Suggestions for insulation/weatherizing old dairy barn for chickens

[21hens-incharge]

LOL BRILLO I should have thought of that.
I will stuff some in the spray foam just to make sure it stays put. The only place other than the pop door they could come in would be the east side at the very top. Easy enough to plug those holes. The west side has the 1/4 inch hardware cloth.

I think we hijacked the thread.

Sorry to the OP for hijacking the thread. I will

now.

 

[eagrbeavr]

Brillo, thats it Id use the ones with the detergent in them. Maybe the taste will help deter them

 

[eagrbeavr]

You know I realized that as long as the coop door to the run stays open, you could actually lock vermin in. Wth

 

[21hens-incharge]

That is true so in my experience it is important to do the nightly sweep of the coop. I move everything that is movable and lift the feeders so they hang from the ceiling hooks about 6 foot off the ground. I have electric in the coop so I turn the lights on and make sure my crazy mouse killing machines are awake then I search for any lingering mice. One night the windows on the house were open and when the Delaware grabbed a mouse it set to screaming. DH came running thinking it was a chicken in trouble. He was so grossed out that she kept pinching it so it would scream more.
(I think she may be slightly insane)

 

[eagrbeavr]

Sounds about right. A friend of mine told me tonight not to get wrapped around the axle about it.Her chickens will kill and mice or snakes that come into the coop. I'm just building this coop like a horse stall and putting wire up where its open. Frig it. It inside the barn.

 

[Pixie]

I have been walling up the coop perimeter for the past week. It got cold and it is SO windy though that darn barn it made it hard to get anything done.


Now that I have the walls 3/4 done, it is dark in there!! My girls have more natural light where they are in the basement compared to where they will be! I was thinking of those tap lights? Electricity is not an option.


Also to set off my chicken-worry-nerve, there two HUGE turkey vultures sitting on the roof of the barn. Arrugh! How will I ever let the chickens out of the barn -ever!! With all the golden eagles and red tailed hawks...

 

[tnmommy]

I watched a video the Beekissed posted regarding deep litter and ventilation. After PMing her about it, Im deciding to go that route. I bring it up because her coop is just alittle hoop house that really has a bit of ventilation. Way more than I would expect but because of how she does this true deep litter method, theyre thriving, an also shes not far from me so our winters are the same. So, Im deciding to instead putting up plywood for a wall, Im going wire. Theres wire mesh I thought about, still am, but I just may use the welded wire I have. Im not sure what you guys are considering hardware cloth. Chain link? Mesh? That mesh can come in pretty tight. No mouse would get thru. Its essentially heavy duty screen. Anyhow, I may not make it Fort Knox in regards to mice. Rats, different story. I'm still mulling it over in my head what Im gonna do. Unexpectedly today, I scored 5 leaves bags of essentially forest floor, the debris that you would find on a forest floor. Thats what this lady uses. Her coop smells like the woods, and its certainly natural for their needs. If anyone wants to see the link, I'll find it and post it here.

I can verify that the deep litter method controls the smell. I visited someone who didn't use litter and could not believe the smell. I have always used deep litter. Other than a couple of times per year when it is cleaned out, deep litter is fairly low maintenance. Just add more as you go alone. Don't underestimate the word "deep," however. The litter should become very deep or it won't be composted, and you need to make sure they are turning it. Throw in scratch or other goodies.

 

[eagrbeavr]

Plan to make it deep. Now my floor is concrete so I have a couple concerns. A) theres no dirt at the bottom, so I dont have that natural moisture and bugs. B) Im not sure how much I want to wet it to help it decompose because I dont want to ruin the concrete over time. C) that concrete is cold. Even if I put soil on top of it, its gonna freeze. I think everything will be fine but I a wondering if having concrete isnt all pro's. I wouldnt mind the dirt floor. Any thoughts?

 

[Pixie]

Hi!

It's been a busy couple of months here.


Wondering how you all are doing with your coop/barn/deep litter?


I think I am doing ok here. Nothing has gotten into my coop area, but we did have a dog attack and one hawk induced fatality in the open fenced in area.

 

[Pixie]

P.s. here is the view from the inside after I got it finished last month.