Turning Tack barn into coop and run

[thiggins]

I somehow need to turn this into a coop and run. I don't even know where to begin.

 

[Cyprus]

I did pretty much the same thing. Two tack rooms in an old barn is what I used.

Add a fourth wall, knock out that thing in the middle, add nests and roosts and cut a chicken door on one side that leads into the run. Add a human door. Add windows or lights. Bam, coop.

Those fences can be your run, just add an 18in Hardware Cloth skirt up the sides.

 

[A.M. Eggs]

Clean out everything, get measurements, and prepare with a list of tools and objects. Take into consideration chicken math and make sure that you have everything you need for your flock. Here are some of my suggestions and things to watch out for when building.

I would first make sure that the three sides you are using are secure and will not allow any predators in. Then check for rotten/moldy wood. If there is rotten/moldy wood, take out those planks and replace them. I would place a layer of plywood over these planks for protection and to allow for insulation(keeping the metal on the outside for protection as well). Use the wall farthest away from the door for your egg boxes and place the roosts on the other walls above the top of your nest boxes. Do not allow your chickens to roost on or next to the nest boxes.

Check the roof for leaks. If there are any leaks, fix them up immediately. If there are any moldy/rotten wood planks, replace them. I would go with a metal roof or at least something that doesn't trap moisture because rain comes from the sky and will often hit the roof, not the walls.

Make a new floor with wood planks and plywood. I recommend vinyl flooring to go over the plywood because it will be easy to clean and will not rot. Wood chips can be placed over the vinyl but it is not necessary. Be sure to raise the floor up a good 2-6" so that any little critters can't just dig straight in to the plywood.

To make the new wall, get wood planks, plywood, and Hard wire cloth. You have an opportunity to make a very nice ventilation wall. First build the wall itself with the door for you and your chickens separated. Once the wall is finished, cut out some windows. Use hinges and the left over piece of plywood to make shutters. But first place the Hard wire cloth over the windows to prevent predators. Make sure that you are able to lock the shutters snugly when winter comes and to keep out pests.

The door for you should be big enough to allow you to enter inside comfortably. Make sure that you have no holes big enough for critters and a lock to secure it. You can place more ventilation windows on the door if you want. The door for your chickens needs to be a certain size based upon what you want to use to close the door for the night. I recommend an automatic chicken door. The door also needs 1' or more off the ground to keep out critters during the day. Make sure that you have a chicken ladder coming from the ground to the door (may need one inside depending on how tall your floor is).

These are just suggestions, not instructions. Build your coop how you like.

 

[JDN]

Don't complicate things. You're in Texas, not Alaska. Cover the front of the barn with hardware cloth. Basically, secure the chickens (especially in their sleeping area) from predators.) Then add some 1x4's or 2x4's flat side up as roosts.

I'd start by attaching hardware cloth along the fence at least 18 inches high in an apron to prevent digging in from predators.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In Arkansas I had a 12' x 60' loafing shed to start with. I put a wall up along the entire 60' feet to turn it into a rain-proof shed. I used about 8' of one end for an 8x12 coop. That looks like a big area, not sure how big a coop you plan. I always suggest bigger is better but don't be ridiculous. Some of that space my be useful for something else.

These photos kind of show what I wound up with over the years. I kept adding, you don't need all that stuff. Mine was on an end of the shed not in the middle like yours unless you want to use a tack room as a coop. That would work too and probably be less work. Just using a tack room could be a great option.

On the inside I put a wall across the shed and left the top really open, covered with hardware cloth. So I had a lot of ventilation open to the inside of the shed where it was rainproof and it pretty much blocked wind. I had openings at the top of all the other walls too for good ventilation. Not sure where you are in Texas but JDN is right, you are not in Alaska. Don't worry about wind too much but I'd want them to have some protection from a direct wind, even if that's just sort of a cul de sac effect in in the back.

One thing about this. Chickens make a lot of dust. If you have wire between the coop and this storage area you might want think about how that dust might affect what you store there.

On the north side, which is the entry to the run, I put a window, a human door and a pop door. You need enough light in there so you and the chickens can see what to do. If you were in Alaska it might be a good idea to have a window on the south side. In Texas I'd suggest the north or maybe east may be a better idea. The idea of a small chicken door between the coop and run is that a small door lets less weather in the coop compared to a human sized door.

I'd suggest putting the nests on an inside wall or a shaded side if on an exterior wall. You don't want the nests turning into ovens in your Texas heat.

If you use a tack room as a coop you can just put predator proof wire across that opening. That could be the run. Or you could build an exterior run. Lots of ways to go about it.

That is a great resource. Part of the problem is that you have so many great options if what you can do. Good luck!

 

[aart]

@henless has done this in Texas.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hot-weather-barn-coop.987406/#post-15363043