It was turned into something that looks like a chicken coop! Yeah! I forgot to get pictures of Dale and I measuring, cutting the pieces, building each wall and the base. I also didn't get any of the painting (priming) process. It's hard to take pictures of myself painting, and I really didn't want my camera out in a 40 degree shed with the dog and me moving around! But this is where we are putting it together after moving the pieces out to the back yard. Dale is standing inside the coop putting the roof trusses on.
Here you can see that the coop was backed up against the wood shed and you can also see the nesting box addition. The inside of the coop is a smidgen larger than 4'x4', so the boxes needed to be out side. Besides it is sooo nice to NOT have to crawl into a dog house to collect eggs! This woman is sooo over that!!!! The plywood that is standing against the coop is the roof - ceiling actually - as we put felt paper dowm before putting the tin on.
Here it is all put together with the 6'x12' kennel moved so the girls will have some outside fenced area to roam. The are not that happy about staying in, they would rather come out of there to roam the whole back yard. I've kept them in since last week so they could get use to the new house and the ladder. You can also see the blue tarp cover on one end of the area - this is so they have a dry spot when it is snowing or raining. Dale says my girls are spoiled ... SO? Yeah, they will be real spoiled when at least two of them go into the soup pot!! The two rocks holding the nest box lid down are because the plywood warped a little bit and I haven't made it out to move the single center hook to the end and add another one at the other end. I will not be moving rocks forever - this was to make it easy for me to get the eggs!
Then we have the roomy accommodations for the girls. There are four nest boxes for five chickens - plenty of room for laying. There is a roosting bar that will hold all five if they so choose. On the other side of the door is their food dish, which needs to be upgraded too, since I found an egg in it this morning. Right out of sight on the bottom left is their water bowl, which will also be replaced. I have both straw and wood shavings on the floor to keep their little feetsies warm.
Here is a view from the (wo)man door across to the chicken door and you can see three of the girls looking in to see what I'm doing in there ... LOL.
I know this post is getting really long, but you had to see the whole thing. The last view is of the "former" chicken kennel area. This will all be cleaned up, but not while there is snow so it might have to wait until Spring. Right behind the up-ended dog house is my straw bundles; those will have to be moved soon - maybe tomorrow - since I don't want to be digging around under snow to refresh the girls new house.
Hugs to you all
5 comments:
Yippity~yahoo!
Those are some lucky ladies, and deserving, of course. I love all the upgrades... especially the outdoor access to the nest boxes. I won't let Betty see this post, or she'll be reminding me that their shark cage is not ready for winter!
A "little" project but still a whole lot of work. But what nice quarters your girls now have for the winter. I love the outside box for collecting eggs. May they appreciate their new accommodations so much they give you ample eggs all winter!
I bet the girls are very happy in their new digs! Nice work, you guys!
Your girls will love you with many good eggs.. since they have a new place. Looks good. Stay warm..Snow is coming..it is snowing as I type this.. & sipping my brandy!
Cheryl
Right now with all the snow, when I open their little chicken door, they all gather around the opening and look out. Nobody wants to be first to put tracks in the snow.
Natalie - I love the outside access to the nests. I got sooo tired of crawling into a dog house to get the eggs. Be careful about Betty, she may just get a sense that someone has a nice coop!!
Mama Pea - With a foot of snow on the roof, I'm so glad I could give the girls a warm and safe place to live. I'm not sure I will get more than 2 eggs a day, 3 of the girls are getting old.
Paula - I'm sure the girls like their new weatherproof home, no howling wind to shake the tarp walls.
Cheryl - Oh, we have over a foot of snow on the ground this morning! Just wait until late spring or summer; I will paint the shed to look much nicer.
The tarp over the play area has to be cleared often, but it is much easier than before ... speaking of snow, more is coming down ... off to shovel!
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