Coop design... I finally decided!

[LynneP]

Yes, that's the road. Hunker down, storm on the way! Well acording to CBC, CTV and the weather channel- the gov't site says 5- 10 cm- we'll see.

 

[Hillsvale]

well as of about 3:00pm the new years party kids all bailed out... (they were still semi comotose!!) the parents sent txts that the snow was raging in Halifax and sticking on the roads .... he sent me a txt at 4:30 that is was bad there.... yet younger kid just got home (5:15) and said it wasn't doing anything in Sackville! hum......

So I finished the wood trim on the peaks and got one half of the roof done

how can I keep under estimating these things

.... I suppose the spinal surgery and all that crawling up and down a ladder doing the roof solo had something to do with it

we started work at about 10am and came in at 5pm.... Dear Simon managed to finish off the last of the 900' of fencing (he got 300' done yesterday) as is was getting dusky out he didn't want me to keep roofing....

On an interesting note I had given my parents a $50 gift card to Cdn Tire for their bedding plants in the spring..... and they regifted it back to me with another cheque.... enough to insulate and add OSB inside!

Apparently the pay back is to be 2 dozen eggs and a roasting chicken ... they are facinated by this project... and all the fresh meat and eggs.. silly peeps, they were to be recipients anyway, as it seems many plan on being!

 

[LynneP]

That's very nice- you'll be exceptionally pleased with insulation and OSB. Hants County now under heavy snowfall warning on govt. site. Apparently the Valley is already slick with freezing rain and snow...roads terrible. Glad to be indoors and ready to have supper! Take care.

 

[Hillsvale]

yup... comfort food on board and ready to hit the whirlpool.... I hurt everywhere! lol

 

[Hillsvale]

So it has been snowing here all day... we are currently sitting on about 8" of snow and it shows no signs of letting up, we sit on the snow belt so the weather forecasts are generally off! As a result of the snow I spent most of the day inside the coop. We insulated, vapour barrier, tuck taped... Oh, I ran the wiring for a plug, indoor and outdoor light (the power will need to wait until spring since I am putting in underground..) and though it was mentioned that I should wait, I hung the nesting box

view of the nesting box, I haven't put the dividers in or ledge on yet.

this is a view of the west window... it still as the privacy sticky on it but I will peel it off when I get bored!

this is the wiring, I didn't have a double box so I just seperated the light switches, the intent is to put a timer on the light outside as well as inside for the winter light because we don't get home from work until about 6:30 and we are hoping to ward off others until we get home to tuck them into bed. Directly above the window will be a plug, nice and high so extension cords etc can be moved around to accomodate various needs.

this will be the chickens view from the front door and their nesting boxes if the door is open while in there..... at the moment, SNOW.

just to the left of the door is the wiring for the outdoor light and the veranda roof is a bit more apparent here.

I hope things clear up so I can finish the other half of the roof tomorrow though it is not supposed to be good weather again... so close...

 

[sewingca]

oooooooooh, the chickens have a very nice view! We are having record cold here in Jacksonville - we may even go into the teens and for a longer duration than normal. The strawberry farmers may lose their crops. Last time that happened, it was a million plus dollars lost. We hung a light in our hen house with an extension cord and an extension cord and an extension cord, so the girls will probably really get some strange sleeping hours. I wonder how they would do in Alaska with extended daylight! Your coop is really taking shape. I don't know that I would operate as well in that kind of cold.

 

[Hillsvale]

Its not so much the cold as the average low is around minus 5 celcius or so... but the wind chill is damning! Our weather is on par with Boston, this http://www.livingin-canada.com/climate-halifax.html is the major city closest to us... obviously being about 45 minutes from the city makes a difference with our temperatures as it is on the ocean.... and we sit firmly on the snow belt as evidenced by the 12" on my deck last night however its mild enough that about 4" has melted today.... so we really has a snow, melt, snow, melt

but wouldn't trade our seasons for the world (most days... talk to me when the wild chill is at -35)

Alaska for the most part really has similar sun sets and rises not 24 hour sun like many believe (only the far far north because they stit on the north pole... same as the dark season there but very few people live in those conditions), as a comparison to our distance Vancouver is as far away from me (about 2800 miles) as San Francisco is from roughly Boston (2700 miles)

Thanks for the compliments, I am very happy with how it is shaping up

 

[LynneP]

Shelley, I'm wondering if that nest box is a bit high, because your girls are going to be big and there isn't a lot of distance to glide down...mind you, it's changeable if need be. That was a terrible storm. We've come in from clearing the desk and using the snowblower- broke a shear pin, on of those *big* pins on the tractor- lucky we have spares. Turns out the new plow driver is a friend so he stopped to say hello- he's exhausted after working since before dawn, even those huge Volvo rigs are having trouble with this snow. Hens are out though, I'm grateful for the roofed run. It's all slush now, very dangerous to lift...did you see the highway cam site?

http://www.gov.ns.ca/tran/cameras/central.asp

 

[Hillsvale]

the box is 2' off the ground... I wanted them to have room to roam under the boxes, do you think I should lower it .. give them a ramp or something to hop on half way up (ladder)... I can still lower it now, we have gotten OSB on the ceiling and two walls but that's not one of them....

Thanks for standing up for the comfort of my chickens!

In the spring I will start the search for something (I am thinking the clear corrgated roofing) to roof in atleast a bit of the run, for now I just want to get the coop done and finish the plugs etc in preparation of doing the underground in spring.

Simon has installed almost 1000' of fencing though not quite enough to stop out curios boarder collie to have found his way to the back of the soon to be pig run and stand there and bark until we got him back into the yard... I don't think he knows he was essentially "free", he just wanted to be back with his people and german shepherd (who had his toy!!)

Cheers on yor new plow guy.... we both have four wheel drive and have just been lowing through it and the neighbour cleared out the ends so young man can get in tomorrow.. way too heavy to shovel that stuff!

 

[LynneP]

Well, if you lowered it to 1 foot and put a perch on the front you wouldn't need a ramp...if had bantys only it wouldn't matter but the big girls like to hop up...everything to do with chickens is an experiment! I fiddled and fudged until it worked for me, and you'll do the same. Lots of time. It's *still* snowing! yeesh