Using part of a detached garage for coop for 1 year

[barbjess]

I need advice. I have 25 chicks and 2 roosters that I need to house. I have a large enclosed room in a detached garage that I could use for a year until I can get a real coop built but I don't want to ruin the room because I eventually want to use the room for a canning/cooking room. This room has a window, built in counter, and wood panel walls and a concrete floor.

This is my first adventure with chickens so I don't know how much mess they make but the chicks are certainly messy.

What I want to do is build temporary walls to enclose a corner of the room that would include the one window and one overhead light. The area I have in mind would be 13' x 9'. I want to be able to use this area for a year then move everything out of it in a year and still have a clean garage room. Do I need to make the temporary wall solid wood as opposed to some mesh wire to avoid dust/dirt damage to the wood panel walls that already exist or would I be able to clean up dust/dirt after the chickens move to a better place? Do I need to cover the concrete in the enclosed chicken coop to avoid permanent dirt or will I be able to clean it up with soap and water. What about the wood panel walls that will be in the coop area - do I need to cover them with a plastic sheeting? Eventually this room will be used as a canning/cooking area so I will need to get it fairly clean again.

The chickens will be free ranging during the day so not constantly inside. My building skills are limited as well as money but I am determined to make this work. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[BobbyJr]

I would advise against it for the reason of the future use for canning and cooking. I had an emergency situation and had to use my garage for a couple months for my birds. I used a 10 X 16 tractor with a plastic tarp under it with straw for bedding. They were in only in at night and free range during the day. The major problem was keeping the floor clean, the dust from dried poop goes every where. My walls are drywalled and the floor is concrete. We did it clean by powerwashing the floor, but had to had wash the walls due to being drywall. Putting plastic on the walls and over anything that is not being used and sealing it will help againdt the dust. We have 2 windows in the garage and had to keep them open all the time to help to keep them cool and at time used a fan. Once I got the new coop built it did it a few days to get the birds use to going in the new coop, now they are in by dark by themselves. I had 20 White Rocks in the garage, and they turn just 18 weeks today, so I did not have to worry about eggs at that time. I would like to wish you the best on your new adventure.

 

[SunnySkies]

I had chickens in my garage from October until just recently, and there is an insane amount of dust in there. I need to move out the stuff (lumber, some flooring, horse blankets, boxes, etc) and power wash it to really clean it out. Then I plan to paint it with something super washable in case I ever brood chickens in there again (I hope not).

You might be able to get away with what you are planning if you can dismantle and repaint the room before using it for cooking.

 

[barbjess]

Well at one point today I was considering a dust barrier like this: http://www.homedepot.com/p/ZipWall-ZP4-Dust-Barrier-System-202620/202223614#.UddQgvnVB34

Then I start thinking that for a little more money I could just get a shed like this and set it outside the garage http://www.homedepot.com/p/Rubbermaid-Big-Max-7-ft-x-7-ft-Storage-Shed-FG5H8000SDONX/202525045#.UddRGPnVB34 However I think that might be too small for the 27 chickens. But could it work for a year until I get something built and then just convert the shed to a tool storage shack?

I am looking at options but haven't found a good one yet.

 

[SunnySkies]

Well, I have found that if the birds have free access to the outside during the day, you can sleep a lot of birds in a space that might not be "recommended." I have 8 LF birds sleeping in a 4x4 coop, along with two large ducks, and three of them are roosters! But the pop door gets opened early, and it is their choice where they go after that. No fighting. They have refused to move out to a larger coop, so there they stay, apparently content. They seem to stay on the roosts until I open their door. I don't keep feeders and waterers in my coops, so the birds all go outside to eat, and if they feel like going back in because the weather is crummy, they go back in.

If you have adequate roosting bars, I bet the 7x7 will be OK. I looked at that very shed myself. The only thing I worried about was ventilation. I thought about building a hardware mesh screen door for summers, but then I wondered how damp it would be in the winter in the mornings after they all breathed in there all night on wet, nasty nights that would require me shutting the outside door. Hubby fussed about it, so I haven't bought it (yet).