TWEAK MY COOP~Tweaks on the Cheap

[Spartan22]

Geez!!!! My wife got a peek at this thread.
Darn it guys.....now I gotta start twerking....

Again. Kudos to all that recycle/reuse/repurpose...

I think am going to try twerking for my wife, she might let me buy more chickens and property! LOL

 

[SHERRING7712]

Quote:
Originally Posted by knjinnm

I do not see a link to "My Coop",is it gone?
BTW, how many birds are in your coop? From the pics it looks like a lot.
I don't have a link to my coop but I have 13 birds all together. The actual coop is 4x8 with a 2x6 set of nexting boxes added on. There are 2 runs that we can open the chicken door in between or close off for separation if needed. they are 8x15 and 9x12. This weekend we actually just put up some bird netting around the yard so we could let them out to range while we are home.



Here's a couple of older pics. All the netting has been replaced by wire and roof braces in the first fun have been added as well. In the spring, or maybe later this fall we will probably move the coop over to the other side and tear the first run down and build a hoop style coop and run and attach it to the run on the left. With the snow we get up here we are thinking that the hoop style might be best for us in the winter, so that we can cover at least part of their run.

 

[Beekissed]

Hi! We live in NEW HAMPSHIRE~
We are historical reenactors living in a little 240 yr. old house that has been a DIY labor of love to restore for over 17 years. We JUST got chickens for the first time last April---4 English buff orpingtons, and put up a coop. Always on a tight budget, we do pretty much everything ourselves and have a lot of fun working on our various projects! We had just finished building our own fence of trees we cut down, and had 'tricked out' our purchased coop (from Coops for a Cause, where a portion goes to charity) with period-style hardware (from our attic stash), 'leaded' windows we did ourselves, and a few other things such as swing-out branch perches we designed and built from branches. Now the coop area blends in nicely with our old New Hampshire house.
My husband thought our fence was reminiscent of the stockade fences at Plimoth Plantation or Jamestown, etc., We had a salvaged-for-free piece of highly-weathered 18thc. board, and a 17thc. 'Brit' flag---since we do that type of reenacting. Hubby has a degree in illustration and design, and is creative and quirky. He said the fence reminded him of an "old fort"...SO...what did we do???
Well, created one, of course!
We made our flag pole from a tree we cut down, and hubby hand-painted 'FORT ORPINGTON' in a 17thc. font on the old board, which we affixed to the fence around our coop and run! We think it looks just grand with our 18th century home and fits with the old-time lifestyle we live---(Yes, that is us in the avatar photo, and below in this post!)

I leaded the coop windows and Adam trimmed~

Although our coop has a nice window screen, we were afraid it might not be 'predator-proof' enough...
Adam designed and made this interior screen that fits behind the regular window screen and slides from side to side, out of leftover, durable hardware cloth and only scraps and stuff we had in the shed, and hand made the wooden turnbuckles that keep it in place.


I put all the hardware on the coop myself. Hubby helped with the leaded window...

The coop/run area just up against the old post and beam woodshed.

...The little night light inside the coop that lures our girls in every evening.

Inside of the run, Adam designed the neatest swing-out perch and made it from a maple branch...

Because it is low for us and we'd have to duck down every time we were cleaning the run, he came up with an ingenious way to latch it into place on one end, and he has an iron 'butterfly' hinge on the other end...
For cleaning the run we unlatch and swing the perch over to the opposite side wall where it sits on it's own bracket. We just swing it back and latch it into place when we're through! Brackets are wood scraps we had in the shed.
I clean the coop every morning. I have an old 5 gal. plastic bucket I have probably had for 10 year. I painted COOP CLEAN UP on it with black paint and I keep litter, scoop, rubber gloves, mini rake and poultry protector spray in it, in the woodshed. All I have to do is get the bucket out each AM and do my thing in the coop/run which is right next to the old woodshed.








Adam painted the sign in 17thc. script by hand on an 18th CENTURY, WEATHERED BOARD WE HAD SALVAGED FOR FREE.


We 2 cut down all the trees and built the entire fence and gate...








We also built this fence with trees we cut from our own property. We then created the 'mini meadow' in front sideyard for our 4 buff orpington girls by flinging native wildflower seeds we collected and letting the grass grow long...It's really looking MUCH better now~




Here we are in some of our reenactment 'kit'. You can 'visit' us at our website
www.thecountryladyantiques.com
(Our 18thc. house was a many year period restoration completely done 'on the cheap' by us.)

Your place is extremely beautiful!!!!!! I could look at it all day long! And I love, love, love your stick fencing and the skill and time it displays....so few take the time in this world today to do something artful and beautiful like that, myself included. Thank you for posting these pictures here as I will carry the memory of them along with me....I've been wanting a wattle fence around the garden for a long while but never seem to get the time to do one, but your pics have spurred on my dreams once again.

The coop is very cute and beautifully built and I love that you've reused the antique materials...simply beautiful!

Can't see what level of ventilation you have in your coop but come winter you might want more than you have with the one fenced window that is shown....resist the temptation to buckle your coop down tightly to conserve warmth, as your chickens carry their barn on their backs. All they need is a place out of the wind, fresh air while they sleep so they won't get moisture of their own respiration on their combs and wattles(air that moves up and out of the top of the coop), sunshine and good feed to get them through the winter.

LOVE your place!!!! Prettiest place and prettiest touches I've seen on BYC all these many years.

 

[Beekissed]

Geez!!!! My wife got a peek at this thread.
Darn it guys.....now I gotta start twerking....again
LOL. Some nice info and pix here.

Kudos to all that recycle/reuse/repurpose building materials.
I work at a landfill site and recyclables sorting depot. It is quite apparent that far too many humans have more money than brains and "regard for the earth" and its resources.
My most recent haul got me 4 pre hung doors with screen doors, 6 triple pane windows, 4 of which are 1/2 slider, & 2 are 6x8picture windows. I also got 4 24Hx36L triple pane basement windows(no screens) & tons of doorknobs and hinges. My biggest score was about 250 linear feet each of 2X10's and 2X6's, 800 linear feet of 2X4's, some of which are 20footers(with but 8 nails in them) and enough 1/2" marine grade plywood to sheath a 20X20 structure, roof and all. Bonus is enough metal siding and roofing to re-do all my coops/lofts roofs. I think all I need to actually buy is about maybe 10lbs of different sized nails and screws.because I also scored some strips and rolls of nails and screws that are used in nail guns and screw guns. Now would'nt it be awesome if some one tossed 1 each of them guns out...........
Again. Kudos to all that recycle/reuse/repurpose...

First time I've ever envied someone's job at a landfill but what huge scores!!!!!

Wish I had that kind of access to trash, I tell ya....I drive through the town nearest to us~20 mi. away~and covet all the trash I see on the curb, wishing I had a purpose for most of it, and stopping to actually get the stuff I do have a purpose for, but would LOVE to shop where you work!!!

 

[Beekissed]

I think am going to try twerking for my wife, she might let me buy more chickens and property! LOL

....or have you committed.

 

[countryladyNH]

Your place is extremely beautiful!!!!!! I could look at it all day long! And I love, love, love your stick fencing and the skill and time it displays....so few take the time in this world today to do something artful and beautiful like that, myself included. Thank you for posting these pictures here as I will carry the memory of them along with me....I've been wanting a wattle fence around the garden for a long while but never seem to get the time to do one, but your pics have spurred on my dreams once again.

The coop is very cute and beautifully built and I love that you've reused the antique materials...simply beautiful!

Can't see what level of ventilation you have in your coop but come winter you might want more than you have with the one fenced window that is shown....resist the temptation to buckle your coop down tightly to conserve warmth, as your chickens carry their barn on their backs. All they need is a place out of the wind, fresh air while they sleep so they won't get moisture of their own respiration on their combs and wattles(air that moves up and out of the top of the coop), sunshine and good feed to get them through the winter.

LOVE your place!!!! Prettiest place and prettiest touches I've seen on BYC all these many years.

Thank you SO MUCH for the compliments! We appreciate it more than we can say~ We had done our own authentic wattle fencing around our garden years ago and that lasted about 5 years and then had to go. We did the 'tree stockade look' this time, and the 'tree zig zag rail' for our mini meadow. We had no experience with anything. We were always on a tight budget. I was a widow when I bought the old house in 1998, and it was the pits! I worked on it alone for 8 years and then met my hubby, Adam. I had to teach myself to do everything, and on a miniscule budget. I love salvaging, and have found some great stuff for free or trade. For the fence, we just cut down trees in the wood, hauled them down the hill and built it all by hand, just doing it with no tutorial!
If you get a chance to visit our TOUR page

Your place is extremely beautiful!!!!!! I could look at it all day long! And I love, love, love your stick fencing and the skill and time it displays....so few take the time in this world today to do something artful and beautiful like that, myself included. Thank you for posting these pictures here as I will carry the memory of them along with me....I've been wanting a wattle fence around the garden for a long while but never seem to get the time to do one, but your pics have spurred on my dreams once again.

The coop is very cute and beautifully built and I love that you've reused the antique materials...simply beautiful!

Can't see what level of ventilation you have in your coop but come winter you might want more than you have with the one fenced window that is shown....resist the temptation to buckle your coop down tightly to conserve warmth, as your chickens carry their barn on their backs. All they need is a place out of the wind, fresh air while they sleep so they won't get moisture of their own respiration on their combs and wattles(air that moves up and out of the top of the coop), sunshine and good feed to get them through the winter.

LOVE your place!!!! Prettiest place and prettiest touches I've seen on BYC all these many years.

Thanks so much! We appreciate it more than we can say. We taught ourselves to do everything and on a miniscule budget. I moved 1000 mi. alone as a widow in 1998 and bought the house, which was the pits---a real mess. I had no $ to speak of. I worked on it alone teaching myself skills for almost 8 years before I met my hubby! Please visit our TOUR page if you would like to see the house, etc.!

http://www.thecountryladyantiques.com/tour.php

(You should see the period style 'beehive' cob clay bake oven we built in our back garden, with no $$ and salvaged materials! We even dug all our own clay in the woods and hauled 15 five gallon buckets of it down the hill to the yard and stomped it with straw and sand to make the cob mortar!!!!!

Here are a couple photos, but there is much more info and photos on our site!)

Our house has been a 17 year long, completely DIY labor of love with plenty of salvaged or garbage picked 'finds'!

Not to worry~Our coop is ventilated all around the whole interior roof line. The coop is next to the old post and beam woodshed, so somewhat protected on that side, and we have elec. in it. We chose those lovable orps because they can tolerate the New Hampshire winter. The fence side/coop window side of the coop is south, so nice warmth of the sun even in winter on a sunny day coming in the coop window!
Again, thanks so much~You really made our day, and we hope you will check out our site and see all that we've done ourselves!

JUST ONE OF OUR MANY DIY 'ON THE CHEAP/FREE' PROJECTS!









WE EVEN MADE THE OVEN DOOR FROM A PIECE OF SALVAGED 18th CENTURY WOOD FROM A PERIOD LOCAL DEMOLISHED HOUSE, AND THE HANDLE IS A BENT BRANCH FOUND IN THE WOODS~

ALL ROCKS WERE SALVAGED FROM ROADSIDES. BRICKS SALVAGED FROM LOCAL OLD MILL. WE USED TREES FOR THE LEAN-TO POSTS AND THE REST OF IT WE BUILT USING 19thc. BOARDS WE WERE GIVEN FOR FREE FROM OUR FRIEND'S 1830 BARN. INSULATION IN THE STONE BASE WAS BOTTLES FROM THE DUMP! WE HAD NO IDEA HOW TO DO THIS. JUST READ A BOOK FROM THE 70's AND SPENT A COUPLE MONTHS IN THE SUMMER 2 YEARS AGO BUILDING IT. WE HAD A BLAST! IT WORKS GREAT! SUPER HOMEMADE PIZZA, BREAD, AND ANYTHING ELSE!

 

[Beekissed]

That is truly a work of art!!! You guys do tremendous work!!! Artisan level work....you could make a real good living at that sort of thing if you don't already, as I've seen some huge money paid out for the same~but not quite as unique~things.

LOVE it! Love that whole scene with the table and candles too....you should be submitting your homestead to a magazine if you haven't already, as many would love to see what you've done there. Just gorgeous!

Y'all ought to think of possibly building a cob coop...I've seen them and they are just darling, also cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

 

[SHERRING7712]

@countryladyNH I took your tour on your page and your home is just amazing. Being an avid gardener, gatherer, and user of anything from nature I absolutely love your gardens and exterior work. Gorgeous. I have always dreamed of doing something similar though focusing in 19thc homesteading in the mountains of the northwest. Nothing would give me more joy than being able to live off my land. We also do a lot of re-purposing and salvaging of materials though nothing on the scale that you have. I am just so impressed! Thank you so much for sharing and I hope that I too will be able to someday share my story of my "dream home" and all the love and work it took to make it my dream home! Best wishes to you and good luck with the sale of the house and your future adventures.

 

[countryladyNH]

Hi! We live in NEW HAMPSHIRE~
We are historical reenactors living in a little 240 yr. old house that has been a DIY labor of love to restore for over 17 years. We JUST got chickens for the first time last April---4 English buff orpingtons, and put up a coop. Always on a tight budget, we do pretty much everything ourselves and have a lot of fun working on our various projects! We had just finished building our own fence of trees we cut down, and had 'tricked out' our purchased coop (from Coops for a Cause, where a portion goes to charity) with period-style hardware (from our attic stash), 'leaded' windows we did ourselves, and a few other things such as swing-out branch perches we designed and built from branches. Now the coop area blends in nicely with our old New Hampshire house.
My husband thought our fence was reminiscent of the stockade fences at Plimoth Plantation or Jamestown, etc., We had a salvaged-for-free piece of highly-weathered 18thc. board, and a 17thc. 'Brit' flag---since we do that type of reenacting. Hubby has a degree in illustration and design, and is creative and quirky. He said the fence reminded him of an "old fort"...SO...what did we do???
Well, created one, of course!
We made our flag pole from a tree we cut down, and hubby hand-painted 'FORT ORPINGTON' in a 17thc. font on the old board, which we affixed to the fence around our coop and run! We think it looks just grand with our 18th century home and fits with the old-time lifestyle we live---(Yes, that is us in the avatar photo, and below in this post!)

I leaded the coop windows and Adam trimmed~

Although our coop has a nice window screen, we were afraid it might not be 'predator-proof' enough...
Adam designed and made this interior screen that fits behind the regular window screen and slides from side to side, out of leftover, durable hardware cloth and only scraps and stuff we had in the shed, and hand made the wooden turnbuckles that keep it in place.


I put all the hardware on the coop myself. Hubby helped with the leaded window...

The coop/run area just up against the old post and beam woodshed.

...The little night light inside the coop that lures our girls in every evening.

Inside of the run, Adam designed the neatest swing-out perch and made it from a maple branch...

Because it is low for us and we'd have to duck down every time we were cleaning the run, he came up with an ingenious way to latch it into place on one end, and he has an iron 'butterfly' hinge on the other end...
For cleaning the run we unlatch and swing the perch over to the opposite side wall where it sits on it's own bracket. We just swing it back and latch it into place when we're through! Brackets are wood scraps we had in the shed.
I clean the coop every morning. I have an old 5 gal. plastic bucket I have probably had for 10 year. I painted COOP CLEAN UP on it with black paint and I keep litter, scoop, rubber gloves, mini rake and poultry protector spray in it, in the woodshed. All I have to do is get the bucket out each AM and do my thing in the coop/run which is right next to the old woodshed.




HOLY COW....IT WAS A MESS AND A MUD PIT WHEN WE FIRST STARTED OUR COOP AREA....Here a neighbor boy helps hubby~






Adam painted the sign in 17thc. script by hand on an 18th CENTURY, WEATHERED BOARD WE HAD SALVAGED FOR FREE.


We 2 cut down all the trees and built the entire fence and gate...
We fenced the coop area on 3 sides, and the forth, at the front is an old stone wall.


IN PROGRESS, BACK IN APRIL~




Finished fencing/gate.






We just found this small lantern on sale. We added a solar LED light inside of it and hung it on the outside of our chicken coop with a rosehead nail, and left it to rust, and shed some nice subtle light through it's piercings at night...








We also built this fence with trees we cut from our own property. We then created the 'mini meadow' in front sideyard for our 4 buff orpington girls by flinging native wildflower seeds we collected and letting the grass grow long...It's really looking MUCH better now~








Here we are in some of our reenactment 'kit'. You can 'visit' us at our website
www.thecountryladyantiques.com
(Our 18thc. house was a many year period restoration completely done 'on the cheap' by us.)







COME ON IN AND TOUR THE COOP...




We painted the inside a sunny, scrubable yellow...






We leaded the sliding windows ourselves, and Adam made the special removable 'predator proof' screen to reinforce the normal window screen. He designed it himself and used all materials we already had...

The coop floor is washable sheet vinyl, and we put down a layer of our special mixture of builders sand, sieved wood ash from our fireplaces, and DE powder. This keeps the hens healthy and is easy for me to clean every day. It doesn't need to be changed.
We have 2 nesting boxes. I made the cute blue gingham nest box curtains...


Our girls love their little home...



The chickens go into the coop from the attached run every night by themselves. They sleep on the roost shown here.
Adam made the removable 'poop tray' which is such a time saver. Every morning I just slide it out, dump the poop into the coop bucket to go to the compost pile, and wipe it off. It's a board that he covered with a remnant of 'stone look' sheet vinyl flooring that we got for free.



For the fall/winter we'll have a hanging mirror in the coop and some other distractions to keep the chickens entertained in bad weather...



...One thing is a cute little cd player/radio that we had. Chickens love music! Adam built a shelf up high in a corner of the coop and we have this plugged in there for them. Chickens love classical music...

 

[SHERRING7712]

Quote:
Originally Posted by knjinnm

I do not see a link to "My Coop",is it gone?
BTW, how many birds are in your coop? From the pics it looks like a lot.
I don't have a link to my coop but I have 13 birds all together. The actual coop is 4x8 with a 2x6 set of nexting boxes added on. There are 2 runs that we can open the chicken door in between or close off for separation if needed. they are 8x15 and 9x12. This weekend we actually just put up some bird netting around the yard so we could let them out to range while we are home.



Here's a couple of older pics. All the netting has been replaced by wire and roof braces in the first fun have been added as well. In the spring, or maybe later this fall we will probably move the coop over to the other side and tear the first run down and build a hoop style coop and run and attach it to the run on the left. With the snow we get up here we are thinking that the hoop style might be best for us in the winter, so that we can cover at least part of their run.

So now that we are moving I get the chance to build a new coop. We decided on the hoop coop style and have begun construction. Last night we started putting extra grommets in the shade tarp we bought for the run. It went great but I thought I'd share a tip.
When using the small tube cutter in the grommet kit I wasn't able to cut through the shade tarp very well so I lit the propane torch up and used a needle nosed leatherman to hold the tube and heated the end. It then went through the material like butter and melted the edges which I think will help prevent fraying on this mesh-like material! We actually had fun doing it!
Just thought I'd share that!