Coop Project: Maken the Plunge & Getting Chickens - Page 4

I lifted the roof and insulated it this evening. Once the roof is completed, it will be hinged so that I can lift it and change light bulbs or heat lamps. Its also a great access point if I need to do any major work inside the coop. The roof measures 6 ft x 6 ft 2 inches.

The insulation has a polished aluminum surface and will work well to reflect radient heat from the heat lamp and ther birds back into the coop, as well as reflect light from my lighting system. The roof hangs out over the edge of the coop, creating an eve. I didn't see it as neccessary to insulate the eve. This reflective surface of the insulation will allow me to use a lower wattage bulb for lighting the coop. The added lighting will allow me to artificially lengthen the day for my small flock, allowing me to maintain my flock's egg production during the shorter days of winter. Buff Orpingtons are known for being good cold weather layers anyway, this is a little extra insurance.

I didn't get much done tonight even though I worked till after 8:00pm, there were just too many distractions with 6 chicks and 2 ducks out foraging around the yard. The chicks look like such little ragga-muffins at this age while they're feathering out.

But I gotta say, it is such a good feeling to have chickens again after so many years without them.

There was a bit of excitement from the flock this evening.

Seems they stumbled upon a group of (two males and a female) garter snakes out doing...well...you can probably guess. At any rate the chicks scattered and the ducks followed the chicks. They wound up back in the garden turning over the winter mulch and scratching for grubbies and worms.

I snapped a few photos and eventually went back to work on the coop.

I have issues.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aeropennchick 

Love your story!  My buffs are my favs - you picked an awesome breed.  And those ducks are adorable.  You are certainly going to have some jealous neighbors when they see how great your coop is!

Thank you...that is very kind of you to say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kismet 

I stumbled across this thread - I want to build a third coop   and I am always interested in others' designs.  I would caution you about overheating your coop - chickens come with their own down coats and don't need heat in the winter.  You could save a lot on your electricity bills.  If you really felt they needed heat, just set your thermostat at 33 degrees.  The need for ventilation is by far more important - without it, condensation will rain down on the chickens and they will develop pneumonia.  We humans tend to kill our animals with kindness.

 

I'm looking forward to the next installment of your tale.

Thank you for the heads up. I'm planning to install several vents on the door access side of the coop, but I've been thinking that this may not be enough. The 2 ducks create a lot of mess and are quite the splashers when it comes to the water. Along with the vents, I have a crank window that I can open as well for further ventillation, but I'd rather  have the correct ventillation from the get go.

Rain today.....DANG. I am really enjoying the building project, but working in the rain is not high on my list. We'll have to see how it all goes this afternoon when I get home from work.

For now the chicks will have to spend their morning inside...they will NOT like that situation...they can be very vocal about going outside.

The weather has improved greatly today...the chicks are outside running about and scratching. I started siding the coop at the end of last night's work session, had to quit because it just got so dark I couldn't see well to make accurate measurements & run the saw.  I should be able to get some more of that work done on the coop tonight.

I did get a few decent photos of the chicks doing what chicks do...It is such a distraction having them run about and I have work that I have to do.