Technical coop building question.

[ScottandSam]

Hi All, so after about a 3 week delay for blizzards, 16 delivered dead chick trauma, high winds, rain and freezing temps the weather finally helped us out today and we had 8 yards of loam delivered so we can put those finishing touches on the coop. I will be working on it again tomorrow and post some updated pictures. Its supposed to snow on Friday and rain for many, many days after that so its slow going.

wow , I am sorry to hear that. Will the hatchery be sending more for free? 16 is a lot in one order to die. If you don't mind me asking where did they come from?

I have been looking for updates and figured you were busy. We had our one snow fall this year so we are well on our way into spring. Rain almost everyday. and our coop project is delayed to us working our butts off to wire 3500 sq ft so get my dw inlaws out of ours. So I'm not sure when Ill get back to it more than like I will be doing the roosters coop next as they are growing fast.

Looking forward to updates.

Scott

 

[TalkALittle]

Oh no! So sorry to hear about the chicks. If they are re-shipping, you might want to arrange to pick them up directly at the post office hub in Worcester instead of your local p.o.

As an aside, Feed & Needs in Uxbridge orders direct from McMurray. They are taking orders and receiving shipments now.

 

[Merrymouse]

wow , I am sorry to hear that. Will the hatchery be sending more for free? 16 is a lot in one order to die. If you don't mind me asking where did they come from?

I have been looking for updates and figured you were busy. We had our one snow fall this year so we are well on our way into spring. Rain almost everyday. and our coop project is delayed to us working our butts off to wire 3500 sq ft so get my dw inlaws out of ours. So I'm not sure when Ill get back to it more than like I will be doing the roosters coop next as they are growing fast.

Looking forward to updates.

Scott

It was through Meyers. Bad timing with a blizzard hitting the day after they mailed them. So they hatched on Monday and didnt get to my post office until thursday night. I knew they wouldn't make it that long so I prepared myself but it was a horrible, horrible 4 days. I have since just gotten my money back as I did not want to go through that again. I also found two good breeders and have purchased 9 chicks which are currently watching me type as they are still in my study with me. I adore them! I didn't get all the breeds I ordered initially but I got some that I love that I never even would have considered so there's that. Now if the weather would just give me a break so I can put the finishing touches on the coop!

Oh no! So sorry to hear about the chicks. If they are re-shipping, you might want to arrange to pick them up directly at the post office hub in Worcester instead of your local p.o.

As an aside, Feed & Needs in Uxbridge orders direct from McMurray. They are taking orders and receiving shipments now.

Thanks, see above. Also when I was desperately waiting for my chicks to arrive I think I pretty much called every post office from here to Ohio and I also begged to let me just drive to the hub to get them but they would not let me. Also the tracking number was never scanned in so no one had any idea where they were until they finally arrived at my local post office. It was a disaster.

I will try to post the link here to the thread where I chronicled the saga of my mail order experience, more importantly I just took pictures of my chicks and posted them there. Hang on....



https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1157340/meyer-hatchery-2-questions-please/190#post_18270791

Hope that works. Love my new chicks

Also my dogs are due for their yearly check up at the vet tomorrow and since my dog grooming room has been overtaken with baby chicks my dogs are a mess so it will probably take me about 4 hours today to get them cleaned and groomed. I dont want the vet to call the equivelent of DSS for dogs on me

Now I just have to figure out how the heck Im going to groom them, I may have to move all my stuff into the garage. But I have to work on the coop too as today is the only decent day for a long stretch.....Hmmmm...

 

[Merrymouse]

Busy day today so all I managed to do was get the linoleum down and try to work out the roosts and poop boards. Still struggling with that a bit.

Snow, sleet, ice and freezing rain expected starting tonight into Saturday morning. Happy my chickie babies were soaking up the sun today

Come on weather! We want spring!

 

[fightingbunny]

I love the way sleeping chicks look

I am curious how you plan to do your roosts. Are you doing the PDZ droppings board underneath? I plan on having a similar height coop and I wasn't sure how to fit that in and leave enough room for chickens to get around.

 

[ScottandSam]

nice blues. What breeds do you have there?

Scott

 

[Merrymouse]

I love the way sleeping chicks look

I am curious how you plan to do your roosts. Are you doing the PDZ droppings board underneath? I plan on having a similar height coop and I wasn't sure how to fit that in and leave enough room for chickens to get around.

Im still kind of stuck on the roosts and boards etc. Yes Im planning on doing the PDZ with boards. On the lower height end I think Im going to block the soffit off a bit over the winter because by the time you place the poop board then the roosts over that the chicks head space it kind of close to the open soffit. I don't want a cold draft getting them plus I have the rest of the soffit open all around. There is good room on the high end and the roost sits so I can see them roosting right through the window. I'm not done with roosts and poop boards yet. I think Im going with poop boards at 18ish" and roosts at 24ish" I want 9 to 10' of roosts which is hard to squeeze into a 8x4 coop. My nest boxes are on the outside so that helps and they are in addition to my 8x4. I think Im making my poop boards only 20" wide instead of the recommended 24" because of space restrictions. Im placing the roost and poop board in an "L" shape to maximize the space. I alrealy wish I made my coop bigger

but everyone that sees it thinks it ridiculously huge already

Have you started your build yet? I'd love to see it.

 

[Merrymouse]

nice blues. What breeds do you have there?

Scott

Must be the lighting because I dont have any blues. I think the blues you're seeing are my two barred rocks. I believe I have one cockerel and one pullet. Cockerel lying down in the picture with the pullet standing. Also the big white and black bird looks a little bluish in the first picture and that is my big girl, Betsy, a light brahma. I have a cream legbar, FBCM, Welsummer, Buff rock, silver penciled rock, and a swedish flower plus the light brahma and the two barred rocks for 9 total.

 

[fightingbunny]

I can't wait to see how you configure the 8'x4' coop!! I keep drawing up ideas for mine, which I plan to be the same size, but nothing comes up right. I thought about doing a cross or H so that I got a little more roost than just the straight 8' part. But anyplace that has a roost has to have an accessible area for poop retrieval. Four feet is too far for my arms to reach to scoop poop. I also really want my egg boxes in the worst spot for placing roosts. So my basic plan for now is just to run one roost down the 8 feet and hope that is enough for 8 birds.

 

[Merrymouse]

Quote:
Edit: Although, there might be a blue here in the very near future....sshhh