The shed is here.... OMG NOW WHAT!

[canesisters]

I got almost a ton of 'crush & run' shoveled into the coop last night, and picked up another 1/2ton to do tonight. <gasp!> That's a lot of shoveling, and I'm thinking that I'm going to need several more loads to bring it to the level that I wanted. I guess that I'll be dragging that trailer to the quarry every day this week.

As for the blocks to fill the gaps - got an idea. The ones that I have are the solid, half blocks (there's a pict of half of one on an earlier post). I'm thinking that if I use the 2"x3" wire and wrap from the inside of the bottom edge, around the back/outside of the blocks then they can't be pulled away from the building - and if I fill the floor in front of them with the C&R then they can't be pushed in. ... that's probably what you meant jrsckn but sometimes I have to mull a bit before I 'get' it.

Getting closer and closer - I'm so hoping to get the 'kids' in it this weekend. They won't have a run for a while yet - but I figure living in a nicely ventilated 8'x8' room is better than a solid sided 2'x4' brooder.
So far I've spent exactly $20 on the coop - all in flooring material.

 

[jrsckn]

I'm so jealous, we spent too much on out 8X8 coop and run. I gave up counting after we hit $1000 but we just bought our house a year ago so he had nothing to start with except for the block lol. It's amazing how much money little scraps of this and that will save you

 

[joan1708]

Please post a picture when you are done so we can see what you did!

 

[canesisters]

Took picts last night after both the front and back gaps were filled and a real good portion of the floor was in......... and left the camera next to the home computer.

I can't load picts at home (dial-up bites!). I might be able to get them on tonight.

My Dad came over yesterday evening while I was working and said, "So where's this chicken house you keep talking about?"
I was on the ground attaching the wire apron to the back and said "This is it!" and started to show him the windows that are going in soon and where the run is going to be and how I want to set up the inside. He was dumbfounded. My Dad grew up in southern Ala and the only chicken experience he's ever had was either the flocks of nearly feral chickens hanging around rural houses or the huge, commercial set-ups that were dark, smelly and just nasty. I had joked with my sister that Dad thought I was setting up some horrible shack that I would stuff chickens into and eggs would come rolling out - but I didn't think that he ACTUALLY thought that! And if the plans for the coop weren't enough to blow his mind, I took him to the brooder so he could meet the girls. They were doing their usual: jumping up onto my shoulder - purring when I scratched their backs - answering to their names (ok, not exactly answering but a couple of them seem to know that sound means them and will look at me when I say their names). I scooped them up one by one, talking to them and put them into the little cage to take them to the 'play room' out in the yard. His jaw was literally hanging open.
Honestly, I'm not entirely sure if the afternoon was "Good Chicken PR" or proof that his youngest has gone completely around the bend and should be watched closely.

 

[jrsckn]

Thats how I feel around my family, completely nuts. Except my FIL, he helped build the coop and he's one of those people who do everything at 150% and get it done right the first time and over do it so I fit right in with him, plus he's all about eating meat and eggs lol.

 

[canesisters]

The gaps are closed!!

rear before:
(That's Punkinhead helping to flatten down the wire apron - such a good assistant)


rear after:


inside before:



inside after:




Front:


There is a hardware cloth apron attached to the outside wall with the obligatory screws & washers. Once I cover the part on the ground with a good layer of the c&r it will be (I hope) nearly impossible to dig the blocks out from the outside. And now that the inside floor is filled up level with the top of the blocks, pushing them in isn't possible either.
The floor is now 6" higher than the surrounding ground so I'm hoping that any drainage/dampness problems have been eliminated..

Today's 'to-do' list:

• pickup one more load of c&r and finish leveling the inside floor
• get wire over the little window on the left side and over the big opening in the peak
• attach a wire apron to the front
• build a door
• start covering the wire aprons with any left over c&r - partly to hold them down and partly to keep the dogs from getting their toenails caught in the mesh...
  
  that's NOT a good thing, trust me.

Poor Rosie keeping a wary distance after being rescued from the toe grabbing monster. You can also see the former nest boxes and some of the perches. Most of this wood will go back in as poop shelves - and maybe as part of the door.

I got in contact with my cousin earlier this week and he's going to (hopefully) come over and hook me up with some electricity this weekend. He's going to look at what I've got in my pieces/parts collection and let me know if my 'plan' is do-able. What I WANT

is to have a carriage style porch light on the front that I can turn on from the back door of the house, a motion spotlight on the back right corner (in the run), and on the inside I want an overhead light and a block of 4 outlets.

Taking care of the chicks has become sort of a side show. They want out SOOO BAD! So the routine has become: take the wire roof off and quickly grab a feeder, put Candy back inside, fill the feeder, put Raisin back inside, put the feeder back in and grab a water-er, put Citizen back in, half-way clean the water-er, put Raisin back in, put Candy back in, finish cleaning the water-er, put Hurra back in, put the water-er back and grab the other feeder, catch Raisin as she heads for the door, put her and Citizen back in, fill the feeder and put it back, catch Candy in midair on the way to the floor and put her back in, put Sola back in, put Nova back in, put Sola back in......
At least they're getting handled PLENTY!

 

[joan1708]

Your coop is coming along very nicely! Looks like you have the perimeter sufficiently predator proofed, and have worked out a functional floor. I think it's going to work great! Thanks for keeping us updated.

 

[jrsckn]

I think a human would have trouble breaking into your coop when you're done

Good job!

 

[canesisters]

Got the last of the c&r inside and leveled last evening. I am GLAD that's done. I didn't have enough to cover the aprons outside, and since that has nothing to do with getting it safe enough for the chicks to move in - it's going to wait. The dogs will just have to watch their toes! Maybe the threat of getting a toenail caught will be enough to make them lose interest in the coop (and it's contents) entirely.

I ran to Lowes and picked up a few 'essentials' - cheapo motion light & bulbs, roll of wire to make the door, gallon of paint, some washers..... $110.00!!!!!!!!

So much for my super-cheap-cost-me-practically-nothing coop. I know, I know, $100 isn't much compared to what many folks have spent but I was really hoping to get by with just what I had on hand. Of course, now that I think about it... I suppose that I could've gotten by with things on-hand.... using the 2"x3" wire for the door, not bothering with painting or the motion light.... Oh well, it's going to cost me at some point, may as well spend it on safety at the start and save some worry. It's an "Investment" in my peace of mind! Yeah, that's what it is!

I painted up in the eaves last night so I can wire it up tonight. Ummm.... does anyone have any idea HOW to do that? I kept looking at it and I'm not sure where or how I'm going to attach the wire.

 

[3forfree]

If where your arrow is pointing is open to the outside, you'll need hardware cloth in there also as the critters will try to get in. As for your nest boxes you'll only need a few, cut an opening in the wall where you want the nest boxes to be and make it just alittle bigger than the nest boxes. Frame the inside of the hole you cut with 2x4's then when you put the nest boxes in place screw them into the 2x4's on the top sides and bottom. Some of your scraps can be used for a hinged cover on the outside. You may want to caulk around the nest boxes also.