Using a barn as a coop, questions

I had grand plans for building coop(s) this year to expand our flock (from 7-10 to 25-35) but lumber prices have really put a crunch on those.

My property has a 12×20 barn on it. It's old, but not 'antique'... more like a 20 year old tuff shed that has seen better days. We were originally going to demolish it because the previous owner had left seed and other food sources unprotected so the floor is covered (you have no idea how bad) in rat droppings. The roof is old, the siding should (but won't, not worth it) be replaced, the floor is warped, rat holes...

But! Necessity breeds invention, and I need a larger coop. So I've been working on cleaning it out (bleach, masks, googles... no Hanta virus for me!).

Some questions:

1) windows! Can i get away with just cutting out some siding and putting chicken wire over the hole to be 'windows'? Maybe put the wire on the inside and put the cutout on a hinge so I can 'close' it if we get extreme weather? (Pacific Northwest so weather is never too bad, though lots of rain).


2) I am thinking of rat proofing with a combo of wire mesh and the 'anti-rodent' Great Stuff (expanding foam, they make a special kind with bitter taste to deter rodents). It would only be in seams and holes and cracks... I don't think the chickens would bother with it, but does anyone know for sure?

3) the barn is currently divided into 3 rooms.... built in such a way they are hard to remove. If I put roosts in different rooms will the subflocks (roosters n ladies) self divide on their own? The main room is large, the two other rooms are medium (large walkin closet) and tiny (deep closet).


Anyone have other tips for conversion? I may invest in vinyl flooring because thats so much easier to clean and may seal in some of the old rat stink the bleach didnt kill off.
Good to use what you have.

on 1 - I use old wood sashes with hinges to make my windows. I then screen it in with aluminum screen and hardware cloth so it’s protected when I open it.

2 - I’d install steel wool first then fill the wool with the foam. Rats hate getting it in their teeth.

3- I would assume the answer would be yes. Though I’ve never had that specific situation my birds stay in their flocks in my coop without partitions so I’d think they would segregate if they could.
 
I would strip that sucker right down to the studs.
Maybe loft flooring too, take a good look up there.
I like the stairway idea....but loft floor will effect ventilation.
Tho those gambrel roofs are terrible to try and ventilate.
I have an idea for that, fairly easy if you already need to redo the roof/shingles.

I think you mentioned it but.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
1623671137798.png
 
I would strip that sucker right down to the studs.
Maybe loft flooring too, take a good look up there.
I like the stairway idea....but loft floor will effect ventilation.
Tho those gambrel roofs are terrible to try and ventilate.
I have an idea for that, fairly easy if you already need to redo the roof/shingles.

I think you mentioned it but.....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2717681

I would love to rebuild but that brings us right back to lumber prices.

And while its not that evident from the photos, the building floor is very warped... I'm just not sure it's worth any reno effort that costs much more than sweat.

To that end, I have made progress clearing it out. I have done another full shop vac of seed and ratpoop, and probably have one more to go.

Having been in there a bit, I also have had some new thoughts. The two side rooms are bigger than I realized (I will add measurements today), so I am thinking of taking out the upper paneling of the closet and replacing with wire (making it less claustrophobic) and using that for chicks.

The back room feels kind of massive (guessing 6x12), so i think that will work well for all roosts.

My wife wants to use the front as a run if we are on vacation or whatever... i'm wondering if we could use it for other livestock (maybe a couple alpaca?).
 
I would love to rebuild but that brings us right back to lumber prices.
Not to rebuild, but get all the insulation out of there....take a real good look at the structure condition.
If you took the loft floor out, or most of it, you might be able to have enough material to build roosts, nests, etc.
 
My wife wants to use the front as a run if we are on vacation or whatever...

Many people build a predator-proof coop and then a larger run that is less secure and used only in the daytime.

But as long as it is predator-proof, you can have one space big enough to be a run and completely skip the separate "coop." Just make the space large enough (common recommendation: 10 square feet per chicken), then hang nestboxes on the wall, and install roosts high enough that chickens don't bump their heads on them during the day (2-4 feet up, depending on how deep you expect the bedding to be.)

In a hot climate, such a space might have wire mesh walls (stays cooler) with only the roof and floor being solid. For cold winters, it might have solid walls on all sides (but still needs to be well ventilated.)

If you have cold winters and hot summers, you might have the chickens spend all winter inside, and make an additional outdoor run to use in the daytime in summer. Or have the current building house adult chickens in the winter and young chicks in summer, while moving the adult chickens out to a "chicken tractor" or similar pen for the summer.
 
If you have cold winters and hot summers, you might have the chickens spend all winter inside, and make an additional outdoor run to use in the daytime in summer. Or have the current building house adult chickens in the winter and young chicks in summer, while moving the adult chickens out to a "chicken tractor" or similar pen for the summer.

IIRC, there's someone on here in that kind of climate who has removable panels to transition from a closed (but well-ventilated), coop in the winter to an open air coop in the summer.
 
Progress report:

Well, it's clean enough to actually measure properly without stepping in or on anything. Barn is bigger than I thought!

Main room is 11.5x15.5

Big back room is 7.5x15

Closet is about 3.5x15.5, but is best thought of as a 3.5x5 and a 3.5x7... door on entire area, plus another door on the 7 footer.

Diagram:

1623958073655889710681123320230.jpg



And that closet area? 2.5 shop vacs worth of seed, poop, and some animal bones. Plus that pile of pink insulation which stunk of urine....

Now looks like:

20210617_115458.jpg


Closet/storage to right
20210617_115519.jpg


3.5x7, with its own door.... maybe for chicks

20210617_115536.jpg


From inside 7 foot room, looking towards storage...
20210617_115439.jpg


From main room looking into entire smaller area.


Entire area has also been doused in diluted bleach (round 1 of 2 or 3) and smells a million times better. The rest of the barn still is only half clean but this room was by far the worst and it's all over but the shouting.


Now it's just debates about how to use the space!

Definitely adding windows next (or, openings, really, as i'm not using glass).
 
Many people build a predator-proof coop and then a larger run that is less secure and used only in the daytime.

But as long as it is predator-proof, you can have one space big enough to be a run and completely skip the separate "coop." Just make the space large enough (common recommendation: 10 square feet per chicken), then hang nestboxes on the wall, and install roosts high enough that chickens don't bump their heads on them during the day (2-4 feet up, depending on how deep you expect the bedding to be.)

In a hot climate, such a space might have wire mesh walls (stays cooler) with only the roof and floor being solid. For cold winters, it might have solid walls on all sides (but still needs to be well ventilated.)

If you have cold winters and hot summers, you might have the chickens spend all winter inside, and make an additional outdoor run to use in the daytime in summer. Or have the current building house adult chickens in the winter and young chicks in summer, while moving the adult chickens out to a "chicken tractor" or similar pen for the summer.

I'm in the Pacific Northwest, so weather isn't particularly extreme. Rainy season, a cold patch here or there. We have over an acre and free range our chickens... the interior area is only needed for sleeping, nesting, and maybe if they want a break from the rain.

The back room is 7.5 x15, which is 37 chickens at 3sqft. We have 8 now, want to go to around 25... so we're good.

The main room isn't quite big enough for that many chickens, but since 99/100 days they'll be outside (unless we are on vacation, basically) i dont think that is a issue.

I plan on making several 'windows' via cutting out the siding, adding wire mesh, and putting the cutout on a hinge.

I will likely need to take down some/all of the insulation the previous owner installed.

The worst of the siding is on the back right... might replace that, then just paint the exterior.

My wife wants to do nest boxes inside, I want them outside since i hate trekking through chicken poop just to get eggs.

I am going to also take down the upper paneling on the 3.5 area to make that more open and less claustrophobic. Add chicken wire or hardware cloth to keep chickens from chicks (it will be inside barn so i dont know how secure it will need to be.

I also guess i need to trench exterior and bury hardware cloth around the entire building to limit varmit penetration.... not looking forward to that.

I honestly have no idea as to what to use the loft for, if anything. One poster suggested using it as scrap wood... might not be a bad idea.
 
Any suggestions on size, height, and quantity of windows?

I plan on doing these dirt cheap - cut out siding, put it on a hinge, use the idea on last page to let me prop them open (I might hack the idea and use PVC pipe), and staple hardware cloth on the inside.

My only concern is rain... i am hoping the propped open siding works well enough to keep most rain out.

Should i make vents and windows? Just windows? Big? Small? It will also serve to let light in...
 
Progress report:

Well, it's clean enough to actually measure properly without stepping in or on anything. Barn is bigger than I thought!

Main room is 11.5x15.5

Big back room is 7.5x15

Closet is about 3.5x15.5, but is best thought of as a 3.5x5 and a 3.5x7... door on entire area, plus another door on the 7 footer.

Diagram:

View attachment 2722870


And that closet area? 2.5 shop vacs worth of seed, poop, and some animal bones. Plus that pile of pink insulation which stunk of urine....

Now looks like:

View attachment 2722871

Closet/storage to right
View attachment 2722872

3.5x7, with its own door.... maybe for chicks

View attachment 2722873

From inside 7 foot room, looking towards storage...
View attachment 2722874

From main room looking into entire smaller area.


Entire area has also been doused in diluted bleach (round 1 of 2 or 3) and smells a million times better. The rest of the barn still is only half clean but this room was by far the worst and it's all over but the shouting.


Now it's just debates about how to use the space!

Definitely adding windows next (or, openings, really, as i'm not using glass).

Amazing progress -- it's really starting to reveal it's full potential.
 

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