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[Balloonjuice]

when we moved in and I'm not sure what to do with it. The pix may not tell much of a story but apart from cleaning the place up (which it needs badly), I'm not sure where or how to start. Can someone help?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6490588/balloonjuice-chicken-project

Balloonjuice

 

[Judy]

I added a comment to your pics. If you feel the buildings are structurally sound, it looks like you don't need to do a lot but clean out the mess and buy a feeder and waterer. I prefer the plastic ones, white with red, which are not paraticularly expensive. You might want to paint the inside of those nest boxes with a gloss paint just to make cleaning easier later on. I wouldn't paint the roost, if that is what that is; I'd scrub it with an ammonia solution and then a bleach solution, then I'd oil it with vegetable oil. I wouldn't use the wooden feeder, if that is what it is, because you can't really clean it. I'd probably remove it, or maybe turn it into a second roost somehow, perhaps a lower one. It looks like they used a wider board for a roost, again if that is what it is, which is a good idea as it is more comfortable for them than a narrow board or something like a broomstick.

Basically I'd say you have a very old fashioned chicken coop, which is a rather wonderful thing to have!

 

[MelissaTXRn]

I agree! Clean, smooth out any rough spots it splintered wood and paint.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Thanks Flockwatcher. I'm not sure what a wooden feeder is, but I think that pic may simply be taken at a bad angle. It looks on the inside like nest boxes. I'll try to upload another pic that shows it better and see what you think. The building is structurally sound, but a little on the ugly side. The masonite siding needs to be painted IMO. The man door has a bit missing at the bottom where a dog or worse may have gotten in (yeah, we have caught raccoons on our path cam).

Looks like I need to get busy on cleanup. I also want to give the building and surrounding area better protection. I've not heard any coyotes at night, but I know we have other critters. Thanks for the help. Hope I can count on some ongoing help as I learn enough to ask reasonable questions.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Have finished cleaning the coop and brooders. Chicks arrive on Tuesday (2/18). Have added pix to update the project some.

I'm replacing both doors to the coop (human and chicken). The human door is finished and my daughter in law is in process of painting it. The chicks will not likely need it until the end of April.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/g/a/6490588/balloonjuice-chicken-project

 

[IttyBiddyRedHen]

Wow...nice set up. Is that 2 coops you have? Lucky you. We have a tin shed in the back that we converted a corner of for the coop.
Keep us posted on your progress!!

And...welcome to byc!

 

[Balloonjuice]

Actually, it is one coop and one "support" building. The support building has three rooms: two small storage areas and one even smaller room where the brooders are.

Thanks for the encouragement Moxies

 

[Going Quackers]

You've got some good "bones" there. That really high up nesting box thingy(sorry not sure what to call it) i'd ditch that, i wouldn't want my birds way up.. little buggers would likely lay up there and/or sleep in it seems to me it would be a pest to clean and reach.

As well the dirt floor is fine but ensure the outside has some means of wire or some way to reduce preds from digging under... again i think you have yourself a great opportunity, i look forward to seeing the end result.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Good point on the floor, Quackers. My thinking was to use hardware cloth either around the outside of the coop or alternatively to line the floor with it.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Ok, the chicks are still in the brooder. They are three weeks old today. But I'm getting that coop ready to go. The old "man door" was pretty dilapidated, so I built a new door out of 1x6s and some smart siding. I still need to add a "grab handle" and I want to place an exterior threshold under it, which will likely be a 2x4 but I may use some old fired bricks that are just lying around. I throw "porch paint" on just about everything outdoors, so this man door is no exception. The two electrical boxes on the right of the doorposts are for lights, florescent interior and an entrance light on the outside. There are also outlets inside the coop that bypass the switch.