project "coop re-do"

well jamie had an entire week off of work, so you know what that means? it is "create a project" time and pass it off like beth asked for it. this time is was a new coop for the chickens. there was nothing wrong with the old one and i didn't ask for the new one, but it is nice. we retrofitted our garden shed to accommodate "my" birds.

so, we are leaving this behind, santa and all....

jamie got busy, first by dividing the shed....keeping one side for storage.

like the previous coop, he built this one with mostly recycled goods, like reusing our old screen door from our house garage....

nest boxes in the making....

i just couldn't resist hillbilly-ing it up some more....

inside shot of nest boxes, roosts and poop boards....yee haw.

the hinged gang plank to the nest boxes, which i can lift and latch to get in there and clean....no eggs today, ye must walk the plank matey, arrr!

installing super thick waterproof plastic, that will be covered in pine shaving, but will hopefully prevent the wooden floor beneath from rotting.

little extra storage created with the coop ceiling....perfect place for pine shaving, dust and feathers to accumulate. awesome.

pop door time! nosey critters keep running over to check the saw out. i was afraid one might end up like headless mike!! go look, it is for real, no hoax.

door cut, nothing fancy here, yet, we are planning to install an automatic coop door opener. i can not wait, no more trekking out there in the cold, rain, snow, you name it to let them out or in.

spoiled chickens....

well, it is pretty much done, maybe a little of bit of tweaking here and there, but they are in and they are confused. i have got some sleeping on the floor, in the nest boxes and the roosts. i have some laying on the floor and in the nest boxes. the first night, three made it in and the other four were huddle up on the gangplank to the old coop. i had to hand shove them through the pop door. they will figure it out. they better or it will be the stew pot. yea, right.

almost forgot, the backside of the nest boxes, where i can lift the doors and gather my bounty, well that is if they figure it out and not lay on the floor! santa, your alive!

as for the original coop, remember i said earlier we are big into recycling aka cheap, it is burning in the wood stove right now. actually, we had to take it apart to get it out of the run, but i truly wish i could have donated it to another backyard chicken beginner, like myself. oh well.

below is a link for a little chicken television for your viewing pleasure courtesy of me and my southern draw. enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtV2rmbpQXE