Coop Reno Questions

[rpittchickie]

Hi everyone, I’m a newbie to this community but happy to be here and grateful for the resource!

I recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of moving onto an acreage, which conveniently had a barn and outbuilding already on the property. The owners prior didn’t take *great* care of the barn and so I’m in the midst of renovating to prepare for my girls to move out in a couple of months. I currently have 17 chicks in my care and hope to continue growing the flock as space allows!

My questions for more experienced coop renovators:
1) How much ventilation is *too* much?
2) Do you winterize your coop if there’s a portion open to the outside?
3) Is chicken wire adequate to keep predators out? Does it need to be floor to ceiling? If a dirt floor coop, will predators still sneak underneath…so as to say should I reinforce with paneling?
4) The coop is a hay storage area turned coop…there’s no real *door* per se to completely shut to the outdoors (see pictures). Is this okay?

I’m attaching my before pictures…we’ve since removed all hay and bales, nesting boxes, replaced screening on the door with wire. I am planning to make sure to board up any areas where predators/pests could potentially sneak in (namely from the ground), install a new nesting box, a roosting area with a ladder-type configuration and scrape boards underneath.

Thank you for any and all guidance!

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Wow! Lucky You! You are so talking my language, renovating what's already there, love it! I even love your dog, haha. Welcome to BYC! You're right, this is the right place, nothing compares. You're going to get great advice but I'll just throw a few cents in there. Spend time reading the "Large Coops" Article section of coops. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/large-coops.20/

Some people have differing opinions on things but when it comes to basic chicken needs we all basically agree.

1) How much ventilation is *too* much? - Most people will tell you no such thing. BUT your geography is important. Where are you? I'm in the cold PNW. I have ventilation on every side of my large coop. But it's not so much that cold air blows through and no drafts. Up in the eve's and rafters above a roosting chicken's head is the right area for ventilation.
2) Do you winterize your coop if there’s a portion open to the outside? I don't need to do this because I have big eves, overhangs and covered area just off my coop. If I didn't have that, alot of people do enclose runs. Again, geography.....
3) Is chicken wire adequate to keep predators out? It is NOT. I use chicken wire for temporary fencing within fencing. Meaning, I'm on 5 acres with access to all of Mt. Hood. I put up chicken wire with stakes to keep my chickens out of my garden and protect perennials during their free range season, but I don't trust it to keep anything out, just to not let chickens in....

Can't wait to see your progress and Congrats on the space!!

 

[Huntmaster]

Hello and welcome your barn has great potential. Just looking at your chick's pic and noticed one on the far right with back side showing looks to have pasty butt. Not sure if you noticed or if it is an older pic. Just wanted to let you know.

 

[rosemarythyme]

1) Really no such thing, though it depends on your climate. Like if you get windy cold winters, having a ton of open vents would make it hard to protect from weather conditions.

2) Again we don't know your climate. I don't winterize anything but my climate is overall fairly moderate.

3) No, chicken wire is not predator proof. Yes you will need hardware cloth or welded wire no wider than 1/2" from floor to ceiling if there's not a solid wall for predator protection. With a dirt floor barn, your best bet would be to apron around the outside of the barn to prevent pest and predator intrusion, or you could add a solid floor.

4) Yes, as long as the coop area is completely predator proofed and secured.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I'm hoping that you'll get more feedback! Try also reading through the Forum specific to Coop building. This coop on BYC has gotten a lot of recent attention. It's pretty sweet. I really like having separate rooms and your space looks perfectly laid out for that already. It's SO beneficial to me to have a brooder room and a supply room. I've expanded my coop twice and yep, I'm going to another level this summer. I've been admiring this coop that I don't think is on BYC. It's an addiction. I'd have so much fun with your barn
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-covert-coop.78953/
https://tlbacres.com/chicken-coop-tour/

 

[Sequoia Raven Bird Farms]

Hello! Great questions!
I suggest an apron around your exposed coop walls and holding it down/burying it with earth, rocks, logs, or stakes. I piled rocks at the base of my exterior walls and it has deterred many a fox.

Chicken wire varies in quality and gauge, but generally hardwire cloth/mesh is stronger. I like to find old rusty real steel fencing (about 1inch-2 gauge) and use it since it's even stronger than hard wire mesh and since it is so rusty and old most farmers will give it to you for free. If you still want to use chicken wire doubling it up is safer than a single layer, but we all do what we can and want. I've noticed that chicken wires strength doesn't last as long as hardwire mesh, but also it depends on the manufacturer. If you're planning on putting chicken wire on top of bigger gauge wire (one that's strong) than I say it would work great!

Insulation is a great way to keep your coop cool in the REALLY hot summer months and of course keep your birds warm from the wind and cold, but I'm not 100% sure about how it is with an opening. I believe that it depends on your climate since even if you were my neighbor in the county we'd have different humidity and heat situations. Sometimes it's just best to trust your gut, since the brain can only know so much.

Other than that- you seem to have it all figured out! Congratulations and happy peaceful bird keeping!