Got my coop back!!!

[flock 603]

Hey, all.

Cool little story, picked up this coop back in 2014 on Craigslist in New Hampshire. Got my first chicks, stumbled through building a run, had a great flock for a few years in the New Hampshire winters. Pics attached.

Moved to New Jersey in 2017 and left the coop to the new owner, the girls went to an acquaintance with a small farm and lived out their days with a bunch of chicks, ducks, horses and a couple goats.

I was heartbroken to let the girls go but had no choice give the circumstances. I was committed to someday getting birds again.

To be continued…

 

[Loving my girls]

… what do you mean to be continued ? You can’t do that !!!
Did Spakespere stop halfway through Hamlet with ‘I duth finish this later’ ? No ! He carried on to baffle school kids everywhere, so come on let’s hear the rest …

 

[flock 603]

Years passed, my kids got bigger and we were ready to get chickens again.

We looked around our area for coops and the pre fab prices were astronomical for anything well built or sturdy. I looked at various designs and considered building on from scratch, but that wasn’t going to be cheap either.

So, I reached out to my old neighbor who I stayed in touch with (he’s a chicken tender as well) and asked if the owner of my old house still had the coop and if he used it.

Not only did he have the coop but he also was very excited at the prospect of me taking it!

After many failed planning sessions I eventually got back up there.

I drove up on a Saturday morning, tore down the old run, packed up the coop and drove it (slowly) all the way back down to Jersey.

 

[flock 603]

… what do you mean to be continued ? You can’t do that !!!
Did Spakespere stop halfway through Hamlet with ‘I duth finish this later’ ? No ! He carried on to baffle school kids everywhere, so come on let’s hear the rest …

Continued very soon!!! A brief cliffhanger! I didn’t want to make one massive post with dozens of pics!

 

[flock 603]

The very next day I went and got chicks! The kids (and I) were ecstatic.

I did have a couple small
Logistical hurdles… such as my coop being wedged into my small trailer in my driveway… building a run… seeing if my powered door still worked after 10 years sitting outdoors… that odd dipping/sagging section of the coop roof…

No matter! We had chickens again!!

 

[flock 603]

So the girls (and I know now, two boys…. Darn) were getting bigger. And dustier. I had to get them outside.

We ended up having to remove a section of fence, treat the trailer like a giant dolly and manhandle the coop into the backyard.

It took a solid bit of work but we made it happen. Upon initial inspection, the only visible repairs needed were a new lid for the nesting box and some paint here or there. The shingles looked ok and I was ready to charge and test the Pullet shut door. My hopes weren’t too high on the door, but I was fairly optimistic. I plugged the battery in to charge and waited.

We even built a new waterer for them!

 

[flock 603]

So we replaced the nesting box roof, no problem, and began to plan out the run.

We wanted to let them range but knew we’d need a solid run with all the hawks, foxes etc we have around here.

I came up with a design to build the run into the deck, putting some of their space under the outcropping then extending the run outward.

One big change was needed. I had to relocate the Pullet Shut door, and see if it still worked! For whatever reason I saved the original coop door which was a lifesaver.

I cut a space for the door to enter directly into the run, installed it and required the battery and no way, it worked perfectly! I couldn’t believe it. (Not affiliated with the company but I can’t say enough good things about the pullet shut. Amazing product and super nice people). I opted for the light sensor model which is worth every penny.

We moved the girls (annd boys ) out and began construction!

 

[flock 603]

… what do you mean to be continued ? You can’t do that !!!
Did Spakespere stop halfway through Hamlet with ‘I duth finish this later’ ? No ! He carried on to baffle school kids everywhere, so come on let’s hear the rest …

How ya liking the continuation! It’s a fun story!

 

[wrathsfarm]

You can be redeemed after that first post fiasco...

Carry on...., tread lightly tho with @Loving my girls

 

[Stravager]

This sounds like an excellent saga!