I have this space and 5 chicks coming

[lisette30]

I wanted to ask for ideas for "how to make" a coop-space out of the space underneath the barn roof and get rid of the pre-fab coop I have under there now. I'm expecting 5 more chicks soon and need to rebuild. I'm in love with Brahmas, so, larger sized box spaces are appreciated ! Also, will they deal with a dual level nesting area ? I'd also like to repurpose what we have. Thank-you so much in advance for your help.

 

[junior67]

if you can go to your profile and put where you are from it will help others. Sorry I am new so not of any help. but sure others will help. @aart is one that has helped me a ton with ideas for my build.

 

[bill3607]

You can do a lot with that and without a ton of work since you already have so much to work with. You can easily finish completely closing it in or you can do an open air coop depending on you climate.

 

[bill3607]

One thing people are going to want to know is how much space you are working with. It appears by counting your shingle tabs you have about 12 feet in length. I cannot tell about your width/depth. Do you know your dimensions?

 

[black_cat]

Do you want that space to be just coop or coop/run?

 

[Ridgerunner]

With that TSC bag in the photo you are in the US, but where? What kind of weather will you have? How big is that area under there, in feet? Length and width? Do your chickens free range or will you have a run?

What is in the barn behind it? Is it pretty air tight or well ventilated? Would it matter if the stuff in it got dusty from chicken dust? Some more info could help.

My first observation is that rain will come off the front of that barn. If you have a run in front of it that water will get it wet. If the water runs back underneath that overhang your coop can get wet. If you have a door under that overhang you'll get wet going in and out. A gutter and downspout might be a good investment. I'd consider building up the dirt level under the overhang so water doesn't drain in there. I did that with my coop and it worked well. The coop stays dry.

If the stuff in the barn can handle the dust, I'd cut some big holes high in that wall and cover it with hardware cloth to give great ventilation in the new coop. It will be protected from rain and protected from wind. My coop is the end of a shed. When I closed it off I left the top open with hardware cloth for predator protection. Worked great.

I had a door where I could go from the shed to my coop. You could try that with your barn. That way I can walk into the shed without water pouring on me if it is raining and I can store feed in a metal garbage can in the shed. It gives me good dry access to the chickens and room to store things.

will they deal with a dual level nesting area ?

Depends on how you build it but yeah. You have Brahmas so you know they are not helpless. With a little motivation they can get around.

I'd also like to repurpose what we have

What do you want to use that small coop for? Any plans?

Without knowing how many chickens or what size that is, my general thoughts are to move that old coop out in front and box in the entire overhang. Depending on where you are that may be with plywood or paneling or maybe some of it wire. Then build a run out front that encloses the old coop. Section off a part of that run so it can be isolated around that old coop. That would give you a good place to house the new chicks to help with integration and a good place to isolate a chicken if you need to.

 

[lisette30]

I wanted to ask for ideas for "how to make" a coop-space out of the space underneath the barn roof and get rid of the pre-fab coop I have under there now. I'm expecting 5 more chicks soon and need to rebuild. I'm in love with Brahmas, so, larger sized box spaces are appreciated ! Also, will they deal with a dual level nesting area ? I'd also like to repurpose what we have. Thank-you so much in advance for your help.

The space is 12X4 and I live in NE Indiana. The part of the pre-fab existing coop that you see now with the window faces the East

 

[lisette30]

One thing people are going to want to know is how much space you are working with. It appears by counting your shingle tabs you have about 12 feet in length. I cannot tell about your width/depth. Do you know your dimensions?

Please see my update. Thank-you so much.

 

[lisette30]

The space is 12X4 and I live in NE Indiana. The part of the pre-fab existing coop that you see now with the window faces the East

The TSC bag is facing north. Sorry, that's easier.