Some of you might remember me...it's been a little over a year since I introduced myself. My husband was adamantly OPPOSED to having chickens. I was beside myself because I wanted them SO BAD. Well fast forward to this past spring and hubby FINALLY realized his wife was obsessed and not going to be happy until she had chickens and gave in. Not only did he give in, but he got on board! I present to you the Henz Den! We bought a pre-made Amish coop with visions of re-making it into what I really wanted. Hubs was the muscle and brains behind the renovation, guided by my ideas/suggestions. Let me tell you there IS a reason Amish made items last...nails nails, screws and nails. Holy cow did this coop fight being taken apart! Hubs moved the window (over a few inches) and door (to the end), built a poop tray and new nesting bars (the ones that came with it were a joke) and built me a wall to partition off a feed and supply area. He also added a window, exhaust fan, automatic chicken door, and electricity (outlet and lights) for me. We installed metal nesting boxes on the new wall. He also built a rock solid, predator proof run. We also installed a rain catchment system (gutter along the run and a rain barrel) and watering system (courtesy of Carolina Coops because when I started pricing out parts, it wasn't going to save much doing it myself.)
I honestly thought I was going to have just a small chicken coop...hubs decided to go big! LOL
This is what we started with...6x12 Amish made chicken coop, and a treated wood frame for it to sit on. The ground was prepared by digging down a little, adding gravel (for drainage) then sand on top for a nice dry run and solid footing for the coop and run.
The inside of the coop before we started the renovations.
The new poop board and roosting bars. Yes, that's laminate flooring...we had it on hand so FREE is good! LOL
The beginning of the wall with the metal nesting boxes with access door.
The door moved to the end, with the additional window installed.
The bones of the run.
Two foot predator apron going down...ends are held down with "Dig Defense" spikes for added protection.
Watering system
Watering bar inside the run, chicken door, and inside the run.
The entire run.
Everything finished!
I honestly thought I was going to have just a small chicken coop...hubs decided to go big! LOL
This is what we started with...6x12 Amish made chicken coop, and a treated wood frame for it to sit on. The ground was prepared by digging down a little, adding gravel (for drainage) then sand on top for a nice dry run and solid footing for the coop and run.
The inside of the coop before we started the renovations.
The new poop board and roosting bars. Yes, that's laminate flooring...we had it on hand so FREE is good! LOL
The beginning of the wall with the metal nesting boxes with access door.
The door moved to the end, with the additional window installed.
The bones of the run.
Two foot predator apron going down...ends are held down with "Dig Defense" spikes for added protection.
Watering system
Watering bar inside the run, chicken door, and inside the run.
The entire run.
Everything finished!
