Helpful hints for building coops

[NewBoots]

Wow, very nice! Thanks for sharing. It really is more fun with chicks in the house and you can keep an eye on them.

I have to admit to going in to look at them a couple times an hour. They seem to have gotten rested and are often running around the brooder, eating, and drinking. I was just washing my hands and one ran over to watch, clearly watching the running water and my hands. I'll post a couple pics if I can figure out how again.

 

[jvls1942]

If you want your coop finished in a hurry, put the chicks in the carpenter's bathroom.
Next comes the goat shed, and the turkey porch ..
The dogs and cats can live in your house.

I got 8 pieces of the trusses cut to length today. just 16 more to cut and then I can start assembling .. there will be 8 trusses.
Have to figure out some angle cuts.
big blizzard coming Sun/Mon. .
..........jiminwisc.....

 

[Eggscaping]

Wow, very nice! Thanks for sharing. It really is more fun with chicks in the house and you can keep an eye on them.

We'll see...tonight one of the little bird-brains wandered out from underneath the mama heating platform and couldn't find her way back! So CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP...and in we went to turn on the light so she could see where to go. Pretty funny!

 

[Eggscaping]

If you want your coop finished in a hurry, put the chicks in the carpenter's bathroom.
Next comes the goat shed, and the turkey porch ..
The dogs and cats can live in your house.

I got 8 pieces of the trusses cut to length today. just 16 more to cut and then I can start assembling .. there will be 8 trusses.
Have to figure out some angle cuts.
big blizzard coming Sun/Mon. .
..........jiminwisc.....

Good ideas! Hang in there...you can DO EET!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Here are the very newest pictures, taken yesterday. The FUN part is that it's all NEARLY finished (and the construction crew promised it would be totally-done-throw-in-chicks-immediately but ran into STUFF, as can be understood in the corona virus thing)...and so now we are going to DO WHAT WE SAID WE'D NEVER DO - HAVING CHICKS IN A BROODER IN THE HOUSE...yes, go ahead, laugh. Boots is going to have them in a plastic tote in her bathroom until the really pretty, built-in brooder in the coop is sealed/painted and then aired out until no fumes. So without further ado, here are more pictures of one coop and run than you ever wanted:

That looks fantastic! Any chance of seeing the floor plan so I can get my bearings amongst those definitely-not-too-many photos?

 

[aart]

It really is more fun with chicks in the house and you can keep an eye on them.

At least for the first week or so....then out they go!

 

[Eggscaping]

That looks fantastic! Any chance of seeing the floor plan so I can get my bearings amongst those definitely-not-too-many photos?

Not really, sorry...there was no floor plan that we had - we called the crew we were considering hiring and they sat down with Boots and took copious notes, but we never had a floor plan per se. Or rather, THEY may have one...they have to have something to work off of.

 

[jvls1942]

If your builders are anything like me, don't expect any formal floor plans. maybe a sketch in a note pad with lots of dimensions..
today I got the second set of parts for the trusses cut. cutting a 61* angle on a 2x4 is not my favorite thing to do. but I got all 8 done within 2 degrees. thinking I will use a sled on the table saw to fine tune them. the 29* on the next 8 pieces will be a snap with the chop saw. once I attach a stop block to it.
we are supposed to get at least 6" of snow on Sunday night. I didn't feel like unloading the lumber off of the pick up, so Ollie is sitting outside with a tarp over him and the pickup is backed almost all the way into the garage.. couldn't get the hood in because of the lumber sticking out the back..
.........jiminwisc........

 

[NewBoots]

At least for the first week or so....then out they go!

These are the first chicks I've had in over 50 years so all day I had them on an easily washed blanket on the floor in the living room. They ran around, scratched, "dust-bathed" (no dust), flapped their tiny wings, and when needed, took brief naps under the mama hen heat plate. It was a wonderful day.

That said, I'll take them out to the brooder tomorrow and start getting them used to it.

 

[CapricornFarm]

At least for the first week or so....then out they go!

I had to take a bunch out today because new ones are hatching.