Started a new MONSTER coop this weekend

[SterlingAcres]

Ooooooohhh!! You're so very lucky! I want a bigger barn too. LOL

Keep us updated!!

 

[cheeze]

Quote:
what kind of siding are you gonna use?

you have to run another 2x4 all the way around on the outside of your band to catch the bottom of the siding and make it gapless where things cant get in?

when u start out things that arent square you make every single part of the rest of the job harder having to cut things out of square btw

im more of a carpenter than a chicken farmer so i had to say that lol

 

[Opa]

Now that's going to be a chicken COOP.

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[yellowdragon]

that is so sweet. I went from 25 to 103+ this year. I have 2 8x8, a 10x4x5 rabbit hutch, a 5x5 tractor, and a doghouse for the silkies. wow I forgot I had that much...... I need a barn too

 

[Fredster]

Quote:
The siding is Masonite, painted twice with oil-based barn paint.

The walls are less than eight feet tall, so the siding will reach all three girts (ie, no 2x4 needed around the bottom).

Believe me, I've gotten used to cutting things out of square. It's like second nature now.

 

[newchickmom]

Thats just what I want!!!!!

We are planning on a 16x24. Do you have pics of starting the floor? Did you concrete the posts? How deep do they need to be? Will this also work with a shed type roof?

 

[needmorechickens!]

Good goobely goo!

That's awesome...please keep posting pics! I love learning about the construction.
~Rebecca

 

[Fredster]

Quote:
I don't have any pictures, but the posts are set 2-3 feet deep, with concrete poured around each. The joists are on 24-inch centers, and there are cement block braces under each (down the center of the building) for added support. The floor is 3/4" OSB, and I'll probably paint it with an epoxy to repel moisture when I'm done.

Assuming I understand what you mean by 'shed-type roof', yes, it'll work. My woodshed is built the same way, with that kind of roof. I roof all my buildings with tin, because it's cheap and long-lasting.

Or was cheap until recently. Metal's getting pretty outrageous these days.

 

[epona4]

I'm starting to get a sinking feeling. Is it normal for a new chicken owner to go from just a few chickens to 70+ or 100+??? I think my husband would shot me!

What do you do with 100 chickens? Do you sell the meat in eggs locally? (know it seems like a stupid question. I'm just completely new to this!)

Just found out that one of the previous owners of our place used our big barn for birds. (huge pole barn that at the moment houses a bunch of stuff that we do not need! Complete waste of barn space)

b

 

[Fredster]

Quote:
I don't know that it's "normal," but it's fun. Does that count?

Our chickens serve many purposes:

1. Eggs - we sell the extras, enough to just about pay for their feed.

2. Meat - we no longer support the factory farm poultry industry. We give our chickens a lot of freedom, with plenty of treats and bugs and grass, and a big place to live. We figure it's the best we can do since we will ultimately be killing most of them.

3. Entertainment - they're more fun to watch than most movies.

4. Stress relief - being around them always puts me in a good mood after work, and keeps me relaxed.

But, as to why we have so many - we don't raise the fast-growing broilers for meat, we eat plain old yardbirds like Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, etc. Because it takes about 6 months to get them to a good eating size, we have a bunch growing at any given time. We eat one or more a week, most weeks.

On the egg front, we want to have enough layers that we still get a decent number of eggs during the winter (we don't put lights in the coop). Thirty or so layers seems about right.

Or, this could all just be excuse-making to hide an addiction!