Under barn?...or out in open

[Athensm50]

Hey guys....just getting started here....starting gathering material for the coop and cannot make up my mind on what I want to do?.....so I thought I would ask on here.....

I have a barn with 3 open(on 4 sides 10 x 10 x 8' high) bays.....my thought was to build something under one of the bays and then run the fence out into the yard.....but most all the plans for coops I can find have a roof already.....sooooo it seems like a big wast to build a nice coop under a barn?......the other thought was to build something like Rabbit cages (best reference I can come to mind with) under the barn and fence that bay in and then out into the yard from there.....but not sure how that is going to look?????.....


OR

just build something out into the yard????




any advise?



Thanks,

Athens

 

[chfite]

You might take a look at the many pages of coops that have been made. There may be ideas presented there that can help you decide how to proceed. https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/

Chris

 

[aart]

Posting a pic of what you have might really help people to make suggestions.

Might find something here too ......advances search>titles only> coop in barn

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Sometimes function is not necessarly "pretty". We modified our tree house to make it a chicken coop and while it will not grace the pages of any design magazine, it is very functional, The chickens don't care what it looks like, they are happy with a safe dry environment,

Consider your building material costs and the time you will have to spend as well. Good luck!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Why do you need a coop?

Weather protection. It depends on your climate and things like that, but you want a coop to stay dry. It helps to give wind protection in storms. It’s hard to sleep on a roost in 70 mph winds. In the winter, depending on where you are, you might want to keep drafts off them. Inside a barn like that, you may not need much for weather protection. As long as you don’t have direct breezes hitting them on the roosts, they can handle some pretty cold temperatures.

Predator protection. Some people get away with not locking them up securely at night for years. Some of us would be wiped out in less than a week if we tried. They are always at risk from predators.

As far as I’m concerned that’s about it as far as absolute need. You can put the nests about anywhere and feed and water them about anywhere. I do like a secure place I can lock them up when I don’t want them free ranging but that could be a run as well as a coop.

If you have good weather protection, a wire pen inside that barn might be plenty good enough and a lot cheaper than building a fancy coop.

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Why do you need a coop?

Weather protection. It depends on your climate and things like that, but you want a coop to stay dry. It helps to give wind protection in storms. It’s hard to sleep on a roost in 70 mph winds. In the winter, depending on where you are, you might want to keep drafts off them. Inside a barn like that, you may not need much for weather protection. As long as you don’t have direct breezes hitting them on the roosts, they can handle some pretty cold temperatures.

Predator protection. Some people get away with not locking them up securely at night for years. Some of us would be wiped out in less than a week if we tried. They are always at risk from predators.

As far as I’m concerned that’s about it as far as absolute need. You can put the nests about anywhere and feed and water them about anywhere. I do like a secure place I can lock them up when I don’t want them free ranging but that could be a run as well as a coop.

If you have good weather protection, a wire pen inside that barn might be plenty good enough and a lot cheaper than building a fancy coop.

I always love your practicality!

 

[leoismydog]

I would use your existing structure and just add the needed fencing predator protection roosts etc, you may need to inclose it a bit if its windy in the area like the above poster said.