Coop Add-on

[aart]

No. It will tucked under the bottom edge.

So will the new floor be above the wheel...you won't be able to walk into it but trailer will still roll??

 

[U_Stormcrow]

That was me. Thank you. Working with angles is how I "see" things.

Sorry I didn't name you outright, was working from my cell phone while we took 6 inches of rain. Service was "limited".

Have a great morning all. I'm headed out to survey the damage and walk the electric fence line.

 

[papajoesfarm]

Ask your husband to loan you his Blue Book. Everything you want to know about building roofs is in there. If you plan on doing any more building, get yourself a Swanson Speed square. An original, not one of the plastic knock offs from Walmart. The Swanson square comes with a Blue Book. I still have my original from way back, heavily taped and notated. Also tells you all you need to know to build stairs.

 

[Sally PB]

So will the new floor be above the wheel...you won't be able to walk into it but trailer will still roll??

Yes. True, I won't be able to walk into it, but at a two foot depth, that shouldn't be a problem. There are some 2x4 studs in the walls that will have to stay there too. They're on the other side of the rusty brown vertical metal pieces that were the side supports of the trailer.

 

[Sally PB]

No pictures downloaded yet. This went a lot better than I thought it might. (I'm a realistic pessimist: If I expect problems, I'm happy when there are fewer or none. If there are problems, I am not surprised.)

It's roughly 2' by 7'4" for the floor space. There are some metal supports in the ends of the original trailer that we had to work around.

Due to the threat of rain, DH did more of the work than planned. I did learn to use the chop saw and cut angles. Other than that, I was The Helper.

DH and I both like the problem solving part of building things. I hope we collaborate on a lot more building projects. I wouldn't mind an apprenticeship.

There are some tweaks I need to figure out, and some holes/spaces I need to cover or fill in. I need to paint the bare wood today. They are saying rain tomorrow, and maybe they mean it this time. I also need to get a bale of pine shavings for bedding on the new floor.

We had to shut the chickens into the run when we cut out the side wall of the coop. Poor Lark kept walking up the ramp to the pop door, wanting to go in to lay. I told her it was ok if she laid in the run, but she held it. And held it. Finally, when she was able, she laid and was out of there in 20 minutes. Usually she lounges for an hour or more.

 

[Sally PB]

Here it is! I am out of the brown paint, so I need to go get more. The metal for the roof is not on; DH needed to get a few other things done today. I'll throw a tarp over it for rain protection, probably till next weekend.

We had the white paint. We repurposed the parts of the cut out wall for the ends, and there is the third piece available for something else. (There's always something else with a coop, isn't there?) The metal roof is a piece of white, just like the green on the roof now. It'll will go past the side about 4-5" as an awning for the vent openings there. Ok, so it doesn't match. It was part of the bundle when we got the green stuff, so a freebie. (Don't know why it was there... but thanks, whoever put it or left it there!)

I'll have to buy a gallon of brown paint, ~$40 IIRC. We bought 2 sheets of OSB, ~$110ish. We had 2x4s on hand, and used 6. We'll need to buy some more at some point.

There are some gaps that need to be filled in. As old as this trailer is, it is in really good shape. The floor piece doesn't fit everywhere exactly, but it went in on the first try. DH turned to me and said, "Wow, I'm surprised at how well that went!" We will also put some support legs under the addition to combat gravity and time. The addition is very stable, but, well, gravity and time and weather do their thing.

I added up the ventilation area, and came up with about 4.5 sf. There was already about that much with the existing arched areas, so I'm thinking I'm good for 9 birds, which is what I'll have when the chicks come in June. I'll probably cover some areas with furnace filter material in the winter, like I did this last winter.

My next coop projects are to build a poop tray (out of scraps, but will need to cut into another 2x4) and a brooder (same materials).

I also want to add onto the run. I want to make that a bit modular, as I think it'll come off the side of the run. I'll need to have it on opposite sides for summer/winter. I also want a clear polycarbonate roof over the main, current run by the time we move it back up to the house for winter. It's dark and a bit gloomy in there with tarps, even with the silver side down.

I kept thinking yesterday... what will @aart and @U_Stormcrow and the other builders on BYC say? So lay it on me. What did I miss?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Here it is! I am out of the brown paint, so I need to go get more. The metal for the roof is not on; DH needed to get a few other things done today. I'll throw a tarp over it for rain protection, probably till next weekend.

We had the white paint. We repurposed the parts of the cut out wall for the ends, and there is the third piece available for something else. (There's always something else with a coop, isn't there?) The metal roof is a piece of white, just like the green on the roof now. It'll will go past the side about 4-5" as an awning for the vent openings there. Ok, so it doesn't match. It was part of the bundle when we got the green stuff, so a freebie. (Don't know why it was there... but thanks, whoever put it or left it there!)

I'll have to buy a gallon of brown paint, ~$40 IIRC. We bought 2 sheets of OSB, ~$110ish. We had 2x4s on hand, and used 6. We'll need to buy some more at some point.

There are some gaps that need to be filled in. As old as this trailer is, it is in really good shape. The floor piece doesn't fit everywhere exactly, but it went in on the first try. DH turned to me and said, "Wow, I'm surprised at how well that went!" We will also put some support legs under the addition to combat gravity and time. The addition is very stable, but, well, gravity and time and weather do their thing.

I added up the ventilation area, and came up with about 4.5 sf. There was already about that much with the existing arched areas, so I'm thinking I'm good for 9 birds, which is what I'll have when the chicks come in June. I'll probably cover some areas with furnace filter material in the winter, like I did this last winter.

My next coop projects are to build a poop tray (out of scraps, but will need to cut into another 2x4) and a brooder (same materials).

I also want to add onto the run. I want to make that a bit modular, as I think it'll come off the side of the run. I'll need to have it on opposite sides for summer/winter. I also want a clear polycarbonate roof over the main, current run by the time we move it back up to the house for winter. It's dark and a bit gloomy in there with tarps, even with the silver side down.

I kept thinking yesterday... what will @aart and @U_Stormcrow and the other builders on BYC say? So lay it on me. What did I miss?

WOW! Looks good.

I may come up with something eventually, but right now, I'm overwhelmed with how good it looks.

 

[3KillerBs]

That looks great!

 

[aart]

Addition looks good!
Will you need ballast on the other side when it comes time to move it?
Looking forward to seeing the roosts/boards/nests/etc.

 

[Sally PB]

Will you need ballast on the other side when it comes time to move it?

DH didn't think so. If we do, we have a bunch of cinder blocks that could work for that. Or I'll sit inside.

I asked him about repainting it purple (so I could name it The Eggplant). He gave me a look that said, "Are you kidding?" So, I'll get some more "Chocolate Bonbon," which is the name of the brown I got last time.

I also have his permission to use another of the 2x4s for making the poop board and brooder. The rest of those will be leftover pieces and scrap.