Building New Coop/Barn...Phase 5 Great Barn Build, OCCUPIED! 3/6/16

[speckledhen]

Sweet Stuff!!

Will there be a run off the new barn?

The barn will be fenced entirely, with two gates-the chainlink gate is a 5' one, half of a double driveway gate. The other half is already part of the back perimeter fence. The first gate will be as you pass the former old hens' coop, at the top corner of the rock wall and another on the garage door side for the lawnmower or truck to drive through. I'm buying biosecurity signs for both gates. Since all my birds will be housed in one location, it's even more imperative that nothing gets through. The different groups already free range from their respective pens on a rotating basis so they'll do the same thing from the barn to inside the new fenced area, which will be fairly large.



Same company has this one:

 

[speckledhen]

I think I like this one for the main gate. I'll use the STOP one for the back gate.



I already have a funny for you re: the barn's new occupants. It actually could have ended tragically and I could not have foreseen this one. We unlocked the barn door (both roll-up and entry door are locked every night) and walked inside, and of course, the first group I see belongs to Atlas. I look into the pen. No Atlas. I say, "Where is Atlas????" I think he must be plastered against the front half-wall or behind the feeder so I peer over the wall. No Atlas. I am panicking. Where could he go? He cannot just vanish! After several seconds of looking the place over, all 8x8' of it, DH says, "There he is! He's in there!" He's pointing into the Old Hens' pen. sure enough, there is Atlas, big as you please, in the middle of the pen next to his looking at us looking for him! He didn't make one sound to alert us to his presence there.

First, I panic, thinking he's hurt the old girls who cannot escape his attentions so I'm checking them over while DH picks up Atlas and then we both check his leg he's been favoring. I get right in his face to ask what on earth he was thinking, and he gives me this soft, warm, "hi, Mama" expression while I tell him he's INSANE! He could have landed on one of the old gals, broken his leg, or worse, broken his neck! HOW? He had to fly from the top roost bar, across to the header of the divider wall, a dang fair distance, plus height, for a big rooster! BUT, that is not the craziest. The jump down is 7' from top to floor! SEVEN FEET he jumped and is none the worse for wear. Geez, give me a heart attack, will ya? Bad Atlas!

DH thinks he was getting back at me for adding that board to the back of the nests so he couldn't get face to face with the old hens. I mean, there were girls over there, just out of his reach, right? And he has a thing for my black Ameraucana, Gypsy, who won't give him the time of day. But it doesn't appear that he did anything to them. They don't seem hurt in the least.

So, we fixed his wagon. We did this today with green plastic garden fencing. If he has a stupid moment and tries to jump up through that, he really will kill himself.




In the photo below, you see the old hens' roost and the extra pine board I added. When they were standing on it and Atlas was in the nest, they were face to face. Sometimes, I underestimate his height. Well, he just didn't like that so he went over the wall, LOL.



My redneck barn paper towel holder. This used to be Tiny's old "princess roost", a dowel attached to perforated iron rod, bent to hold the dowel. I was about to disassemble it or find a place for it, then realized I needed a paper towel holder for the barn.




We installed one gate and a good bit of the fencing but we really need to take a break for a day or two. My hands are swollen and hurt from taking apart pens and putting up pens and all the other stuff we've been doing. And there are two chicks in the air cell under Wynette today so I have to watch out for her, to be sure she doesn't try to murder them. My bator is ready, just in case.

 

[1muttsfan]

Even Good had to rest one day in seven

 

[Peanutsmomma]

Oh my gosh!!! Everything looks amazing!!! You and Tom did a fantastic job. I am so proud for y'all!!!

 

[speckledhen]

Oh my gosh!!! Everything looks amazing!!! You and Tom did a fantastic job. I am so proud for y'all!!!

Thanks, Angela. There's so much left to do to the other buildings, the one we're tearing down as well as the 8x12 that will be a workshop/storage building, not only the buildings but tearing down the pens. Takes ages to take down a building piece by piece. I may scavenge what we need from that big one then put an ad up for someone to take it down and haul it away for whatever l lumber/windows they get out of it. I have not even removed the shavings from any of those yet. Atlas's old coop still has Wynette and Ida in it but it's very odd to have the others deserted like this.

 

[chicklover 1998]

It probably does feel different but it is probably a lot nicer because everyone is in a central location, feeding time is probably a lot easier.

 

[Mini Meat]

Congrats on a job well done!!!.

 

[speckledhen]

It probably does feel different but it is probably a lot nicer because everyone is in a central location, feeding time is probably a lot easier.

Yes, it is. Will be even easier when one entire building is gone and grass is in its place!

Congrats on a job well done!!!.

Thank you!

 

[speckledhen]

Just adding pics of the fence-added a back gate to get to the compost pile easier. And the new barn fan. Have to get bulbs for it. The CFLs that came with it are too bright. I want a very low wattage so it can just stay on like a night light. Says to use no more than something that values at 13 watts (which in CFL lingo, means they are like 60 watt bulbs). Can I put an incandescent 15 watt in it? Takes two but will use only one socket.

 

[aart]

..... Says to use no more than something that values at 13 watts (which in CFL lingo, means they are like 60 watt bulbs). Can I put an incandescent 15 watt in it? Takes two but will use only one socket......

Hmmmm....wonder if they are fixture sockets made only to carry 13 watts of power.....
......and has nothing to so with equivalents of CFL vs standard incandescent lumens of light shed.