# Converting an old "Goat Shed"



## Captain

recently moved to a new place where the previous owners raised goats in the field. my brother and i have decided to convert the goat shed to a chicken coop. its going to take a lot of work, but i am sure it will pay off. oh, btw, we have no idea what we are doing... never raised chickens before....

here is what the "Goat shed" looks like now before we began any work....


the inside....









the dividing wall that needs to be replaced..









you can see how overgrown the grass/weeds are in this field. this shows the "missing wall" that we will have to replace....









when we get more done, i will post some updated pics....


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## Energyvet

That's a big job you have ahead of you. I'm excited to see the progress as it develops. There is great information about predators and nest boxes and such here. We are here to support your effort, completely.


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## Captain

Energyvet said:


> That's a big job you have ahead of you. I'm excited to see the progress as it develops. There is great information about predators and nest boxes and such here. We are here to support your effort, completely.


thank you. yes predators is a problem. i talked to a neighbor who said he lost all of his chickens to racoons. another neighbor said he lost to snakes, and possums. so i am going to concentrate on making it a safe house for my birds.


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## rob

thats a project and a half there mate, could be a good one though so stick with it and keep uploading the pics as im interested to see how it turns out. good luck.


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## kimberley

do a good job. raccoons can get in anything just to take one bite out of your chickens. If you have too much trouble with them call dnr they will tell you what to do. i lost almost my whole flock before i figured it was a raccoon. you cant trap them. they will chew or figure out how to get out. plus they are nasty and carry alot of germs and diseases. make sure you wash hands very well if you think you might be working where they have been. plant a pear tree and possums will eat them and leave chickens alone.


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## hollyosborn

I converted the old sheep shed that was here.. still had panels and such in there. I put wire on the end and covered the holes.. left the inside railing there for them to roost.. built a outside frame with 3 walls around the chute and covered with wire, threw the bird netting over the top.. built a door... and wahlah!


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## phishfood

Hey, that is about 1/4 as ugly as the old horse stall that I am converting to a chicken coop!

All of the pretty chicken coops I see pictured on here make me feel inadequate, nice to know that I am not the only one doing it downhome style.


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## TinyHouse

phishfood said:


> All of the pretty chicken coops I see pictured on here make me feel inadequate, nice to know that I am not the only one doing it downhome style.


I WISH I could have built mine out of salvaged materials, but I'm new to the area, I have nothing at all on my place - and I mean NOTHING! - and I kind of put the horse before the cart and got the chicks first.....

Oops....

I admire all of you who are taking either what you have, what you can find or what you can get from others to make your coops. They actually have more "character" in a lot of ways.


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## Captain

*Update:*

my brother and i did a lot of work on this coop. we still have a lot to do, but here are the most recent pics.....

here is the new door my brother made....









new dividing wall.. here is a before and after shot. the door i got for free, and all the wood is from pallets we got for free. to the left of the door is the opening for the nesting box, so i can gather the eggs.

















the inside look of my nesting box....

















my daughter posing inside the coop to give you an idea of the size...









here is the outside area where we will store the feed, and water and such. 









we divided the shed in 2 taking half for the coop, and the other half for the storage. still have to add windows, fill gaps, and net off the bottom perimeter of the coop area. maybe a couple more weeks? 
what do you think?


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## TinyHouse

WOW - that is looking great! You've really gotten a lot done already and it's looking like a cool chicken coop.


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## Energyvet

Moving along very quickly. It's fun watching it all come together. You and your brother work well together as a team. And your daughter is as cute as a button!


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## hollyosborn

Now i can see all the photos... LOVE them all!.. and seriously your daughter is ADORABLE.. love her little dress!!!


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## Captain

*Update:*

i need your advice. in the pic is the top of the wall of my future chicken coop. this is where the roof trusses meet the top of the wall, and as you can see there is a large gap. it is good for ventilation, but an open area for preditors.

do you think i should screen this off?

do you think predators will be able to go through this gap?

thanks


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## TinyHouse

Captain said:


> do you think i should screen this off?


Yes



Captain said:


> do you think predators will be able to go through this gap?


Yes

Just my opinion


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## Tony-O

Great for ventalation, but an open door for prediators. Especially raccoons.


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## phishfood

Right now, ***** are my biggest worry in my area. Lots of them, though you don't usually see them during the day.


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## rob

well its coming along at a good pace.


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## cogburn

Very nice job Captain !! Seal some of the daylight spots and you'll be in business, if you can see a tennis ball size spot of daylight on top of, under, or in a corner then it's enough for a varmint to get in. 1/4-1/2 inch Hardware cloth is an easy fix because it's stiff enough and can be folded any shape that you need and screwed down with screws and a small washer on the screw.. But be sure and pull it tight.. Play in wire will lead to tears in wire.


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