The last year has really been a learning process with our Chickens and what they need. I am constantly learning what else would be good for them. Last year we had just a little coop, this year we have a mansion.
Our Mansion started out as a simple shed, that we are re-purposing, it needed some repairs and some chicken friendly updates.
The first and most important thing we did was put in electricity! Our chickens are going to be living the high-life this winter. This is going to help in so many ways. We can have the light on a timer to keep them on a longer day schedule in the winter so they will lay all year round and a heater keep them and their water from freezing.
Our Mansion started out as a simple shed, that we are re-purposing, it needed some repairs and some chicken friendly updates.
The first and most important thing we did was put in electricity! Our chickens are going to be living the high-life this winter. This is going to help in so many ways. We can have the light on a timer to keep them on a longer day schedule in the winter so they will lay all year round and a heater keep them and their water from freezing.
We painted then painted the floor of the coop with special paint that is supposed to protect the wood and make it last longer. I am also hoping that it makes cleaning up a little easier as well.
We moved the brooder that we built out into the coop for the new additions, I am hoping that having them in the coop will help the transition process as they get bigger.
Of course we needed nesting boxes so we found some old milk crates from my grandparents old coop, and decided to use them. We also built roosts in front of their nesting boxes.
And some golf balls just what every coop needs. We have had problems in the past getting our ladies to lay where they are supposed to, which results in them hiding in random corners of the yard for the dog to find much later YUCK. The run should keep them contained and hopefully the golf balls will be just the suggestion that they need to stay in the nesting boxes.
Patrick built a feeder that goes out to the run that we can fill up from inside the coop.
We have the different foods for the different types of birds and the different age levels separated into metal trash cans with lids to keep pests out as well as chickens.
Patrick built them a door that goes out into the run. It is on a pulley so we can easily shut it at night from outside the coop
Speaking of the run it is about 50' x 15'. We made it with 6 ft fence and then we covered the top with netting. We raised the netting up by using wire. It looks kind of like a big top, and gives us plenty of head space and will hopefully let the snow roll off.
We have spent a lot of time over the last year critter proofing and that is sadly what has started us working on this project. I am tired of raccoons and hawks picking off my flock and we had to come up with something to do about it. I really hope that we have done enough it has been such a struggle.
And to end the post here is a happy kid with a turkey on his shoulder.
