Poultry Manor
Let me first of all thank all the ideas I've acquired from other members. I've been following Back Yard Chickens for quite some time before actually becoming a member. I was new to raising chickens and found this site very useful for my design, which I had started about a year or more before actually moving to where I now live and have the coop and chickens.The coop is still a work in progress as you can see, so I will update as completion occurs.
The first thing to do was clear out some trees to make room for the coop and the shed I plan on building next to it.
The start of setting the floor and bringing out the framed/sheeted walls.
I framed and sheeted the walls and floor in my garage and then brought them out to the coop and set them up.
Here's the walls are all up and roof on, which was constructed directly on the coop. Here you can also see my two little helpers.
I know the center post of the overhang is not centered. I had originally planned on making a divider wall to have meat birds in one and layers in the other and that was to support the wall. I changed my mind however after the exterior construction was complete
I didn't like the pitch of the roof (or lack there of), it looked steeper in the drawing of my plans. So I decided to raise the front. That was definitely "fun" I must say especially by myself. What I did was lift the front and then had to slide a 2x4 underneath and placed blocks on the sides to support until I framed 'mini' walls on top of the existing and secured them on the front and sides. It also was beneficial for the vents I had originally planned on having in there near the roof to cut down on stagnant air within the coop and allow proper air flow even when the future windows are closed. It worked out nice as it gave me more usable space especially for the overhang where the chickens are, especially once all the perches are in.
Here is the work on the interior. I insulated and sheeted all the walls. Well, I still have to on the rear to insulate and sheet but the chickens are at least able to stay in there now and they made it through one winter so far. Even without the walls being completed and just sheets of plywood over the windows it stayed much warmer than the exterior temperatures. Certainly warmer than my garage!!
This has been a lot bigger project than I anticipated and according to my wife, I am never going to finish it! She knows it's going to look really nice once complete so she just likes to keep me motivated I guess.
There is still a lot left for me to do and it's all according to time and expenses, so I will continue to update the progress and any thing that I may have forgotten to include in the process. For now thanks for looking and God bless!
Things left to do
[tr][th]Siding[/th][td]As you can see I used roofing underlayment for the building paper. I had a fence I took down that will be used for the siding.[/td][/tr][tr][th]Windows[/th][td]Three of the four windows plus the door window currently have welded wire fencing covering them to protect against predators. I have glass given to me that I have to cut down to each window to be fitted. I plan on getting them installed by the fall to use them next winter.[/td][/tr][tr][th]Insulation and paneling[/th][td]The back and west facing side wall still have the framing exposed.[/td][/tr][tr][th]Storage and catwalk[/th][td]Once the interior walls are finished I plan on making a catwalk on the side of the steps for my kids to be able to walk on and see over the wall into the overhang. This will also allow them to fill the water bottles when needed. under the catwalk I will be able to have the tubs(or build containers) for the feed and scratch and miscellaneous tools supplies.[/td][/tr]
