What would YOU do-- hard choice!

[Momma_Cluck]

Well- our 12 Banties are out of my Daughters room, and into the 3 x 12 entryway of my "office" out back.

It used to be a 12 x 14 barn, we divided it into a main room and an entry-- the entry floor is tiled, the main room indoor/outdoor carpet. Stucco walls etc...

I haven't used the office in years-- so I lined the floor and bottom foot or so of the the walls with a heavy tarp before adding their shavings, and a chickenwire door.... VIOLA! Temporary coop.
HOWEVER-- now a dilemma..

we now have 10 more chicks (Rocks) in daughters room that will be introduced to the flock, and we plan to get about 15 more in a month...(more egglayers & polish) OBVIOUSLY that small space is inadequate, and I never planned on it being permanant anyway...

I have 2 Choices--
(A) Give up my office- cover all the floors in tarp etc and cut a hole in the outer wall for a chicken door (once we build the run)
OR
(B) Spend about $600 on a 10 x 10 coop with a run.

The office is allready built, has electricity, has that 3x12 I can use for just Roo's, and is secure/well insulated-- but it is so NICE, we put a lot of time and $$ into re-furbishing that barn--ya know?

We Hate to ruin it-- but all the same--$600 and the time/labor to build it make a good argument for using the office.

What would YOU do?????

 

[AussieSharon]

Are you planning to stay where you are for a long time? Reason I am asking is even though it will cost you $600 to build a new coop if you were to sell your house the Office area would add value. Not everyone would appreciate it being a chicken coop.

 

[Momma_Cluck]

We plan to be here till we die... and the property goes to the kids...
in this area, out-buildings are more valuable than an office, since it is zoned argricultural, and you are hard-pressed to get re-zoned for a business---
the "Office" was for me to do my homework & art (I was back to college until my health took a dive 5 years ago) so now my "Office" is a catch-all and storage.....

 

[ChickieWhickie]

I would use the "office". It sounds like it is the perfect place for your chicks. Since you are going to stay there, it would be the best choice. You can always build a new coop later, as your passion for chickens grows. (Believe me, I know. We keep adding more breeds, so we keep building more coops.)

 

[Cheryl]

If you can afford it and have the time to do it, I'd say build the coop! I think you might regret having them in the house, the dust is truly awful!

 

[ibpboo]

Keep using the office and collect materials for a coop over time. Like from freecycle, construction sites, last chance merchantile type places etc!

 

[Akane]

I'd probably use the office but instead of tarping just spend the money to have a very waterproofed linoleum floor and run it part way up the walls. Tarps are a pain, they will eventually rip, they will shift out of position, things will get behind and under them, and they aren't really that cheap. Do keep in mind dust, feathers, and chicken smell will leak through the door. The reason my mom refused to let my grandma attach the horse stable to the house we share when we built it. No door will manage to keep all the bedding and things that come with animals on the other side of it. 2nd thing with having chickens that close is if they attract any rodents or pests they will also end up in your house. We always have mice running around the buildings. It just comes with having animal feed around. If the buildings weren't 100' or more from the house all those mice would probably be inside with us.

I can also do a 10x10' building for about $100 so it's not cost that would convince me to put them in the office. I take after my grandma and wouldn't mind building living quarters for myself above the stable so I just like the idea of the chickens being that close despite the downsides.