Hoop House/Coop

[lpyrbby]

Big sad face. The coop is ready to be moved, but because of a fairly sharp turn to get towards the pasture, we can't tow the coop over there without greatly risking damaging it. Husband is going to try to get the wheels off his deer blind tomorrow so we can put them on the front and try to manhandle it around the corner that way.

I'm still pouting. I'm still concerned on what we're going to do to move it if the wheels do more harm than good. There's varying terrain to get to the pasture; some bumps and inclines and stuff. And since the coop has been blocking the mower in the garage, our grass is in DIRE need of a cut. At the very least, it's moved enough now that the mower can get out of the garage, but still. My biddies are going to start plucking feathers soon out of boredom and super cooped-up-ness. Hmph. Sigh.

 

[lpyrbby]

At any rate, here are my curtains. Apparently the last set I made, they were short compared to the others, so I put them in the middle to kinda help offset it. I'll be painting inside the nest boxes too, since husband thinks they need it. I also didn't take into consideration the three boards that are coming down that kinda got in the way of installing they eye bolts. Whatever. They're up lol.



Just a view of the wheels installed.



And finally, the hard to see shot of what our first try was going to be with hooking the front frame board over the ball hitch. It was so close to the truck, there was no turning it. We tried a couple of other things afterwards, unsuccessfully. Oh, and he got the corner braces installed too.



I also went through and tucked the hardware cloth that was stapled to the outside of the back wall, to the inside instead. Husband also added a couple of 1x1 boards inside the coop so we could secure the metal roof a little better in one section to keep critters from trying to come in between it and the back wall. Added more hog rings and clipped off the pointy ends on the hardware cloth in various places.

It was a productive weekend, without that final, glorious moment of chickens happily checking out their new space. If he doesn't get it moved, maybe I'll paint tomorrow.

 

[aart]

And finally, the hard to see shot of what our first try was going to be with hooking the front frame board over the ball hitch.
It was so close to the truck, there was no turning it.
We tried a couple of other things afterwards, unsuccessfully. Oh, and he got the corner braces installed too.

Need about a 2-3 foot extension on the hitch receiver to have a turning radius.

 

[RonC]

A couple of big eyebolts and some chain or rope to make big loop to go around the hitch ball to get some room to turn and possibly add the front wheels.

 

[lpyrbby]

We didn't have a chance to try doing anything with the coop today. Got some family business that takes a bit more priority. I'm cautiously optimistic for the weekend. Maybe this one will be successful. Thanks for the ideas. I'll be sure to update on how we actually get it moved.

 

[lpyrbby]

Husband, in all his effort to make me happy right now, figured out a way to move the coop.

Once he got the other wheels on, he knew he wasn't going to be able to turn the coop without breaking the front wheels (solid plastic type). I guess he remembered he has those straps you can slip your arms through to give leverage on larger, bulk items. He wrapped them around the inside corner braces, attached them to the hitch on the truck and was able to use that to straighten it out and pull it to it's new home. Then, he attached the wheels back to the front of the coop to push it around in its spot. He noted that it honestly took minimal effort. I'm glad for that! I'm so excited it's out there now!

Still to do is to put the hardware cloth on the ground under and beyond the sides, paint, add the feeder, and put in the old ladder. Oh and I need to add bedding to the covered area and the nest boxes. We'll move the waterer when we move the birds. We didn't glue the PVC together to make things easier when it came time to move them.









You can see a little of the coop that came with the property in the background.



I knew the new coop was smaller, but having them side by side really puts things into perspective LOL



This is the back of the coop, where he had the wheel barrow tires installed.



And this is a smaller thickness of wood for the tires he put on the front of the coop. He's going to leave the blocks on, just in case we need to haul it around in the future. Let's hope not!

 

[blucoondawg]

If I were to use wheels off get something the size of bicycle wheels and put them in the center of the coop so it is close to balanced then put a removable tongue in the end to pull with. 2 wheels is easy to steer and larger wheels are easier to move over rough areas

 

[lpyrbby]

This girl is TIRED! I spent about 12 hours out in the yard today, working through the heat here to get the remaining things pushed out. I rolled out the cloth and painted the areas of wood that needed it. We had to finagle the coop "up" so I could slide the hardware cloth under it. I then pinned it down with landscape pins. That was a laughable effort though. It won't really stay if pried up lol. I built the pvc feeder and husband put it in the coop for me. Added the bedding and moved the waterer. I bet the neighbors had a great laugh when we tried to move the birds LOL They loved being out in the yard, but didn't want to make the longer trek to the coop. So, we had to herd them back into the fenced yard and plucked them from the temporary pen one at a time as we could catch them. By the time we got them all in the coop, they were VERY unhappy! Flying up to the wire and bouncing off it. It was a little alarming. I think they've finally settled though. Hopefully no casualties come morning!

Anywho, some photos

Got the front painted...



I used some brick pavers we inherited when we bought the property to "split" the coop. The pine shavings are under the "covered" part of the coop.



Husband attached the carabiners so they don't disappear lol





Poor lil curtains lol. Although, Nona was the first to discover the nest boxes when she was flitting about, trying to find a way out. Flew right into it LOL



And the PVC feeder. I have to pick up a new bag of feed tomorrow, so we'll see how problematic this thing is lol



I'm really digging the table here. It's for the water bucket to sit on. It's attached to the back wall of the coop as well. I forgot about getting photos after we moved the waterer there. I'll try to get more photos tomorrow.





Yep, that's a piece of PVC pipe being used as a lid prop lol



My fake eggs should be in on Monday



After getting them in the coop, we barely had any light. My camera changed settings to make it look brighter here, so it wouldn't use the flash. I have their old dust bathing area next to their new one. I left the dirty stuff in the old one, to help give them a little something familiar to work with. Did they even look at it? Nope lol. And only one of the 4 can't get up on the roost. Although, she kept trying to get on the tallest one, and not start on something lower to get to the taller one. I'll get more photos of the ladder roost concoction tomorrow too

 

[lpyrbby]

New PVC feeder, next to the old one lol



It honestly surprised me how much the food comes to the front of the pipe. Before filling, it looks like this deep, cavernous hole that the birds will be forced to stick their head in LOL



The recycled ladder



Breakfast treats!



Better photos of the waterer



Nosy biddies...



This is the beer brewing bucket on the table. We are actually planning on replacing this with a cooler bucket so we can dump in some ice and hopefully keep the water cooler for them.



Drilled a hole in the table, large enough for the hose to go through.



Drilled another hole in the back of the coop to feed it through. We're trying to keep the hose out of direct sunlight



How the hose looks coming through the wall



And more nosy biddies

 

[aart]

Drilled another hole in the back of the coop to feed it through. We're trying to keep the hose out of direct sunlight



How the hose looks coming through the wall



And more nosy biddies

Nice space!!
Course you know that bedding is going to end up in the grass, right?
Do they free range too?

I think that fermentation valve on top of bucket only allows out-gassing...won't allow air into as a vacuum braker for watering system.
I think you have a kink in your hose too.