Got to love these Old Coops....and Ohio weather!

[RobertaD1]

My husband and I have been living on his grandparents farm for 8 years. This little farm has the properties original coop, and its a GREAT coop! Open front... 19' x 20' of coop space... and STILL structurally sound. Out of the last 8 years, we've had chickens in this building for 7 of those years. Not many... as few as 3... as many as 17, which we have currently. Over the last 7 yrs we have been.... remodeling it so to speak. New walls, a run, and so on... this summer's job was going to be a new roof. We have been so careful not to put too many "eggs in the basket" and spend all our money at once! With a coop this large... it can get expensive... and QUICK! Even our run was, in my opinion, way too much money, but we did it right the first time. The roof was going to cost us close to 3k to replace because we would need help and its HUGE!. So when the weather warms and steadys.... a new roof ..............

until yesterday.................

The wind speeds have been ridiculous for about 3 days... and the rain. Im kind of OVER the rain! Temps up and down..... ugh.... a total mess! BUT with this storm, the wind direction changed and has blow from the south east for 2 days. My coop faces SouthEast..... my coop is an open front..... I had never seen weather blow directly into this coop! (there is ALWAYS a first)

The look on these birds was one of shear disgust! Not one of them was happy as they were roosting on a rafter above the window.... so I got to work by covering windows. By supper time.... the roof began to flap.... and flap....and flap. The floor was WET! So, at 7pm, I make a flying run to get more shavings and the husband begins clamping down the roof.... (Clamping because some of the wood rafters will need replaced as well). By 10pm, we had all the drafts under control, roof clamped back on, chicken bedded down.... still looking at me like a servant they wouldn't lower themselves to look at let alone talk to.... and me texting the roofer on moving the job forward. This coronacation is JUST about to end me!!!!

 

[moniquem]

Would love some pictures of the old coop.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I love old buildings. It's great that you're willing and able to preserve that history. We live on a five acre section of a what used to be a bigger farm and have the old barn. The former owners had a new roof put on it, but the walls and inside are in pretty rough shape. I wish we had the finances and/or the skills to fix it up. For now, we are working on a perimeter fence for a different kind of livestock. We're hiring some help so that is $$$$.

 

[RobertaD1]

These were taken early spring. The summer projects also include a re-seal and stain on the T1-11 and run boards. (should have happened last year, but had a different project that went into late fall) I will post pictures this summer when the job is complete.
Im planning a mural on the side for.......well, because I can!
I included an interior shot of the roost area as well.
Its a great building!

 

[RobertaD1]

I love old buildings. It's great that you're willing and able to preserve that history. We live on a five acre section of a what used to be a bigger farm and have the old barn. The former owners had a new roof put on it, but the walls and inside are in pretty rough shape. I wish we had the finances and/or the skills to fix it up. For now, we are working on a perimeter fence for a different kind of livestock. We're hiring some help so that is $$$$.

I figure... "Why reinvent the wheel"! Although a new coop would be fun, I think the divorce that it caused would be too much of a financial strain! A play house/playset for our daughter set us back a couple years anyway...LOL! We are also working on fencing... Taking down the old board fence, but replacing some sections of it for .... no good reason, other than we like the board fence!

 

[TwoShepherds]

These were taken early spring. The summer projects also include a re-seal and stain on the T1-11 and run boards. (should have happened last year, but had a different project that went into late fall) I will post pictures this summer when the job is complete.
Im planning a mural on the side for.......well, because I can!
I included an interior shot of the roost area as well.
Its a great building!

Great looking coop, and I'm sure it will look even more phenomenal when you are finished with it! Be sure you post pictures of your progress. I wish I had a coop that big. I'd have a hundred chickens in it. Of course, I'd have to remodel the kitchen so it would be big enough for all the eggs. I am overrun with eggs from only my 12 chickens.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Wait. So you guys got a free house??! And coop?

 

[RobertaD1]

Wait. So you guys got a free house??! And coop?

Yes, well...kind of as there are ALWAYS some "ties" that come along with it.
Although from 8-5 everyday he works "real" job... He is given the house as payment for his upkeep of the farm, equipment, and buildings associated with the acreage. So in essence, he is the farms hired man, and his mothers "slave". A couple years ago, this really bothered me because she would overstep her boundaries with him. But, here recently, she has quit and is finally turning the farm over to him. Its just the 2 of them.... so he is next in line to the "throne".

But yes.... I guess as of now its free.... and got a coop too!

 

[RobertaD1]

Great looking coop, and I'm sure it will look even more phenomenal when you are finished with it! Be sure you post pictures of your progress. I wish I had a coop that big. I'd have a hundred chickens in it. Of course, I'd have to remodel the kitchen so it would be big enough for all the eggs. I am overrun with eggs from only my 12 chickens.

I wish I had taken pictures all along! Just not something I have done in the past. When I came here, the hubby had been here 6 yrs and had essentially ignored the building. It had needed something done with the siding because the original tongue and groove was crapping out all over the place! The year, maybe 6 months even after I moved here, someone abandon a rooster at the 2nd set of barns on the property and we took him in. BOY, did HE start a mess!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Boy that is a huge coop! Looks pretty solid too, for something that's been there a long time.

Yes, well...kind of as there are ALWAYS some "ties" that come along with it.
Although from 8-5 everyday he works "real" job... He is given the house as payment for his upkeep of the farm, equipment, and buildings associated with the acreage.

We have a similar-ish situation. We can stay at at this house (my in laws bought this as a vacation home, but then they ended up moving nearby) as long as we maintain the house and property. Since hubby works a regular job, the routine maintenance mostly falls on me.