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

[Buckeye11]

Hello all, just registered here at this great site and this is my first post. I have never been around chickens my entire life but I am interested in raising them. I live on a farm in southern Ohio and have access to an old barn and over 5 acres of pasture.
The barn is old and kind of nasty but with some cleanup and plywood I could clean it up.






I was just wandering should I get a new coop so that I dont have to worry about health issues with my chickens living inside of here. There is no electric or water inside but the house is just 100 yards away.

 

[debid]

You could use that barn and I'm sure it would be quicker than building an all-new structure. However, chickens don't require a slab of concrete so my husband would say it's a waste using that building for chickens when it ought to house a tractor and his workshop.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

You say it has no electric Power, yet I spy a very antient Sockett and Switch, in your 2d Picture; is it a disconnect Line? Electricity is not a Requirement of chiCkens, but may make the use of the Barn easier. I recommend, if used, laying in new Cables; the ones you show in your Immage, are very dated and Dangerous.

debid is correct, chiCkens are better kept on Litter, however you can install a Coop inside if you wish, or make a "Linter" (lean To).

 

[ChickenFootRnch]

I converted a 50 year old smoke house(a very small barn), into my coop. It has eletric and dirt floor.
I tend to agree with debid about the concrete floor. What about the other half of the barn? Or were you thinking of converting only part of the barn to a coop? How big a flock are you thinking?

And welcome aboard!!

 

[1muttsfan]

I would kill for that barn...
You can use rubber mats on the floor over the concrete

 

[Buckeye11]

Thanks all, Yea I was only going to use 1/3 of the barn for the coop by blocking the back end off. It will have the door on the back but will it need windows and vents? My main concern was if the birds could pick up diseases easier if they lived in there than a new coop.

I was thinking about rasing 6 hens to start off. What all would I need for my flock if they would live in there? I was just going to build a little run and let them free range in the day.

 

[debid]

I wasn't meaning that concrete is a bad floor for a coop. I'm sure it's absolutely fine -- throw some litter on it and just shovel it out as needed. My point was more that the space is awfully valuable to turn into a chicken home; coops are much cheaper to build than detached garages. And, by putting a coop in there, you limit use of that space beyond just having a section taken up. Chickens create dust and feathers and odor and their food attracts rodents. If you're still convinced you want a coop in there, I'd put a solid wall down low to keep the litter and feathers in as much as possible, wire walls above that for ventilation. You could put in a big window in the coop area or a door with a window in it to get some light inside.

 

[Buckeye11]

I wasn't meaning that concrete is a bad floor for a coop. I'm sure it's absolutely fine -- throw some litter on it and just shovel it out as needed. My point was more that the space is awfully valuable to turn into a chicken home; coops are much cheaper to build than detached garages. And, by putting a coop in there, you limit use of that space beyond just having a section taken up. Chickens create dust and feathers and odor and their food attracts rodents. If you're still convinced you want a coop in there, I'd put a solid wall down low to keep the litter and feathers in as much as possible, wire walls above that for ventilation. You could put in a big window in the coop area or a door with a window in it to get some light inside.

Thanks, this barn is more of going to waste than anything and was in much worse condition before I power washed everything. I was thinking that it would be much cheaper in building supplies rather than a small coop for 6 hens. I like your ideas a lot on the setup inside the barn. This barn gets a lot of starlings and other birds that nest in the barn. Would I have to worry about respiratory issues with the chickens sleeping in there if the barn has other birds dropping and some molded wood around?

What would I do with the ceiling in between the 2x6 boards? I could probably do the cages but the roof is not waterproof so I do have extra metal roofing in the bottom pic behind my dog. During the day could I just let the chickens out to free range? We are in an area that has lots of coyotes, hawk, and coons. The barn is near the house but I could let the chickens roam since there is no traffic.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

The wild Birds could pass on Disease, tho the chiCkens may effectually repel those Starlings; I don't have that Knowledge.

The Cieling could be used as Storage, or you could lay in a Floor and put in more chiCkens! Maybe a brooder Area with electric Power? You could have a minor Hatchery in such a commodious Building.

 

[Cooper Farms]

i converted my barn i has diff stalls in it that i closed up and it is working great easy to clean with concreat floors