Restoring An Old Hen-house

[Joe.G]

Hows it coming along, I want to see what the finshed product will look like.

 

[Pharm Girl]

These old coop structures are my favorite to watch be revamped. A piece of history!

 

[griffinkid02]

It is "coming along" just fine. Now there might be a bit of an issue with your desire to see it finished, as it woulld probably be a year or more before I consider the work done, and I will probably never be "finished" fixing it up the way I want it But, it is now inhabited, the rest of the work I need to do can be done with chickens present (that and the bantams learned they could fly over an 8ft fence that I was using for a grower pen), Hang on and I'll have some pics.

 

[griffinkid02]

Oh. P.S. Esmerelda is dead and on her way to removal, the chickens are proving to be invaluable at this since they seem utterly unaffected by the oils in her dried out twigs, and they seem to love playing in (and destroying, muahahahaha) her twiggy branches inside the coop.

 

[Kansaseq]

 

[griffinkid02]

 

[Joe.G]

DO you have roosts and nesting boxes yet? you have the space to set it up real nice inside, How many chickens do you have and plan to have?

 

[Joe.G]

Update on your coop, Have you finshed off yet?

 

[cocoamarley]

I am writing here because it is a theme I am dealing with, too! I have a little old chicken coop on my property- probably built around 1938, as that seems to be when the barn was reconstructed. The man who lived here before me had a few chickens and they were always eaten by raccoons! I have had the barns cleared out and am in the process of fixing up the chicken coop. (I have 6 little chicks in my dining room right now!)
Here is my question- the run is chain link fence which I want to go over with something else for more protection. I was thinking hardware cloth and the man at the hardware store said I should use chicken wire, but now I am wondering if snakes can get through that. ?? A state nature preserve borders my property..... Since I have lived here I have only seen opossums- I have SEVERAL dogs, so I think that helps. I want my chicken coop to be like Fort Knox for my chickens. One man told me he had 26 chickens and they were all beheaded in one night by an owl that got in a little crack under the eaves. He knew it was an owl because it left feathers near the hole trying to get through. Any suggestions??? THANKS!

 

[ladyrsanti]

I am writing here because it is a theme I am dealing with, too! I have a little old chicken coop on my property- probably built around 1938, as that seems to be when the barn was reconstructed. The man who lived here before me had a few chickens and they were always eaten by raccoons! I have had the barns cleared out and am in the process of fixing up the chicken coop. (I have 6 little chicks in my dining room right now!)
Here is my question- the run is chain link fence which I want to go over with something else for more protection. I was thinking hardware cloth and the man at the hardware store said I should use chicken wire, but now I am wondering if snakes can get through that. ?? A state nature preserve borders my property..... Since I have lived here I have only seen opossums- I have SEVERAL dogs, so I think that helps. I want my chicken coop to be like Fort Knox for my chickens. One man told me he had 26 chickens and they were all beheaded in one night by an owl that got in a little crack under the eaves. He knew it was an owl because it left feathers near the hole trying to get through. Any suggestions??? THANKS!

Hardware cloth. Racoons can get through chicken wire and/or reach in and pull chicken parts through it. Do a search on the forum, there are lots of threads about chicken coop security.