Work on the Coop Renovation has started!

[Chicabee19]

I love the yellow ... first yellow coop pic I've seen!

 

[Chick_a_dee]

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LOL not really! ... the girls are 6 weeks old! and we're running out of time fast! .... I need to get this done before they can go in (the coop won't even be finished when they go in) ...

1. Old sheathing pulled off
2. Building rid of bees, wasps, hornets, ants, mice, birds..... the list goes on
3. Fix the foundation (make forms, pour forms for the footings to be fixed)
4. Pour a skim coat of new concrete inside the coop on the floor
5. Install 4 new windows, Install new door on front of coop (the front is where the driveway is)... the new front door is the old house front door

6. "patch up," where the side door was, footings there, new sill there, add a 2x4, and put sheathing up.
7. Put up new sheathing on building
8. Make the pop door, add the run... girls then can go into the coop while we finish it.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

That's going to be a great coop! I love how you made the new picture over the photograph; you must have some awesome software to do that with.

You'll have a lot of room, so make sure to get MORE CHICKENS.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

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Haha, for sure! ... we're getting 10 more ladies in the spring, 6 Buff Orps, 1 Ameraucana, 1 Red Star, 1 Speckled Sussex, 1 Partridge Chantecler....

 

[Chick_a_dee]

UPDATE:

Tomorrow we are going to Belleville to check out the used window selection at our local Habitat for Humanity store, we're looking for 4 windows for the coop. I measured today, the old door that was on our enclosed porch and unfortunately it's too big to put in the opening, and we can't cut it so we're back to square one on door options, I was thinking of a dutch door on the front of the coop as our door, with a security screen door on the outside, so we can leave the main door open during the day for ventilation. All the windows will have security screen on them, which is a heavy metal mesh screen used for security purposes... it's usually expensive, but we already have 2 on the building, so buying two more isn't a big deal.

I will post more photos tomorrow, of the windows, and work on the coop. We have two weeks to make this coop liveable for the girls, because they're growing fast and at 6 weeks it's getting uncomfortable in the brooder for them.

Note, I will be adding some extra height to the brooder this week so they can have the top open, I will mount roosts on the sides at 2ft, and lock the cat up when I can't watch him so the girls have some extra space to spread out, spread their wings, and stop bothering each other so much... at least until the coop is ready for their move-in date.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

UPDATE: I was outside with my mum pulling off the sheathing again today, and when we pulled a bit off out dropped 4 of these things... she thinks they're rats. They have hairy tails, and rodent like feet... they're babies, no hearing or eyesight yet, probably only a couple days old.

Since it's already getting on for evening, I'm sure a predator will get them and eat them for their dinner.

How gross is that?! and they were living RIGHT above a SNAKE NEST?! Apparently we had a whole ecosystem in the walls of the building.

 

[Katy]

Looks more like a baby squirrel.

 

[Dustoff79]

Oh the joys of renovations. will there be any other ventilation other than the windows and door? I love this building it is going to make you a great coop. good luck.

 

[SGM]

That looks like a squirrel, rats do not have hair on their tails.

 

[mom2jedi]

That's definitely not a rat baby. I used to raise pet rats. They have very little/no hair on their tails and the tails are very skinny not big and bushy like that. It almost looks like a baby rabbit but they don't have tails like that either. We don't have tree squirrels out here just ground ones. I would bet they're baby tree squirrels especially if they were up high.

Your coop is going to be awesome though, I love the artist rendition over the picture. What program did you use for that?