ALABAMA!!

[Wisher1000]

Chelsea Alabama here, with 16 chickens in my backyard!

Welcome Rick! You have found the best chicken (no, best, PERIOD) forum on the web. If you have any questions or need to research something, this is the place to do it! Enjoy!

 

[tmoore8595]

Chelsea Alabama here, with 16 chickens in my backyard!

Hello, and welcome to the forum, from Jefferson Co. Al.

What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[griffinkid02]

I have started on my next Chicken Project. There is an old henhouse on our property. It's probably been standing for 40-50 years. Made of old grey, rough cut hickory wood. For many years it was a hay barn when DD was using square bales. Then, when I was in highschool it was going to be a green house FFA project, before I simply never had time to finish it. For the last several years it has been a wasp and bumblebee resort, and home of the South's Healthiest Poison Ivy Tree, Esmerelda. The ivy managed to get in under the fiberglass wall and since I did manage to get one wall and the roof done in the greenhouse fiberglass it stays warm enough inside that at no point in the winter does the Ivy shed it's leaves..... It's HEALTHY. But, It SHALL be a chicken coop again:

This is what I started with:




This is Esmerelda, the above mention Poison Ivy Tree:

I say tree, because after 3 years of solid growth without having to take the winter off. She would remain standing if the rest of the building blew away tomorrow....

Here are some pics of what I have accomplished so far, this weekend:



And some of what I have left to go, before I can start repairing actual damage:

The back is where I'm going to have to do the most construction, however only siding is going to have to be replaces, all studs and rafters are solid and sound. and yes, that IS a pecan tree, and YES, it IS coming OUT of the wall. Not as bad as it looks though. I cut it down 3 years ago and never poisoned it. This time I won't NEED to poison it. I'm putting CHICKENS in with it, they'll just eat it to death, lol. Oh, yeah, and Esmerelda, there IS still Esmerelda to deal with...

So now for some advice. I'm thinking of putting plywood walls on the inside to be more sturdy than just the slat walls on it now. I'm not residing the outside because I actually love the weathered grey look of old barns and actually hate that I'm goign to have to put new wood on it at all. But does anyone have any thoughts on using insulation betweent he layers? The house already stays warm enough that Esma keeps her leaves year round, and that's with the holes in the walls. And I think I should put water sealand on the outside, old lumber and new, to prevent further loss of wood, but I'm not positive about the effects of adding chemicals to wood as old and weather beaten as this, any suggestions or ideas? Anyone with Real-life experience preserving old lumber like this? I also will be posting int he coop section, where this actually belongs, but wanted to share with my alabamian peoples since no one understand our climate weather like we do,

 

[griffinkid02]

BTW, I don't suppose chickens eat poison ivy, do they? Without harmful side effect, that would make dealing with Esmerelda SO much easier, lol.

 

[griffinkid02]

Any advice on this project would be welcomed, again I'm postig here frist because alabamians understand our weather and climate needs best, when building in Alabama, you should build to survive: a Kansas tornado, a Louisiana hurricane, a New England snow storm, a Haiawain summer day, 300% humidity year round, and possibly all of the above all in the same week.

 

[alabamachicks]

Hello! I am new to chickens, have some 8 three-week old chickens and I live in Butler County, Alabama

 

[cukooformarans]

Hmmm... Giffinkid I have no idea on any of your questions but that looks like it will be an awesome coop!

Welcome to the thread, Alabamachicks! What kind do you have?

 

[hearts34]

I would not put insulation in the walls at all. We only have half a dozen or so really cold nights in the winter. I run an oil filled radiator type heater in my coop on nights that are predicted to go below 20 degrees.
I guess it depends on what type chickens you're getting also. Most of the heritage breeds are very cold hardy when fully mature.

 

[cukooformarans]

Here are some of them. I was not able to get pics of all of the hens but you can see the cute babies!

 

[Loblolly]

Way down south on the FL/AL state line!