fix that first. I don't think chickens will do well if they have to contend with mold from a leaky roof, they have weakish respiratory systems. I've seen lots of posts were folks convert part of the barn to coop and are very happy with it. Keep researching and give it a couple months thought and the answers will come to you. But, I think you should fix the leaks first, for the barn and the future chickens.

 

[3forfree]

chain link dog kennel, heavy duty, large, predator proof, many sizes available.

 

[aart]

....... Does the chicken wire sound best for protection and price?

For price, yes. For protection, absolutely not.

If you're going to leave the coop open to the run 24/7, you'll want to use HC for complete predator deterrence, or at least something much heavier than chicken wire to keep large predators at bay.

 

[Buckeye11]

The metal roof has some leaking spots but the barn is concreate and drafty so the floors dont stay damp. There is some hay stored in the hay loft that may be getting wet. Will they be fine with any mold around or can they tolerate some damp environments. The hardwire cloth is quite expensive, what size and ballpark figure in HC for a 350 ft run?

 

[Buckeye11]

That is a cool barn. Those 100 year old wood planks in the wall are valuable! They don't make stuff like that anymore. Does the roof leak? I'd fix that first. I don't think chickens will do well if they have to contend with mold from a leaky roof, they have weakish respiratory systems. I've seen lots of posts were folks convert part of the barn to coop and are very happy with it. Keep researching and give it a couple months thought and the answers will come to you. But, I think you should fix the leaks first, for the barn and the future chickens.

Do you know of the thread titles?

 

[joan1708]

Do you know of the thread titles?

I searched "coop in barn" at this website and several came up. None were the one I remembered, but would still give you more info I think.