Chickens

Part 3 of the chicken coop raw footage.

A while ago I posted some raw footage from building my coop. I never posted the rest of the footage. Here is part 2:

Part 3 will come tomorrow and the final part I need to go shoot still.

I've started making on my chicken coop, finally. I hate when I want to do something and it takes weeks longer to get started than I had planned. I did get started and if I can get it done today I'll be able to get some chicks this weekend and have eggs by spring. This is some raw footage showing a tour of the frame. I wanted to polish it up, but knowing how tight time is right now, I was not sure when that would get done, so I've just sent up the raw footage for you to look at.

I don't have much money to spend on the coop, so this is made nearly exclusively from pre-used materials. You will see that some of the boards have paint on them. I did have to buy four - eight foot two by fours and I might need something for the roof, but everything else is reused material.

As I may have mentioned, I want to have some chickens. I've not build a coop yet, so I can't get chickens. Well, I have done some research on coop design and have designed me a coop. I'm going to use scraps to build it as much as possible and then clean it up with a fresh coat of paint, so it does not look like a shanty.

I've attached a copy of my hand drawn plans. Please don't laugh at my dismal drawing skills... Alright, laugh away, it is pretty bad. It does give me an idea of what I need. I will be using these plans as a guideline, not as law. I have a bunch of various scraps I'll use for it. I have some old cabinet doors that will be used for doors into the coop. I have some old heating vents that will be used for air flow vents. I have some decking I'll use for the base and some scraps of 2x4 and 2x2 that will be used for the frame. I saw an old headboard that a neighbor has a free sign on. If I can, that will become a wall for the coop (if it is in good enough condition and good enough quality).

I also have a bunch of hardware that will be used in it. I have draw pulls, hindges, hooks, hardware fabric, etc. I think I'll be able to build it for nearly nothing. I'll probably have to go buy some more hardward fabric and something for the roof. I think I can manage everything else with what I've got here. If Elizabeth allows it, I'll start on it tonight. If she does not, then I'll start tomorrow. Pictures will be posted along the way.

I've been wanting to add chickens to my family for a while. I'd love to have fresh eggs every day and one of the best pest controls around. I want to see the slugs tremble with fear as those hungry ladies come marching through.

I've convinced Elizabeth to let me. She has, however, requested that I don't get the chicks until I have their permanent home built. As chicks, they will not be spending a whole lot of time in their new home until they get larger, but it is still a good idea.

I'm in the process now. I've cleaned up the area along where I'm going to build the fence and I've drawn some plans. I'm going to fence in the west side of our lot, which I call the orchard. It includes three apple trees, a large shed, another tree that has never fruited, but I'm told is some sort of fruit tree, and a whole bunch of arborvitae. There is other stuff there that is getting removed, such as blackberry that I used an chemical spray in order to kill (shame on me).

I hope that the fence will go up this weekend, so that the free range area will be ready. I'm then going to clear about 8 square feet in the shed and build the coop right into it. I think this will be the safest place for them as the shed already has a good floor and the raccoons will not easily get at them. In the front I'm going to put a run made out of 1/2 inch metal netting that will have a bottom I'll bury a few inches down. This way they will be able to come out and play before I get up in the morning. I'm usually up around the same time as the sun, but this way I don't have to be.

The front and top of the run will open. So I can open the front, let the ladies free range, open the top and clean it out. Then close it all up again when they are safely inside. Since the run is extra, I'm going to do it last. I can get the ladies without it, I would just need to be up early to let them loose, and I'd be worried about their safety, perhaps.

Why you ask? Why not? They lay eggs, which give me extra food. They eat bugs, which reduces the work I need to do. They poop like mad, which fertilizes my yard. Yes, it is work to scoop up the droppings and compost it. They will eat just about anything, so feeding them is easy. And, if you get the right breed and spend time with them, they can be wonderfully social pets.