- Feb 24, 2012
- 58
- 1
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Excuse my horrid typing. The title is Re-using, not rusing!
My family used to have chickens when I was little. About all I remember is that I named them, and a weasle killed them one night. (bloody nasty mess!) After Mr. Weasle parents got out of chickens. Old coop turned into junk storage area. It is in bad disrepair but I think the bones will do. Originally i wanted 2-4 hens, now leaning towards 4-6 I had wanted to build a chicken tractor to move the hens about to let them forage (20 acres), but with so much to do here on the farm hubby said no. We have a horse farm and there is sooo much to fix and do that he does not want to spend time and money onsomething that is not a necessity. He gave me two options. Find a cheap small coop (yeah right! Cheap!) or fix up the old coop.
I think the framing and roof and maybe floor are all ok, but the siding is nearly gone and the wire is all rusted and falling apart. The inside is empty..except for some junk, and an old brooder still in the box (no use to me now since I just want eggs for eating!) There is a little chicken door in the front under the "window" and a big people door on the one side. It looks like the only ventilation, besides the big holes in the rotten siding, is the big screen window in front.
Besides needing roost bars and nesting boxes (before the hens lived on the floor and laid eggs in the corners) what other improvements should I make to this thing. Besides the obvious new siding and wire! I dont like to do anything 1/2 way and chickens have become an obsession! But I def have to keep the cost low.
The lattice in the front is not part of the coop,it is trellis for our veggie garden. It is covering up the chicken door on the front. The chain link, with some improvements will be my run. I plan to let them free range some also..Wish I had hens now to dig through our garden before we plant it, aerate and get them buggies! Will have to wait for next year for that though!
What do you guys think? Suggestions, comments welcome!
Oh btw it is approx 14'x6' and 5' tall in back and about 7' in front.
My family used to have chickens when I was little. About all I remember is that I named them, and a weasle killed them one night. (bloody nasty mess!) After Mr. Weasle parents got out of chickens. Old coop turned into junk storage area. It is in bad disrepair but I think the bones will do. Originally i wanted 2-4 hens, now leaning towards 4-6 I had wanted to build a chicken tractor to move the hens about to let them forage (20 acres), but with so much to do here on the farm hubby said no. We have a horse farm and there is sooo much to fix and do that he does not want to spend time and money onsomething that is not a necessity. He gave me two options. Find a cheap small coop (yeah right! Cheap!) or fix up the old coop.
I think the framing and roof and maybe floor are all ok, but the siding is nearly gone and the wire is all rusted and falling apart. The inside is empty..except for some junk, and an old brooder still in the box (no use to me now since I just want eggs for eating!) There is a little chicken door in the front under the "window" and a big people door on the one side. It looks like the only ventilation, besides the big holes in the rotten siding, is the big screen window in front.
Besides needing roost bars and nesting boxes (before the hens lived on the floor and laid eggs in the corners) what other improvements should I make to this thing. Besides the obvious new siding and wire! I dont like to do anything 1/2 way and chickens have become an obsession! But I def have to keep the cost low.
The lattice in the front is not part of the coop,it is trellis for our veggie garden. It is covering up the chicken door on the front. The chain link, with some improvements will be my run. I plan to let them free range some also..Wish I had hens now to dig through our garden before we plant it, aerate and get them buggies! Will have to wait for next year for that though!
What do you guys think? Suggestions, comments welcome!
Oh btw it is approx 14'x6' and 5' tall in back and about 7' in front.
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