- Jan 12, 2010
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Ok I'm trying to be patient and smart, building the coop before I get any chickens. I have an electrician coming to put a couple outlets in the coop. Two outlets should be plenty, right? The coop is 8' X 8' My question is, after the electrician is done, I plan on adding a paneling on the interior walls, should I also insulate it?
Hubby says "Whatever you want" (well trained hubby lol) Also, I was going to put a motion sensored porch light on the front, good idea?
Also planning on building a run of about 20' X 30' off the back. I ordered my automatic door (ADOR1) this morning. Do I need a feeder in the run as well as one in the coop? My original plan is for 4 hens but have also been reading about chicken math!
Nice job on the coop!
I like to keep feeders inside the coops. Keeps the food dry that way. You don't want your birds to eat wet food that could get moldy. You don't need to insulate the walls, but I would cover the studs with something inside, and paint it with a gloss paint or a surface that is easy to clean. I would also recommend vinyl flooring (sheet) on the floor, easier to clean. Helps make it easier to manage mites who like to hide in crevices etc. and keep things clean!
We wired our coop so it had an interior light and an outlet up high (to plug in a heat lamp if needed). That outlet is controlled by a light switch. Then we have a second outlet at the normal height. I would recommend using the insulation sheets made for winterizing outlets/switches and put covers on them. (and, get kiddy safety plugs to stick in the outlets, will help keep them clean) It will help to keep the huge amount of dust out that the birds generate. We also have outside motion lights on the outside of our shed next to the coop.
Did anyone else get hit with a storm and hail on Saturday? We got nailed really hard (along with a couple of my poor chickens, one I saw get nailed, has been a bit loopy since the storm). 1/2" hail covered the ground in seconds. We had flat line winds too. Caught one of my tiny chicks off guard and she was trying to find shelter but the wind was blowing her around so bad she couldn't walk. She was by a door so I ran outside and grabbed her and held her inside until the storm passed. It's crazy how that small a storm could have so much wind, rain and hail. My flower garden was full of blooms... and they were completely shredded.
It also blew one of my kennel runs I keep some birds in completely over. We could tell where the storm passed through the area by all the tree leaves shredded in peoples yards. Crazy
When I was a kid, my only memory of chickens was the one my dad got from some neighbors. He chopped his head off and tossed the body in the yard......... that darn chicken proceeded to hop up and start chasing me all over the yard..... I kid you not! Literally running around with his head chopped off following me everywhere I went.. LOL! I should have been completely traumatized!
When I grew up, I got a house on 1 acre I got a dozen chickens.. money was tight so I ended up processing the birds a couple years later. It's been probably another 17 years later now..we built on the 10 acres I had purchased in a previous life behind the old house. and we got 8 chickens..... and in about 5 years.. its turned into about 36 chickens (- additional 13 sent to the processor this weekend), 14 turkeys and 6 guineas, 28 rabbits, 4 goats and 4 mastiffs.... we are always in the process of thinning birds out. It's funny how fast they can accumulate!
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