Hen House II

So...my son and I built the hen house, and I've been working on finishing it. I got really sick with bronchitis and a sinus infection...put me down for a couple weeks, so I've been playing catch up with work on the coop.

I used an oil based Kilz on it to protect the wood. That stuff is amazing! Dried, it left a sort of rubbery textured coating on the outside walls.

Trim and edging completed.

Trim and edging.

All done!

Kilz all done.

Time to add the color! My daughter in law, Dia, decided it should be turquoise...so...turquoise it is!

Trim and didn't need to edge as the roller covered that beautifully.

Coop painted!

Window covering and lid to nest boxes. It'll be roofed with the roofing material, so isn't completely painted...just edged.

All done...ready to apply wire at the top around the vent area.

 So...the blue tarped structure in front of the hen house is/was the chicks temporary structure. I used things on hand to set it up in June...a large dog enclosure surrounded with chicken wire buried about a foot to stop digging predators, chicken wire across the top, and tarped for shade. I placed a smallish pet carrier inside for some type of housing for the two hens, and space for them and their food and water.

Well...it was seriously in the way while all of this work was being completed...so I took a day to enclose underneath the coop. Moving the chicks was the most difficult part...lol...the larger one is a tad aggressive...snot! But they were moved so I could take down the initial temporary structure, and finish work on their permanent home.

Chicks under the coop.

Enclosure under coop.

Happy chickies!

Tarped construction taken apart and straw placed in compost.

I decided that I need to get some flashing, roofing paper, and canned insulation before putting the roof on top. Have to drive 2 hrs to closest Home Depot or Lowe's, and haven't had a chance to do that just yet...maybe this weekend. Once that's acquired and in place, I can put roof on top of coop, whitewash (I found a simple, safe lime wash to use) the inside. It has to be secure from rain/snow before I whitewash...so...figuring out when to do each step is critical. Then I can enclose the run, and cut the chicks loose.

Currently, I only have the two Rhode Island Reds...my first...*whispers* I don't like them. I got three of them the end of May, but lost one of the chicks early on. I prefer Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, and Australorps. I'll acquire some pullets this month...once the run is completed, and a few more next Spring.

I've been feeding them a non-GMO feed, and I have to say these are the healthiest chickens I've ever had!

Thanks for reading...

Ciao