Turning old "barn" into coop...

[Temperance87]

Help!!! My fiance and I are starting to go crazy trying to figure out how to make this barn area (see pictures) into a viable coop. This will just be for night time and laying eggs the rest of the time they will be "pastured" (I think that is the right term ... fenced into a large area separate from dogs area) We both at separate times have thought about just tearing it down and starting over but then i feel like that will be way more costly. We are flip flopping back and forth and usually at different times. all we have is to build 4 walls and then a split door in the front. but then what about nesting boxes and perches.. It is a bit overwhelming. I would like to screen the whole front but I worry about our winters and a whole screened front would be too cold.

 

[Ozarkhomesteader]

how cold are your winters? its a good sized space...do you know the dimensions? Nest boxes would be pretty easy...you have plenty of space...same with the roosts. I personally would go and pick up some old pallets and fix the front that way if it is too cold to leave open. I like building things out of pallets cause its free!!

 

[Temperance87]

It is possible for us to go into the negs but usually that is only with wind. I would say we are often around 10 degrees F in the winter.

 

[aart]

Do you get snow load?
Putting your location in your profile helps folk give more viable answers/suggestions.

That roof looks rotten...but maybe the structural components are OK and it just need new sheathing.....any dry rot in the rafters or posts?

That's the key to old building, the first thing to check is if the structural members are in good shape and worthy of building onto.
Look where they meet the ground, any wet rot?

Predator proofing can be an issue with existing buildings on the ground like that because predators can dig in.......
......same goes for the whole building, where can predators get in and can that be fixed?

 

[Temperance87]

The roof is bad, but we have the roofing to fix it or roofing for a new coop. We do get a snow load for sure. Yes Based on my examination the rafters and basic structure are not damaged... But just badly built (they didnt know what they were doing/just put it together on the fly.. Yay for moving into someone elses mess)

Predators are my second worry. most coops are off ground for this reason I think and I am having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to handle that. We have Hawks and coyotes in the area we are surrounded by bits of trees and farmland... and then my dogs and cats. We would be able to dig down and put in harware cloth along the bottom so they couldnt dig around the edges.

 

[aart]

Well, I guess you have to decide if you can live with securing someone's shabby framework.

If you have alot of hawks you might want a wire covered run...or even a solid roofed run to give more room in winter when they don't want to walk in the snow.

Hardware cloth apron is the way to go for anti dig protection, attached to wall and out form wall 12-18" buried just a few inches or staked to the ground..
..........and concrete pavers or something similar under doorways.
Corner mesh is out of scale n the graphic, but don't forget the corners.