Helpful hints for building coops

[CapricornFarm]

I know aart, when I feel good, I should just accept it and not test it. (thump on the head)
I am waiting for hip replacements. All elective surgeries were called off because of this virus thingy..
When they call me , I am going to donate my spot to Annie. She is worse off than I am. I can ease my pain with pain pills. Tylenol and such.
as long as I can sit, there is no pain. So I do a lot of work from a lawn chair when I can.
as long as it is confession time, I am soon going to be 78. on 9/11
today I finished the second floor section.
I got the first section mounted on hinges. It works just great. pictures will be coming.
I have to get some redi-crete and make pads to level it . I tried bricks, but they didn't work so great.
I put a dozen pails in the tractor bucket and into the garage. frost is likely tonight. the smaller plants I just covered with tarps.
........jiminwisc.......

9/11 is my FIL 's birthday too.

 

[aart]

My muscles are very strong from all the lifting I do.

Same here, but what I learned is one side was stronger than the other, so it pulled my spine out of whack which pinched nerves. Went semi-ambidextrous as much as possible, especially using the computer mouse, but also shoveling, raking, etc. Really made a huge difference. Not to mention employing leverage and using a hand truck to move heavy stuff.

 

[3KillerBs]

Looking at the structure of my little, monitor roof coop and considering the repairs/alterations to put it back into use.

I don't think I can lower the nestboxes, because my DH over-engineers everything* and made the mount so solid that replacing it is impractical. But I think I might reduce to two boxes, or even just one, and add a low-level window with top hinged panel for additional ventilation since this property has less shade available than the previous situation. (Note: I measured and the monitor roof provides 4 square feet of ventilation for the 4'x4' coop even with the pop door closed). This proposed window would be below the roost but as far from it as possible -- diagonally opposite the pop door.

If I intend to use it as a broody facility in the future would two boxes be a problem? (And, incidentally, could two broodies be placed in the same facility in two separate, but side-by-side boxes?)

*Over-engineering is a family trait. My late Brother-in-Law was an engineer for the Atlanta airport and we always joked that you could land a helicopter on his deck. My own father thought of anything expected to last less than 50 years as a temporary make-do and expressed disgust at the idea of building anything that would just have to be re-done in a decade or two. Even the 14yo's Lego structures are reinforced so that they can be carried and moved.

 

[3KillerBs]

This is the OSB wall that has to be replaced with a brick for scale:

And interior shots, again with brick for scale:

The proposed window would be where the nest box that has golf balls in it is -- the rightmost section on the exterior shot, closest to the clean-out door.

BTW, despite the deteriorated wall and failing roof section, the main body of the coop is bone dry after a week of heavy rain and only the box under the failing roof section is damp. I highly recommend the monitor roof design with generous roof overhangs to anyone who gets heavy rains. It was even dry after Florence crawled through (though she may be responsible for the roof damage).

 

[3KillerBs]

PS. DH has proposed a vent in the pop door. We used to leave it open 24/7 to a hardened run but we won't have that constructed for a good while. Thoughts?

 

[aart]

If I intend to use it as a broody facility in the future would two boxes be a problem? (And, incidentally, could two broodies be placed in the same facility in two separate, but side-by-side boxes?)

Co-brooding can work well...or not.
If you are only going to use it as a broody coop, you don't need roosts at all.
More later gotta start the bread.

 

[3KillerBs]

Co-brooding can work well...or not.
If you are only going to use it as a broody coop, you don't need roosts at all.
More later gotta start the bread.

The intent is to use it as a flock starter coop this summer -- with a suitable number of birds -- then, after the new coop is built, to use it as a brooder/grow-out facility for additions and/or a broody facility.

 

[jvls1942]

If it were me, I would build the new coop before doing any major remodeling on the existing coop.
Aart, use both hands equally when kneading your bread..
KB's , I think I ran across some work that your inlaws did. I was remodeling a bathroom and had to take the vanity out. two of us worked over an hour and actually bent a wrecking bar by prying on it..
.....jiminwisc.......

 

[3KillerBs]

If it were me, I would build the new coop before doing any major remodeling on the existing coop.

The little coop is unusable so I can't get any chickens until it's repaired. The new coop cannot be built until the new house is in place which will be late August at the earliest, so probably no new coop until next spring.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Same here, but what I learned is one side was stronger than the other, so it pulled my spine out of whack which pinched nerves. Went semi-ambidextrous as much as possible, especially using the computer mouse, but also shoveling, raking, etc. Really made a huge difference. Not to mention employing leverage and using a hand truck to move heavy stuff.

Lol, I already use my left hand when using lots of my power tools and carrying buckets of feed!