Chicken Coops for Sale in Brightwood, Virginia
Chicken Coops for Sale in Brightwood, Virginia
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 Chick Care in Brightwood, Virginia
A good place to start any search is the internet. Simply plugging in the phrase "chicken coops for sale in Brightwood Virginia" 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 Brightwood Virginia chicken coops. What to look for when buying a chicken coop in Brightwood, Virginia With the substantial boost in chicken keeping there has actually been an equally big surge in the array of chicken stuff for sale. Chicken real estate is an instance in factor. It's additionally a classic example of the good old bandwagon being jumped on as different potential poultry housing experts market a range of accommodation declaring to be the perfect solution to your chicken real estate requirements. Usually the price looks desirable, your house looks eye-catching, hell even the clean-cut family members standing there feeding the chickens look attractive. Definitely they understand a professional chicken house when they see one? There are many low-cost and also horrible coops flooding the marketplace. I recognize this as I've checked a variety of them in the area, as well as seen a ewe run straight via one when the feed pail appeared. The result was only a pricey pile of firewood and a little flock of bemused and now homeless bantams.
Chicken Coop Boxes in Brightwood, Virginia
Typically these standardized versions are built of fast grown up timber - come the very first decrease of rainfall they swell, leaving you either defending a door that will not close, or ripping the door furnishings off in a vain attempt to launch the squawking residents. The first warm day indicates the lumber dries as well as cracks, the felt roof covering bubbles as well as boils, and come nightfall the hens refuse to enter. This is not because of their frustration at the decline of their as soon as eye-catching residential property but because the hovel is currently a sanctuary for, as well as possibly abounding, the poultry keeper's nemesis, red mite. Add on the fact that it claimed on the blurb that it would certainly fit 4 large hens when that stocking thickness was based upon the Circle Line at 5pm on a Friday, and also what are you left with? A couple of joints as well as some kindling. A respectable coop for thee to four birds need to cost you approximately ₤ 300 though this could depend on whether you elect for a complimentary standing house or one with a run connected. Assuming you are varying your birds in a large room and also the pop opening door allows enough for the breed you keep, after that the main demands of real estate come down to three points which will define the variety of birds your home will certainly hold; perches, nest boxes and air flow. A lot of types of chicken will certainly perch when they visit roost in the evening, this perch must ideally be 5-8cm broad with smoothed off sides so the foot rests conveniently on it. The perch must be above the nest box entry as chickens will certainly additionally naturally seek the highest point to perch. A perch less than that will have the birds roosting in the nest box over night (which is by the way when they create the most poo) leading to soiled eggs the following day. They should not nonetheless be so high off the flooring of your house that leg injuries could possibly take place when the bird comes down in the morning. Chickens require concerning 20cm of perch each (in tiny breeds this is clearly less), plus if more than one perch is mounted in your home they need 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 in front. Preferably your home ought to have a the very least one nest box for each 3 birds and also these ought to be off the ground as well as in the darkest location of the house. Your house must have adequate ventilation: without it after that condensation will certainly develop every evening, also in the coldest of climate. Be aware, ventilation works on the concept of cozy air leaving with a high void attracting cooler air in from a reduced gap - it's not a collection of openings on contrary wall surfaces of your house as well as at the exact same degree, this is just what's known as a draught. If you have a house with a run connected then the points above are still real, but you need to likewise take into consideration the run dimension. The EU optimum lawful stocking thickness for a totally free variety bird is (and also allow's face it, among the inspirations for maintaining some chickens at home is potentially improved or far better welfare) 2,500 birds per hectare, that's optimal one bird each 4m settled. Take a close take a look at a few of the bargain houses - it could well be the house has the best perches, proper air flow and also ample nest boxes for a sensible number of birds, yet will each of the chickens have anything greater than an A4 sized piece of ground to invest the day on? Therefore as the stating goes, "you get exactly what you pay for". You may assume you've grabbed a bargain, however you and your group could possibly rue the day you did. Acquisition the best house as well as it will last for a few years, otherwise longer offered the right treatment. In the long run your fowl and also your chicken maintaining encounter will be a lot the better for it.coops chick
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