Chicken Coops for Sale in Apple Springs, Texas
Chicken Coops for Sale in Apple Springs, Texas
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 Ideas in Apple Springs, Texas
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Apple Springs Texas" 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 Apple Springs Texas chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Apple Springs, Texas With the huge rise in poultry keeping there has actually been a similarly huge increase in the variety of poultry stuff for sale. Fowl housing is a situation in point. It's additionally a timeless instance of the great old bandwagon being got on as numerous would-be chicken real estate professionals peddle a range of lodging asserting to be the suitable remedy to your chicken housing demands. Typically the cost looks eye-catching, your house looks eye-catching, heck also the clean-cut family standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Certainly they know a top quality chicken house when they see one? There are many inexpensive and also horrible coops flooding the market. I understand this as I've examined a variety of them in the field, as well as seen a ewe run straight through one when the feed container appeared. The result was just a costly stack of firewood and also a small group of bemused as well as currently homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Kits For Sale in Apple Springs, Texas
Most of the time these standardized designs are constructed of fast grown up hardwood - come the initial decrease of rain they swell, leaving you either blockading a doorway that won't shut, or tearing the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to release the squawking occupants. The very first warm day suggests the timber dries out and cracks, the really felt roofing system bubbles and also boils, and also come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not because of their dissatisfaction at the decline of their once appealing residential property but since the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as possibly crawling with, the chicken keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add that it claimed on the blurb that it would fit four large chickens when that equipping density was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and what are you left with? A few joints and some kindling. A suitable coop for thee to four birds must cost you in the region of ₤ 300 though this can depend on whether you elect for a cost-free standing house or one with a run attached. Thinking you are varying your birds in a huge room and the pop opening door allows sufficient for the breed you keep, then the main needs of housing come down to 3 factors which will certainly specify the number of birds your house will hold; perches, nest boxes as well as air flow. Most types of chicken will perch when they visit roost at night, this perch ought to preferably be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot sits comfortably on it. The perch needs to be more than the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally naturally look for the acme to perch. A perch lower than that will certainly have the birds roosting in the nest box overnight (which is incidentally when they generate the most poo) bring about soiled eggs the following day. They should not however be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries could take place when the bird gets down in the early morning. Chickens need concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is clearly much less), plus if more than one perch is installed in your house they ought to be greater than 30cm apart. They will hunker up with their next-door neighbors but are not that crazy about roosting with a beak in the bloomers of the bird ahead. Ideally the house should have a the very least one nest box for each three birds and also these should be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of your home. Your home should have ample ventilation: without it then condensation will certainly accumulate every night, also in the coldest of climate. Be aware, ventilation works on the concept of warm and comfortable air leaving through a high gap attracting cooler air in from a lower gap - it's not a set of holes on other wall surfaces of the house and also at the very same level, this is exactly what's referred to as a draft. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still true, however you must additionally think about the run dimension. The EU optimum lawful stocking density for a complimentary array bird is (and also let's face it, one of the inspirations for keeping some hens in the house is perhaps boosted or better welfare) 2,500 birds each hectare, that's maximum one bird each 4m settled. Take a close check out a few of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the right perches, proper ventilation and also ample nest boxes for an affordable number of birds, however will each of the chickens have anything more than an A4 sized item of ground to invest the day on? And so as the stating goes, "you obtain exactly what you pay for". You may think you've got a bargain, however you as well as your group might rue the day you did. Acquisition the right house as well as it will certainly last for a few decades, otherwise longer given the proper therapy. In the long run your chicken and also your poultry maintaining experience will certainly be considerably the far better for it.build coops
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