Chicken Coops for Sale in Lunenburg, Massachusetts
Chicken Coops for Sale in Lunenburg, Massachusetts
A Recycled Chicken Coop – Part 2
Yesterday I about how we picked the old building to remodel into our chicken coop. We also started building the run but the ground froze before we could get all the posts set. Ah the joys of a Wisconsin winter! Since we couldn’t work on the run any more, we moved on to the building itself. I’m a list/classify kinda gal so I like to think of the work in phases.
Recycled Chicken Coop Phase 1: Destroy
Recycled Chicken Coop Phase 2: Rebuild
Recycled Chicken Coop Phase 3: Details
So we jumped right in with Phase 1. We slipped on some face masks and gloves, grabbed the snow shovel and started cleaning up the raccoon poop and broken pots. We also removed the two old broken windows. The third window was in good shape so we left it. (And by “we” I mainly mean Josh. I forget where I was, but I’m sure it was very important to miss such a fun time.) I arrived on the scene just in time to take a photo. (Hmm, maybe I was out buying a camera since this is now in the ANC time period: After New Camera.)
Once we got it all relatively nice and clean, we made a huge mess by ripping the cardboard wall coverings down. It was pretty yucky because the board had gotten wet and was a little soggy and gooey.
Next we pulled down all the old siding on two walls of the building. Most of it was rotten and in pretty rough shape. We even removed the door because of the raccoon pet door (AKA: huge hole) in the bottom.
Before
After
Everybody helped!
Both sides done
And with that, Phase 1: Destroy! was completed.
Now we move on to Phase 2: Rebuild. We scored two big storm windows off Craigslist for $10 each so Josh built frames for them. Here we are testing the first one to make sure it fits. Being newbies at this sort of thing, it’s always hit or miss. Sometimes we amaze ourselves and sometimes, well, it ain’t pretty. So we held our breath and fit it into place.
Success! Sometimes we can read a tape measure! (And in case you are wondering, yes it is on backwards. My dad pointed that out as soon as I showed him this photo. I’d like to say that we knew that but, um, we didn’t. We thought it wouldn’t matter but for drainage purposes you shouldn’t just turn them inside out. Live and learn, right?)
So we removed the test window and then covered the two bare sides with tar paper that is normally used for roofing. Now, I’m not sure if that is exactly what we should have used (again, newbies!) but I got it from someone on Freecycle for FREE so that’s what we went with. (I also got a few bundles of shingles with the paper. We need to re-shingle another building here on the homestead. Gotta love Freecycle! If you don’t know about it, check it out .)
After cutting out the windows and door areas from the black paper, we went shopping on the homestead again, this time for siding. Now, our lives would have been easier if we just went to a real store and bought something new. But in the interest of money-saving and world-saving, we wanted to use whatever we could from the farm. We had two buildings to work with. First was the old chicken coop and the second was an old building behind the barn. A previous owner had already removed the siding from one wall of building so we figured we could too.
The result of previous siding shopping trips
What we removed
I don’t know how we would have done it without our little nail puller. Even though it took us a long time, it was worth it. Not only did I save some money, but I am glad that these buildings were able to still be useful. Both the old chicken coop and the building in the photos were part of the original homestead over 100 years ago. They have the remains of plaster and molding in them. You can see where stairs and woodstoves once sat. It’s easy to imagine a child climbing the stairs to their bed in the loft or a woman cooking over the big stove in the center of the room. Since their glory days, they have been used as houses for chickens, hogs and lambs. That kind of rough life has taken it’s toll on the buildings.
The old farmhouse where the stairs once led up to the loft
It makes me sad that they have gotten so rundown so I’m glad that we can make them useful again, even if it is only in a very small way.
The next two weekends were spent taking down siding from the old buildings, cutting them for the new coop and putting them up.
Our workstation - professional looking isn't it?
We had to work around the snowstorms but we finally got it done! Once we permanently installed the windows, it looked like a REAL building! Imagine that. We were pretty proud of ourselves since we really had no clue what we were doing.
Our "new" siding and windows
That concludes Phase 2: Rebuild! (If only it were that simple and quick in real life.) And since you’re probably on photo overload, I’d better conclude this post for today. But I’ll be back tomorrow with Phase 3: Details. See you then!
Other posts that might be of interest:
Baby Yellow Chick in Lunenburg, Massachusetts
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Lunenburg Massachusetts" into any one of the numerous search engines and a wealth of information will pop up. This information will provide links to other websites that will be informative and will provide the right direction for finding Lunenburg Massachusetts chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Lunenburg, Massachusetts With the substantial increase in poultry keeping there has actually been a similarly huge surge in the range of fowl stuff on sale. Fowl housing is a proceedings in factor. It's likewise a classic example of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different potential poultry real estate specialists peddle a range of lodging claiming to be the excellent option to your chicken real estate requirements. Often the price looks attractive, the house looks appealing, hell even the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look appealing. Certainly they recognize a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many affordable and nasty coops flooding the marketplace. I understand this as I've tested a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed bucket appeared. The result was nothing but a costly pile of fire wood and also a tiny flock of bemused as well as now homeless bantams.
Baby Chickens For Sale in Lunenburg, Massachusetts
Generally these mass produced versions are constructed of rapid grown hardwood - come the first decline of rain they swell, leaving you either fortifying a doorway that will not shut, or tearing the doorway furnishings off in a vain effort to release the squawking occupants. The first warm day suggests the timber dries out as well as fractures, the really felt roofing bubbles and boils, and also come nightfall the chickens refuse to go in. This is not as a result of their frustration at the decline of their as soon as eye-catching home yet since the hovel is currently a place for, and also most likely crawling with, the fowl keeper's bane, red mite. Add on that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 large hens when that equipping thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you left with? A number of joints and some kindling. A decent coop for thee to four birds need to cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run affixed. Assuming you are ranging your birds in a huge space as well as the pop opening door allows enough for the breed you maintain, after that the main requirements of real estate come down to 3 factors which will specify the variety of birds the house will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and also air flow. A lot of breeds of chicken will perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off edges so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch needs to be higher than the nest box access as chickens will certainly additionally naturally search for the highest point to perch. A perch lower than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is by the way when they produce the most poo) resulting in dirtied eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries can occur when the bird gets down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in little breeds this is clearly less), plus if greater than one perch is set up in the house they need to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their neighbors yet are not that keen on roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house must have a the very least one nest box for every 3 birds and also these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. Your home must have ample air flow: without it then condensation will accumulate every night, even in the coldest of weather condition. Be aware, air flow deals with the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving via a high void attracting cooler air in from a lower void - it's not a set of openings on opposite walls of your home and at the same degree, this is exactly what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run affixed after that the points above are still real, however you must likewise think about the run dimension. The EU maximum legal stocking density for a totally free array bird is (as well as allow's face it, one of the motivations for keeping some hens in the house is potentially enhanced or better well-being) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird per 4m settled. Take a close check out a few of the deal residences - it could well be your house has the best perches, appropriate air flow and also enough nest boxes for an affordable variety of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? And so as the saying goes, "you get exactly what you spend for". You could assume you've got hold of a deal, yet you and also your flock could rue the day you did. Acquisition the ideal house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer provided the appropriate treatment. In the long run your chicken as well as your poultry keeping encounter will certainly be considerably the better for it.for sale for sale
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