Chicken Coop

The first building on the property to be repaired and painted was the chicken coop. Gotta keep those chickens happy!

We used one of the run-down loafing sheds to make the coop.

Previous owners left a pile of scrap wood at the bottom of the property, so when we cleaned that up, we salvaged some panels to use for the front wall. They had curved tops, but we were able to cut them off and still have enough height on the boards to fit.

We started on the back wall, replacing the rotten and warped 2×4’s, then putting up plywood panels.

Then we trimmed out the wall.

Next, the front wall. We used the pretty pink panels with floral wallpaper borders that we found on the property. Luckily, we knew we could paint over them!

We found a door and screen door on Craigslist.

Using some old mismatched windows from Craigslist, we cut holes in the walls to fit to create airflow in the coop.

The roof had seen better days, so we replaced the boards that were bad and put up new shingles.

We used Larry’s homemade utility trailer to haul supplies back and forth.

Once the roof was done, we put up a solar panel connected to a window fan, and a roof vent.

We installed a ramp and an automatic door for the chickens to go in and out. The door opens when the sun comes up and closes when the sun goes down. Once Larry showed the girls how to go in and out, they were able to go in at night all by themselves.

We built them nesting boxes. We use wood shavings in their boxes and on the floor; it has always worked best for us.

We painted the coop the color we are painting all the buildings. Like I said before, they were the first to have a nicely painted home! When we moved up here, we brought all of our hand-painted chicken signs from our old coop with us. We found the porcelain chicken head at a thrift store many years ago.

Lastly, we built a large chicken run out of dog kennel panels. There’s a kiddie pool full of sand for dust-bathing, and they have a shaded area inside the run, too.

Our chickens have a nice home, and they are, of course, spoiled rotten. Wouldn’t have it any other way!

We’ll be back with another project before too long. Please take care of yourselves!!