Working on a coop expansion in the heat **Update with progress pics**

[Tomhusker]

My wife and I are expanding our original coop, built at 4'x4'. We are adding on an 8'x4' section to make it a nice long 12'x4'. The original coop is perfect for our original 3 chickens. The problem is, our original 3 are actually 5, plus 4 in a brooder needing somewhere to call home in the next week or so.
I am keeping the dimensions kind of basic to cut down on the need for a table saw. The 8x4 allows us to frame for a full sheet of OSB.... plus I am lazy. We will need to remove one wall of the current coop and get the new one assembled in time to lock the chickens in at night after free ranging on Saturday.

We want to have it all wrapped up this week end so we can move our 5 week old lavender Orpingtons out of the house. With the summer heat tho, I am finding it hard to work more than 45 minutes at a time. We have two walls framed with OSB board attached and I have built the floor platform (coop is elevated 20" off the ground). All of this was done last evening and this morning before 8:30. I am going back out shortly to cut the windows into the wall. Once the wall is removed, the new platform will be bolted to the original coop and the new walls will be attached with long wood screws. I will hang a long roost before putting the end wall back to close it all in again.

Sounds simple enough.... watch me screw it all up.

 

[SandyK]

DH took off a week to build on our new coop. Wouldn't you know the first day it's supposed to be 98 degrees out there!!!! What we do for the girls

 

[chicmom]

I feel for ya.....last week I was working outside for about five hours, and I literally sprayed myself down with the hose to stay cool.

 

[Tomhusker]

Quote:
.... adding hose to supply list.

 

[chicmom]

Quote:
.... adding hose to supply list.

Maybe you will need an ice cold beer too!

 

[Gypsea]

I hear you about that heat! If it wasn't for the Farmall 45 idling all week next to the El Cheapo airstream project with the A/C on full tilt, my project would have taken twice as long.

The always full cooler of Hamm's really helped too. I think....

Cheers,

Gypsea

 

[elmo]

I can relate!

It was very hot while I was building my coop/run last summer. But actually what bothered me more were the mosquitoes! I had to wear long sleeves and long pants (which didn't help in the heat, either), and I sprayed my clothes with a DEET product and still got bitten repeatedly. Makes me feel itchy remembering it. Gah.

 

[Tomhusker]

Quote:
.... adding hose to supply list.

Maybe you will need an ice cold beer too!

You used the singular form... I prefer beer as a plural.

 

[chickp]

YES. We just finished our coop in Georgia and it was pretty terrible. I also resorted to DEET after being bitten dozens of times, and I called it a day at noon because I was honestly starting to feel faint.

Drink lots of water and gatorade now and then. I second the BEER! And reminding myself how happy the girls will be when we finally move them in.

 

[MarieNC]

I understand! We just finished the coop/run last weekend and it was (and still is) just brutally hot during most of the construction process. NC summers are hot, but this one has just been unusually bad. This is the first weekend since I can remember that we haven't had to work out there. I would work on it during the week and would just be saturated completely at the end of the day. It really helped to have a fan blowing on me and I wore one of those gel neck things for extra cooling. And I drank lots and lots and lots of water.