back here in the wilderness of Lower Tennessee, Ive been told over and over that I overdo the winterizing of my coop. I cannot bear to think that my girls are cold. But, I have problems spending money on insulating when it cost much money. We like to spend as little money as necessary but still get a decent result.
DH bought planks from a saw mill that were still green and wet. So when they dried out there was a crack about one inch wide betweeen each one. As winter came on I covered the inside with plastic sheets and then got old card board boxes from a furniture store, opened them up and stappled them to the walls inside the coop. It is done nicely and neatly and does not look all that bad and besides Gertrude and Myrtle gave it a good going over and approved it.
I left the cardboard off the south wall because the sun shines on that side all day it will heat up t he coop for my girls nicely in the day time. The "cracks" let in the light also.
We arent rich folks, but we are not considered poor either, but I think if I had mucho money I would still rather tinker around and save as much money as I can by utilizing scraps and recycling.
Ive seen the wonderful hen houses and the grand coops and as great as that is, I think I would cringe at having chicken poop all over those nice walls. Somehow it would defeat the purpose.
The cheaper I can constuct for my ah eh Hobby (?) the more satisfaction I get.
The doors are old storm doors with the glass covered with old sheets of the plastic like signs advertising the price of coke at the grocery store.. from their dump. That stuff is great. It is double stuff with air in the middle giving it insulation properties and I put the back side out making it white the advertising is inside and gives my girls something to read while they sit on their nest.
The ceiling is also cardboard stapled to the rafters. I feel snuggly warm inside that coop and I know my girls do also, they are coming in to roost earlier and earlier these days. I havea 30 or more girls and two roosters and the 8 by 12 coop has enough roost for all of them and they heat it up very nicely.
I sleep so good knowing they are in there so snug and safe. I feel certain that they are as proud of it as I am. Some of them dont leave the roost til 9am or later, or they are waiting their turn for the preferrred nest.
That I just cant undestand. I have at least 15 nest in there, all with fresh clean hay and safe and identical, but they all want 3 of the nest. They stay in there and haggle and cackle and make the ugliest noise rushing their sisters off the nest.
DH came out one morning and upon hearing the noise in the coop advised me that someone had just laid an egg. I said NOPE they are fighting over a nest. And I showed him. One old gal being on her second year to lay will not absolutely will not lay in any but her prefereed nest and most of them also want that one.
I have a light in there that comes on at 3am and goes off at 7am and since I added that booger, my egg production went up 3 fold. Im ok with that since a poster reminded us that in some area of the world they have 12 hours of sun all the time. My girls seem to be proud of their work so Im just going to enjoy it.
Before my new coop became aromatized, I envisioned myself out there, sleeping so comfy and secure. but that idea didnt last long.
