New Coop is Started. Now I can get more chickens!!!!!!!!!

[Chicken Boo]

CORRECTION - DH said he got the vents at Home Depot. I am sure that Lowes carries them, though.

 

[Chicken Boo]

The doors are built and hung. Ready to paint.

The fence for the run proceeds. The roof of the run is recycled chicken wire that was the old coop.

The new pop doors are ready to paint.

The nesting boxes are started.

The bottom of the fence is buried down 6" and folded out 6". We used the 1/2" square hardware cloth on the bottom half of the fence and 1" x 2" on the top half.

 

[Namble]

Wow!!! All I can say it that this thing looks amazing!! I hope to build myself a chickens mansion in the near future as nice as yours is coming along! Great job! 16 3/4 thumbs up for you and your team!!

 

[jeb251]

hhhhhmmmmm building the coop brfore you get more chickens interesting concept, I didnt know you could do that

 

[Chicken Boo]

I have had paint on me for days. But we are down to the last details. I painted the nest boxes and the pop doors as it was getting dark. I should be able to finish everything up so the girls (and the rooster) can move in tomorrow night.

The nesting boxes have extra insulation so the girls will be warm and snug on the coldest days when they are laying.

I dug in 1 foot square pavers under the gate of the run to keep out predators. My work was thoroughly inspected.

I will post the house warming party when the girls move in.

 

[Chicken Boo]

Oh, yes. Some of the security measures.

We recycled the chicken wire we had used for the old run for the roof of the new run.

Hardware cloth is dug into the ground and stapled to the hen house to keep critters from digging under.

The leghorns are getting big and the little girls are trying to catch up.

 

[NewEnglandChick]

Quote:

I agree!! My DH said he'd build me a new coop...maybe...next year...but I've got 8 chicks on their way & 12 eggs that a broody is sitting on. He'll have no choice but to expand or rebuild!!

 

[Chicken Boo]

We could not convince our flock to go into the new hen house and they insisted that they use the old, crowed hen house. I finally let them go into the old hen house and then moved them, one by one into the new one after they were alseep. They were a bit surprised in the morning. I did not let them out until late morning so that the girls would have to make use of the new nesting boxes. A few of them still spent the day trying to get to the old, and not so nice nesting boxes.


We got a final inspection by Virginia, who will not be joining the flock for a while. She was recently given to me by Birdlover. She has a crooked neck and would be picked on horribly if I put her in there by herself. They chase her around the yard as it is when they are free ranging. She is living in the old hen house with 2 young leghorns. When all the other chicks are big enough to take care of themselves, I will integrate the flock all at once.

Here I am moving Shadow (SLW) into the new coop.

Here are the girls, half asleep and confused.

 

[Stumpy]

Thanks for the info. I have really enjoyed all of the photos and descriptions so much. I won't let myself dream of anything quite so nice!

Oh, lovely inspector, BTW. Does Eric travel?

 

[Chicken Boo]

Stumpy - He lives in North Carolina near Ashville and visits up here in MD. He said he is available in MD, VA, eastern W. VA, and NC. Where are you?