- Mar 3, 2009
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I thought I would post this for everyone's amusement and in case anyone new needs ideas for housing chickens in a hurry.
My first chicken coop was a 1979 toyota pickup with a camper top. I drove it for many years and when it wouldn't hardly run anymore I parked it out behind the barn so it would be out of the way.I just could not bear to part with it.Then my wife and I were blessed with our first child. Around his second birthday I decided it would be a good idea to get him some chicks for Easter because all kids love baby chicks,right? So dummy that I am, I went to southern states and came home with a box of RIR's and Barred rock chickens without a thought to where they were to be housed. As it was still very cold here that year they stayed inside next to the fireplace in an extra large dog crate for about a week (until the wife layed down the law) and that is when I formulated my master plan. I went behind the barn with the pressure washer and hosed the years of road grime and neglect off of the inside of the truck bed ,enlarged several rust spots to provide drainage , covered the lot with wire mesh (didn't want any chicks to drop out of the rust holes ) filled it with about 3 inches of pine shavings, added a heat lamp (hanging from the ribs for the camper top) and a chick waterer and voila! A chicken coop! It actually worked out pretty well. The crank out windows were perfect for ventilation when I started lowering the temperature, my son could stand on the bumper when he wanted to spend time with his new pets and when it was time for them to free range I lowered the tailgate and put up a ramp so they could come and go at will.
The first run of chicks are now living in one wing of the barn and doing very well. Occasionally ,one of the hens will get in the old coop and lay me an egg or two , but not often since they seem happier with regular nesting boxes now. And some years I still use the old toyota for raising hatchlings because it really does work quite well and is very easy to clean out. It also keeps my wife in line because now she knows if she gives me too much grief I can load that old toyota up with my birds and ride off into the sunset with a smile on my face and molted feathers flying in my wake!
Happy hump day!
JM
My first chicken coop was a 1979 toyota pickup with a camper top. I drove it for many years and when it wouldn't hardly run anymore I parked it out behind the barn so it would be out of the way.I just could not bear to part with it.Then my wife and I were blessed with our first child. Around his second birthday I decided it would be a good idea to get him some chicks for Easter because all kids love baby chicks,right? So dummy that I am, I went to southern states and came home with a box of RIR's and Barred rock chickens without a thought to where they were to be housed. As it was still very cold here that year they stayed inside next to the fireplace in an extra large dog crate for about a week (until the wife layed down the law) and that is when I formulated my master plan. I went behind the barn with the pressure washer and hosed the years of road grime and neglect off of the inside of the truck bed ,enlarged several rust spots to provide drainage , covered the lot with wire mesh (didn't want any chicks to drop out of the rust holes ) filled it with about 3 inches of pine shavings, added a heat lamp (hanging from the ribs for the camper top) and a chick waterer and voila! A chicken coop! It actually worked out pretty well. The crank out windows were perfect for ventilation when I started lowering the temperature, my son could stand on the bumper when he wanted to spend time with his new pets and when it was time for them to free range I lowered the tailgate and put up a ramp so they could come and go at will.
The first run of chicks are now living in one wing of the barn and doing very well. Occasionally ,one of the hens will get in the old coop and lay me an egg or two , but not often since they seem happier with regular nesting boxes now. And some years I still use the old toyota for raising hatchlings because it really does work quite well and is very easy to clean out. It also keeps my wife in line because now she knows if she gives me too much grief I can load that old toyota up with my birds and ride off into the sunset with a smile on my face and molted feathers flying in my wake!
Happy hump day!
JM
