If you are just starting out with growing your homestead, a logical first step is to acquire chickens. They create a sustainable food source and make great additions to farms. Before building a new chicken coop, consider more cost effective ways to house your new chickens. Below are a few tips on how to include a chicken coop in your existing barn design. Also, if you are looking for a horse property for sale in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today and speak with one of our horse-person realtors.
Adding to Your Barn
Instead for spending a ton of money on building a brand new chicken coop, consider renovating an existing structure on your property. This could be a barn, a run-in shed, or even an old garden shed. Any of these structures can adequately provide a separate and safe space for your new chickens. We’ve even seen horse stalls and tack rooms converted into a chicken coop. Always ventilate enclosed rooms. Here are a few more things that you should consider when converting an existing space on your horse property into a chick coop.
We are enjoying a nice warm summer this year, but we all know how cold it gets in winter in Colorado. If you live in a cold area, like in the mountains, any partially covered structures need to be completely enclosed. This is precisely why building your chicken coop inside your barn will be an easier renovation. Close your barn off at night to prevent predators from harming your chickens. During the day, open your barn to let your chickens run free in a fenced barnyard. Chickens are happy to share their daytime outdoor space with other animals, like goats, sheep, and horses. There is no need to build a separate outdoor space if you already have something for other animals.
