When I started with chickens 10 years ago, I'd bought a nice, Amish made, expensive coop, as my husband isn't a builder and, unlike me, has no inclination to try. I'd said that our first egg cost us about $1000. I guess I'd thought this coop was going to last us forever. However, it's in need of some repair and sprucing up. Some carpenter bees have gotten to it, the stain is wearing off, the chicken ramp and coop door is rotting. A window was broken and needs to be replaced. I'd also love to turn around the windows so that they open from the outside, rather than the inside so I don't have to climb in to open the windows. I have no idea what they were thinking when they designed that - like the chickens are going to open and close the windows.
A few of my questions are:
Can one paint the outside of the coop while the chickens are still living in the coop?
I was thinking of painting the inside of the coop as well, but don't think I can manage that with the chickens.
Any suggestions for type of paint? I think it's stained, but that seems to be wearing off.
Spiders have also made a home of the coop - inside and outside (I'd have thought the chickens would eat them, but apparently mine aren't into that). Is there something I can use to get rid of the spiders and sometimes ants? I've used the food grade DE inside the coop whenever I saw them. They seem to hang out around the nesting boxes when they come in.
Any suggestions for getting rid of carpenter bees and wasps? I have spray for them, but, don't want to spray around the chickens or where a dead bee/wasp may fall and a chicken eat it.
I'm also redoing the run and have that plan almost figured out. But thought if I was redoing that, it would be the better time to paint and fix the coop. I'm not sure how this is going to be all done in a day. I'm planning on painting the wood framing for the run as well as having it be pressure treated wood. The linseed oil didn't really hold up all that well, back in the day, I'd been concerned about using pressure treated wood with the chickens.
The final question is about timing of integrating my new chicks. Would it be better to do it at the same time as the changing of the run and painting of the coop? Or would the old chickens blame the new chicks for the upheaval?
I plan to have half of the coop netted off for the new chicks to live with the old chickens for several weeks before letting them co-mingle. The one (out of 8) nesting boxes that the now only one hen is using to lay is on the new chicken side, so that may tick my one laying hen off. Though last time, 5 years ago, that didn't seem to be a problem.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your thoughts. And is there something I'm not thinking about and should?
A few of my questions are:
Can one paint the outside of the coop while the chickens are still living in the coop?
I was thinking of painting the inside of the coop as well, but don't think I can manage that with the chickens.
Any suggestions for type of paint? I think it's stained, but that seems to be wearing off.
Spiders have also made a home of the coop - inside and outside (I'd have thought the chickens would eat them, but apparently mine aren't into that). Is there something I can use to get rid of the spiders and sometimes ants? I've used the food grade DE inside the coop whenever I saw them. They seem to hang out around the nesting boxes when they come in.
Any suggestions for getting rid of carpenter bees and wasps? I have spray for them, but, don't want to spray around the chickens or where a dead bee/wasp may fall and a chicken eat it.
I'm also redoing the run and have that plan almost figured out. But thought if I was redoing that, it would be the better time to paint and fix the coop. I'm not sure how this is going to be all done in a day. I'm planning on painting the wood framing for the run as well as having it be pressure treated wood. The linseed oil didn't really hold up all that well, back in the day, I'd been concerned about using pressure treated wood with the chickens.
The final question is about timing of integrating my new chicks. Would it be better to do it at the same time as the changing of the run and painting of the coop? Or would the old chickens blame the new chicks for the upheaval?
I plan to have half of the coop netted off for the new chicks to live with the old chickens for several weeks before letting them co-mingle. The one (out of 8) nesting boxes that the now only one hen is using to lay is on the new chicken side, so that may tick my one laying hen off. Though last time, 5 years ago, that didn't seem to be a problem.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your thoughts. And is there something I'm not thinking about and should?