Building a coop in a barn stall

[Alder Fox]

Hi all! We are hoping to start chickens this summer. My husband is a builder by trade, so we've got all the tools and skills as far as building, but none of the experience with chickens or livestock.

TL;DR version - is a dirt floor coop a bad idea?

We bought a property that used to be a dairy farm, which came with an old barn. The previous owner had cows and horses, goats and chickens. He had a separate coop in the barn but the only thing left is the old hatch (which was up high on the wall). The barn needs some updating, we just rebuilt a sagging wall and poured concrete over a dirt section for our new storage area. But if we wait until the whole barn is fixed, it will be another 2 years!

Currently the barn doors don't lock, they are on open tracks. And one is missing off the back of the barn - that's at least a year away from building. The next large projects are concrete related, to fix the part that has been sinking into the ground over the years. They didn't pour a proper footing or use rebar, so it's not ideal.

However, I want chickens! So we've decided the easiest thing to do (ha!) is to take an existing stall and turn it into a large walk-in coop with a hatch to the back pasture for free ranging during the day. The stall is 14' x 15', my husband wants to build walls and a roof, enclosing in plywood and also insulating (since the doors are missing or open). I want to also add a window on a couple sides to let in the natural light.

The issue I'm trying to figure out is the floor - it is currently just dirt. The only concrete they had besides the stem wall is in the open bays. So stalls are all over dirt, and still have the old cow/horse dung. I know we need to muck out a good layer of the old stuff. And I was thinking of bringing in some fresh dirt before throwing down straw or shavings.

So this is the point where I need some expert advice - before we start - should we throw down a floor? Is the dirt an issue? We'll be putting in a french drain behind the barn this spring to keep any of the water from collecting under the barn. We're backed up to a large hill where the water loves to run down and pop up as springs in random spots.

We're also close to a lot of wildlife - spotted so far: black bear, cougar, bobcat, coyote, raccoon, possum, weasels, voles, deer mice, rats, moles, hawks, kestrels, ravens, eagles and turkey vultures. So predator proofing is a must!

Sorry for the length - any advice is much appreciated!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The cons to a dirt floor is rodents digging up through them, and potentially predators. Both could be fixed with hardware cloth.

My big shed is half concrete and half dirt. We use gravel in some areas and deep litter in others. We deal with rats digging every fall, and we use poison to get rid of them.

So nothing wrong with a dirt floor, it just all depends on your situation.

 

[azygous]

The floor is strictly a choice. A dirt floor would allow better drainage if there are spills, while concrete would assure a more sanitary bedding, reducing the danger of anaerobic bacteria and insects that could convey disease.

I won't tell you what you should do, but I would choose a dirt floor and install sand or straw and shavings to employ the deep litter method of bedding. But first, I would muck the stall out well, and then use a product such as activated Oxine to thoroughly treat the dirt floor to get rid of any lingering bacteria and viruses. This product is activated by citric acid and needs to dry out thoroughly before humans or chickens use the area after treating, but you can be confident, there won't be any nasty surprises living under your chickens' feet.

 

[Alder Fox]

The cons to a dirt floor is rodents digging up through them, and potentially predators. Both could be fixed with hardware cloth.

My big shed is half concrete and half dirt. We use gravel in some areas and deep litter in others. We deal with rats digging every fall, and we use poison to get rid of them.

So nothing wrong with a dirt floor, it just all depends on your situation.

Yeah we definitely have rodent issues without a flock already. I've caught and killed 8 deer mice in the house and garage. My husband since beefed up the traps and caught at least 10 more around the house, garage and in the barn.

 

[Alder Fox]

The floor is strictly a choice. A dirt floor would allow better drainage if there are spills, while concrete would assure a more sanitary bedding, reducing the danger of anaerobic bacteria and insects that could convey disease.

I won't tell you what you should do, but I would choose a dirt floor and install sand or straw and shavings to employ the deep litter method of bedding. But first, I would muck the stall out well, and then use a product such as activated Oxine to thoroughly treat the dirt floor to get rid of any lingering bacteria and viruses. This product is activated by citric acid and needs to dry out thoroughly before humans or chickens use the area after treating, but you can be confident, there won't be any nasty surprises living under your chickens' feet.

thank you! I'll look into Oxine. I suppose we should have taken advantage of not having a wall while rebuilding to get a digger in there to muck it out good. But we were in a time crunch. I think I'll dig down extra, lay down a couple layers of hardware cloth and then build up on that. I was hoping we could do the deep litter method, I'd like to try it.

Since we are having plywood walls, my husband was also thinking of painting them with marine paint to help with cleaning. But now I'm concerned that may be an issue if chickens peck or scratch at the wall.

 

[azygous]

I would certainly avoid marine paint as it's up to 90% lead. That will be a big problem for chickens. Latex can be very durable as long as you don't have a moisture problem. There are paints that are completely non-toxic out there, even some made from milk protein rather than oil or latex. https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/eco-friendly-paints-for-your-home

 

[aart]

Yeah we definitely have rodent issues without a flock already.

Pouring a concrete floor for coop could sure help that.
Then build walls and ceiling out of 2x2 framing and 1/2" hardware cloth.

 

[cmom]

I agree with the others. It world work as far as predator proofing by wrapping the stall in hardware cloth. As far as free ranging, do it at your own risk. It can be successful but sooner or later the birds will be discovered and picked off. I have some coops with dirt floors. Now and then I give the birds some treats in their coops after I rake it out first. They scratch in the dirt. I don't have anything on the dirt floors. I did have mites in the past but am pretty sure wild birds probably introduced them. I sprayed the coops thoroughly and put poultry dust down on the dirt and in the nest boxes. Other from that I have had no problems. Good luck and have fun...

 

[NatJ]

...none of the experience with chickens or livestock....The stall is 14' x 15', my husband wants to build walls and a roof, enclosing in plywood and also insulating (since the doors are missing or open). I want to also add a window on a couple sides to let in the natural light.

My opinion: windows, yes. Plywood, no.
Instead of plywood, use hardware cloth--it keeps out predators but allows lots of ventilation.
As long as the barn roof does not leak directly onto the chicken area, they will have enough protection from wind/rain/snow just by having their pen inside the barn. (Yes, even with a missing door, chickens should be fine in a hardware-cloth pen inside of it.)

My Dad (no livestock experience) built a nice, tight, insulated chicken coop. It smelled awful all winter. The coop was 12 feet each way, and quite tall (roof sloped from 8 feet up to 12 feet). In below-zero weather, the interior was still 80 degrees, from just the body heat of 50 chickens! They needed a LOT more ventilation, and they certainly did not need it to be that warm. (The chickens all lived and were apparently healthy, but it was not the best design decision.)

With that many predators around, I don't know if a dirt floor will be safe or not. I suppose covering it with concrete pavers could prevent things digging in, but be removed later if you want to do something different? I see several other folks gave other ideas, so hopefully someone's idea will be right for you!

 

[avjudge]

I would certainly avoid marine paint as it's up to 90% lead. . .

I don't believe this is true of modern paints. Yes, you can still get red lead primer, but that's "red lead primer," not generic topside paint! I assume it's topside paint that the OP is talking of using (not antifouling bottom paint).

Decades ago (1980, getting ready for college) I bought a used footlocker and painted it with green topside paint (in my father's workshop, left over from painting his wooden sailboat). That was an incredibly hard, glossy coat that was still untouched by any damage several decades later when I gave the trunk away.