N00b builds chicken accommodations, please send your advice as I get started!

[AnomieAcres]

Hi there guys,

I have not been working at full speed over the holidays, but I am making some progress slowly, surely.



This is how I treated the two exterior coop walls. Insulation, then vapor barrier. Then I had to frame it out with 2X4 just to make it work with the way the internal stable walls were framed out. On top of that, the tight 1/4" hardware cloth. Then salvage barn boards as the final inside finish, as you can see started in the photo below.







For now I have these internal walls framed out like the other stalls in the barn. Those are rough hewn 2X6 boards that are just laying in place. My intention is to insert the laying boxes after the third row, so about 18" off the floor. Whatever gap is left over, about 12" to the top, will be filled with hardware cloth.

As some people asked above: there is electricity in this building, yes. So any needed heat lamps or whatever will be no problem. There is also a well here in the barn, so carrying water to the chickens is gonna be no biggie at all.

 

[LindaB220]

Outstanding, you're off to a great start !!!!

 

[AnomieAcres]

Wow is it ever cold these days! This morning I realized that I need to get all the windows more secure. Fewer snow drifts within the barn would be a good thing.



So I spent the day properly installing finish trim around the edges of all the windows. Every little step makes the place more secure and able to hold heat.

A couple days ago I finished the exterior walls of the coop area - yay me! I like all this old barnwood so much I don't think I can paint it. Maybe some kind of clear sealer like urethane or something.



Next up is getting my nesting boxes and roosting poles built and installed.

 

[Wdchickens]

As far as a sealer for the wood goes, look into spar varnish. It withstands sunlight and weather very well. Lacquers won't hold up, and I'm not a big fan of poly urethanes personally for preserving the natural color of the wood. In my experience it yellows over time. Spar varnish was used on sailing vessels, so it's designed to stand up to harsh weather.

 

[aart]

Doesn't spar varnish never really dry.....kinda stays tacky?
If that's correct, might not be good in a highly dusty area....it is amazing the amount of dust birds generate with their shed feather sheaths.

If the coop is dry, you shouldn't really need anything on that wood to 'preserve' it.
Gorgeous stuff!

 

[jt dancer]

That salvaged wood is beautiful, as is your barn; I love old barns. Looks like you have made a great start on your coop!

 

[yogifink]

I would go with linseed oil, shouldn't change the color. Then maybe a coat of watered down poly if you think you need it.

 

[AnomieAcres]

Hi guys,

Thanks for your comments, it's fun for me to share this with y'all and I am ready to give another short report

I ended up buying a thing of tung oil and a thing of linseed oil, but have started thinking that I should just leave well enough alone, it's a barn.



Yee ha, the nestboxes are in place now. Old barnwood does not like violent vibrations, and cutting these out with the jigsaw was the crappiest part of this project so far. I had to disassemble so I could cut with the jigsaw in a more comfortable manner, on the worktable. And anyways a few of the hangy bits fell off, so in the end I used some strips of plywood as backing to hold the narrow bits all together...



Here is the view of these boxes from the outside of the coop area. The inner dividers are interleaved thin pressboard that was laying around. I have yet to finish the doors, but they will provide full access without needing to enter the coop area. This wall is now totally finished, that is hardware cloth allowing ventilation and also easy observation.

I guess this is going to make the rest of the barn dusty, eh? We'll see how tolerable that is once the birds are here.



The final openings closed off between the floor joists. Up yours, minks!



This is the view behind the barn, where the birds will wander. The intention is to collect some roosting poles.



I am not quite sure why, but it seems like people often put in "real" branches rather than processed lumber for the roosting poles. I could go either way, but I drag some of these branches back with me just to see what's possible.



Random bonus question - anyone know what this thing is? I got it out of the salvage barn. At first I thought it was for cutting off heads of some farm animal, but it seems like an impractical way to do it...

 

[aart]

Nice nests!
Agree with leaving wood alone, it's inside so should stay dry, nothing to protect it from.
Straw chopper?

 

[AnomieAcres]

The coop is almost done. Increase challenge level, install birds!

My buddy set me up with these 12 week old guys. 11 hens, 1 rooster. It is really obvious that there is way more space available in here.





Need cleats on that walkway, and need to put a mesh grate on the window so they don't roost there.



Earlier in the day before they figured out the waterer, I put a dish down and they all swarmed thirsty. This is in the next door stall, which will be secondary cages later. For the next few days it is the quarantine while they get used to living here.