Chicken Coops for Sale in Drayton Plains, Michigan
Chicken Coops for Sale in Drayton Plains, Michigan
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:
Chicken Coop Amazon in Drayton Plains, Michigan
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Drayton Plains Michigan" 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 Drayton Plains Michigan chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Drayton Plains, Michigan With the substantial rise in chicken keeping there has actually been a just as huge rise in the range of chicken materiel for sale. Fowl real estate is a proceedings in point. It's additionally a timeless instance of the excellent old bandwagon being got on as different prospective fowl housing experts market a range of lodging asserting to be the ideal remedy to your chicken real estate requirements. Often the rate looks eye-catching, the house looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look eye-catching. Certainly they recognize a high quality chicken house when they see one? There are many affordable as well as nasty cages swamping the marketplace. I recognize this as I've examined a number of them in the area, and seen a ewe run directly with one when the feed pail appeared. The outcome was only an expensive heap of fire wood and also a small flock of bemused and currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Hut in Drayton Plains, Michigan
Generally these mass produced models are built of rapid grown lumber - come the initial decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that will not close, or tearing the door furniture off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The first warm and comfortable day implies the timber dries out as well as cracks, the felt roof bubbles and also boils, and come nightfall the chickens choose not to go in. This is not as a result of their dissatisfaction at the decrease of their once attractive building but due to the fact that the hovel is currently a haven for, as well as possibly abounding, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly suit 4 big chickens when that stocking thickness was based on the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, as well as just what are you entrusted? A number of hinges as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to 4 birds should cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a totally free standing house or one with a run affixed. Thinking you are varying your birds in a large room as well as the pop hole doorway allows enough for the type you keep, then the major requirements of real estate boil down to three factors which will certainly define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes as well as ventilation. Most breeds of chicken will perch when they go to roost at night, this perch needs to ideally be 5-8cm vast with smoothed off sides so the foot rests pleasantly on it. The perch must be higher than the nest box access as chickens will also naturally try to find the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they create one of the most poo) leading to dirtied eggs the list below day. They shouldn't however be so high off the floor of your house that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird comes down in the early morning. Chickens require regarding 20cm of perch each (in small breeds this is undoubtedly less), plus if more than one perch is installed in the house they should be more than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors yet are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird in front. Preferably the house should have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds and also these must be off the ground as well as in the darkest area of your house. Your house ought to have sufficient air flow: without it after that condensation will build up every night, also in the chilliest of weather. Realize, ventilation deals with the principle of warm air leaving with a high void drawing cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of the house and at the same degree, this is what's called a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the factors above are still real, but you must likewise take into consideration the run size. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a totally free variety bird is (and also let's face it, among the inspirations for keeping some hens in your home is potentially enhanced or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m squared. Take a close check out several of the bargain homes - it could well be your home has the right perches, right air flow and adequate nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized piece of ground to spend the day on? Therefore as the claiming goes, "you obtain just what you spend for". You may assume you've grabbed a bargain, yet you and also your group could rue the day you did. Purchase the best house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer given the correct therapy. In the long run your fowl and your chicken keeping encounter will certainly be a lot the much better for it.coop plans
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