Technical coop building question.

[aart]

Sweet!!
You GO Girl!!

Yes, building alone can be tricky...but ingenutity rules!
Clamps are a must and I've also screwed in temporary braces for holding things in place until properly located and attached.

 

[Merrymouse]

Thanks all for the encouragement. It feels like we are getting close but I still have a list.

1. Install people dutch door to the run
2. Finish framing front door
3. Barrel latch on front and back windows.
4. Pull handle on back window.
5. Lay linoleum on coop floor----Im returning the cheap linoleum tiles I bought. They were so thin they cracked and they would not stick so while I was at Lowe's last night I checked the remnant bin and found a better quality one Im going to use. I also bought the adhesive.
6.Get loam and back fill the run, thats going to be a huge job
7. Lay and attach the hardware cloth skirt
8. Attach the ramp from the pop door
9. Rig the string to the outside to open the pop door.
10. Put latch on the pop door under the coop that goes out to the woods.
11. Attach siding to nesting boxes and put metal roof on nesting boxes to keep out weather.
12 Weather strip and caulk where needed
13 Build and install roosts and poop boards.
14 Attach additional hardware
15. Make roosts for run area
16 Install electricity
17. Finish painting and staining
18 Set up feeding and Watering stations.
19. Fence in area in woods for free ranging.
20. Rig something to temporarily block nesting boxes so they dont sleep in there
21 Rig someting so litter does not fall out when I open the two doors.
22. Finish setting up dog crate brooder.

Not everything has to be complete for the chicks to actually move in but most of it does.

See....there is still alot to do before its totally done. Its snowing right now but looks like only 3 inches so far. I have the day off so I might just go out and see what I can get done. Very close to chick time WOOT WOOT! I'm getting so excited!

 

[Merrymouse]

about 20F with wind chill at -13......

I so want to work on the coop. How long do you think I will last in this cold outside...not long enough but maybe I can cross at least one thing off my list....

yesterday we got the dutch door on. What a headache! I dont recommend dutch doors for the novice coop builder. I got the hardware on the back window. I trimmed out the front coop door but ran out of trim so I have one more side to trim out. And last night I made my MHP and set up my brooder. I'll post pictures in a minute. Hmmm maybe I can build my roosts and poop board. Just run outside quick to measure and build them mostly in the garage

Thats the plan!

 

[Merrymouse]

So just a couple of pictures from yesterday. This is me using the jigsaw and planer and a hand saw to smooth out the opening to the front coop door

Set up my brooder (dog crate) MHP because it looks like with this weather the coop is not going to be done and they'll have to live in my dog grooming room for a bit

 

[ScottandSam]

YEP I feel your pain. Its 29ish here and wintery mix which should not be the case today. It too cold to paint the 2nd coat in the coop so I'm so bored with the day odd but not sure I want to hang out in the garage (cold) or what to do today.

Scott

 

[Pats Poultry]

You are way tougher than I am. I would be looking out the window with my cup of joe thinking to myself " I should be out there working on the coop, nah I will just keep the chicks in the house a little longer"

 

[ScottandSam]

You are way tougher than I am. I would be looking out the window with my cup of joe thinking to myself " I should be out there working on the coop, nah I will just keep the chicks in the house a little longer"

I agree. My 8 week olds are in the house today. Seems we got @4" of snow. Samantha baking fresh bread and donuts and I'm dosing in and out on the couch today. coop can wait.

Scott

 

[Merrymouse]

4:30 and I just came in....seriously frost bite weather. I was out there for about 4 hours. The wind is whipping and its super super cold. I was in and out of the garage to the coop etc. Garage was freezing too as I had the big door open.

So I have a few questions. My coop is 4x8 My nest boxes are 9" off floor. I set my roosts at 24" and poop boards at 20". There is not alot of room to fuss with it because at 24" roosts they are only about 20" or so from the open rafter on the low end of my coop and I dont want those combs freezing. I was trying to get about 10' of roosting which is so difficult in my space. So I planned an L shaped configuration with 4" across shortways and 6" longways to form an L. So If i put the roosting bars 12" from wall and the poop boards are 24" wide set at 20" tall there is not that much open floor space left. Is this ok? Im hoping they can easily walk under the 20" poop boards. Hmmmm. Maybe I should post a separate thread for this question.

 

[ScottandSam]

Have you thought about ditching the poop boards and doing a deep compost bedding?

 

[Merrymouse]

@ScottandSam I've thought about it.....thats why I have my pop door and nest boxes 9" off the floor but not sure I want to do it in the coop itself. Im definitely going to try it in the run. I have this irrational fear of creepy crawlies and don't know if I can deal with a bug infestation inside my coop.