Another Newb gets under way...

[MrTattoohead]

I am just getting my little coop in shape. It was a hand me down so I'm covering the old chicken wire with 1/4" hardware wire. I'm not a good diy person so the best I can say is that I have enough metal in that little coop and run to hold ft. knox together! LOL But I can't do the concrete. I am putting it under the front wing of our shed. It will have shade and some protection from the elements. As far as the varmints...I'm wiring also from the bottom edge of the coop/run down about 20" to the ground, then about 12" at least below ground and then flaired out about 6" with a slab laying on top of that...then covering it back up with dirt. My hubby laughs at me for being OCD with my coop! I just don't to have to go out there and pick up parts of a chicken!! As far as the flooring, we have a sandy type soil here so I'm going to get come river sand and make that the flooring underneath the coop and the run. I've tried to give the details so people can give me constructive feedback....what do you think.?

Well, I'm just as new to this as you but it sounds like AlClucktraz to me...

 

[MrTattoohead]

Fixed some perches for hopping up to the roosts. Hope there's enough room...

Put two tubes of caulk into it...

Got the bow out of the poop board. Tar papered and shingled the roof. It's coming along...

 

[jtbass2756]

Ok.....today has been a long hot day but I have my coop up on blocks, wire perimeter attached and buried. Have to sand down the top of the box closure door where it sat out in the weather and I will sand that down tomorrow,, If its not too hot, I am going to get the sand to put into the run and under the coop and get a small bale of straw to put into the boxes. Have some blocks to put the waterer and feeder on and I'm ready for the ladies....can you think of anything I need to take care of before I go get them? This is so totally new for me. had some on the farm when I was 7yrs old and younger so i don't remember a lot ( I'm 64 now...LOL).,,,HELP ! Going to try to upload some picts for you to look at. The coop is actually placed under the front side of the front wing of our shed. Couldn't get but three uploaded. One you are looking blocks around the into the front side of the shed and the coop thru the door...actually two doors. One is the coop door and the other is a door made from the front side of the shed.. The other two just shows it was raised and had wire buried with pavers laid around the edge. The ladis will have sun in the am and pm with shade during the hottest part of our days.
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[MrTattoohead]

Ok! It's been awhile but the girls are here!

 

[MrTattoohead]

 

[MrTattoohead]

Here's the ladies getting to know their home...

 

[MrTattoohead]

Here's a look at the coop.

We still want to paint it once the weather clears up.

 

[jtbass2756]

Just had to let everyone know that all that sweat and hardwork has paid off!!!! My BIL came over and helped me finish it just in time to get 4 ladies !! 2 RIR, 1 dark brahma, 1 golden laced wyndotte,.... They adjusted well with the 2 RIR taking the more dominant lead. I called them Frick and Frack. Then the others are Maycee Lacy, and Mama Brahma! Yea, they needed names.However, Frack had finally gotten really friendly, meeting me each day up on the door when I opened them up and gave them some chicken crack..(no not corn...those freeze dried meal worms. They would move mountains for that stuff. Anyway, I think it was Frack (may be wrong) who today made me an official MAMA HEN !!! I was worried my coop was going to be too small for these ladies but it must not be bothering at least one of them.!! Even with its thin shell this was a perfect little brown egg! I keep some artificial eggs in there so I didn't pick this up too gingerly. But it was thin shelled anyway. I broke it onto an old soccer and let them have it. I keep the shells until they are completely dried out...then crush them and put them back into the food supply.

 

[Chickens R Us]

Nice looking coop you have there.