Cluckingham Palace

It all started with my modest little coop that I ended up adding on to.

(because of chicken math- you go to get 2 chickens, end up bringing home 4).

But our modest little coop was turning 8 years old,

and it just wasn't in good shape any more.  

Wood began to rot, and it was time for a replacement.

So we headed over to the local big box hardware store,

and 3 large carts later, we started the new 8x10' shed for the chickens.

Big E and I spent some time checking out some of the sheds at a local retail shed lot.

We took measurements and made notes on what we liked and didn't like.

Mostly I took notes on what I liked and didn't like.

And then the work began.

We used pressure treated lumber for the pieces closest to the ground and

put those on top of cinder blocks to help prevent rot.

One the floor joists were done, we laid out the floor.

Then we started the process of putting up the walls

and the roof trusses.

It was a whole family effort.

My son in law, grandson, son and mom all helped get it completed.

We had a deadline of the beginning of November

because I already had 3 new Guineas coming and had purchased 

early bird tickets for a local chicken swap

hoping to score some more birds.

 

Wasn't too long before we had the T1-11 siding going on

and the plywood being put on the roof.

Once the shingles were on, we only had to build a door, 

nesting boxes and roosting bars to be fully functional.

We used the 2 small windows from our old coop to put on the front.

We have plenty of roosting space and nesting boxes for additional birds.

I now keep 50 pounds of feed in a metal trash can in the coop.

We also used the old PVC feeders from the old coop only now they are completely inside the coop

instead of being on the outside.

The waterer made out of a 5 gallon bucket with side nipples is also kept in the coop.

We have a sliding door that we can raise and lower without going into the coop or run. 

It works on a rope run through eye bolts that can be tied to a cleat on the side of the coop to keep it open.

We weren't able to build the permanent run before the weather changed, 

but we've utilized the existed fencing, some netting and T-Posts 

from a temporary run we had to make a run they can be safe from 

most predators during the day.

At night they're all locked up tight in the coop.

We still have some finishing touches to do.

We plan on installing 3 more larger windows (18"x22") 

on each of the other walls to provide more natural light and ventilation in the summer. 

I'd like a small loft built to provide an area to store the 

bales of shavings and straw to keep them up off the floor.

I also want to install linoleum on the floor to protect the wood from moisture

and make it easier to clean and disinfect when needed.

And of course, we need a secure run.

We finished just in time for all the new birds.

I call the shed

Cluckingham Palace. 

So far it houses 3 Guineas King Richard, Beatrice and Eugenie,

the 4 original hens- 2 Barred Rocks Louise and Bertha, the Light Brahma Daisy and the Naked Neck who is still unnamed.

I've added a blue laced red Wyandotte, a standard white silkie,

an orange and white Satin Silkie named Beaker, a bantam silkie named Fuzzball, 2 Salmon Favorelles- one named Jaws the other nameless, an Ameraucana still unnamed and a black bantam cochin my friend had to rehome who we think is going to be called Raven Lucretia.

She's kind of a bad ass. 

I have 3 more pullets coming in a couple of weeks:

another Ameraucana, another Light Brahma and a Blue Rock.

I'm sure there will be many more chicken posts to come in the near future along with some updates about things around the house.

We've been pretty busy around here!

New Feeders

A few days ago, 

my chicken feeder decided to crack.

I kept it together with some baling twine, 

but it eventually just ended up breaking apart.

You can see the broken feeder in the above photo lying on the ground.

This is the before photo.

The new PVC feeders are going to be attached here.

We removed wire and replaced it with a piece of plywood.

This provides a weather barrier for the feeders,

and for the chickens.

It offers a wind break and protection from storms, 

as most of the nasty weather and wind comes from the west.

The ends of the feeders are made of a 90 degree 

and a 45 degree attachment.

The added 45 degree piece prevents the food from spilling out on the ground.

We measure the PVC pipe making sure to leave room

to be able to easily remove the cap at the top to refill.

Inserted the bottom portion of the feeder into the precut holes in the plywood

and glued the PVC pipe into the pieces

(I have no idea what they're called).

Once all the pieces were glued together, 

we used attacher thingies to attach the pipe to the side of the coop.

You'll notice that we placed a piece of scrap wood

(it was a garden stake)

between the upper portion of the pipe

and the coop wall.

This kept the pipe out away from the wall so the cap could be taken off easily.

The finished product

(minus the caps which were put on after filling the pipes).

The two pipes hold almost 1/3 of a bag of feed combined.

We had enough pipe left that we can add a third feeder

once we get all the attachments we need.

I also plan on adding a PVC oyster shell feeder as well, 

but I'll (or more accurately, Big E will) be using thinner PVC.

My overall opinion is that we should have done this sooner.

It is a fairly inexpensive feeder system

(we spent about $30 for the PVC pieces)

and it only took about 20-30 minutes to get it all put together.  

It holds more food than the feeders you purchase at feed stores,

and the food isn't wasted since the chickens can't scratch it out of the tube.

They also can't get the food dirty. 

It also frees up floor space.

There was no problem with the chickens finding or figuring out the new food system either.

Definitely something I'd recommend!

Helpful Hens

We had another snow storm on the horizon, 

so I had to head over to the homestead to take care of the chickens.

The coop needed to be cleaned out, 

and they needed some high energy snacks.

The girls thought I needed help with the straw.

I had to shoo them away several times.

Apparently, they like their straw pre-scratched and picked over.

The coop got cleaned, 

the snacks got added,

and I woke up to snow.

Yay.

Calm Before the Storm

Not sure if you've heard, 

but there's a big snow storm bearing down on the East Coast.

Snow totals keep changing,

I'm expecting to measure snow in feet.

This morning on the way to work,

the sky was red and I thought of that old mariner's rhyme

"Red sky at night, sailors delight,

red sky at morning, sailors take warning"

It's been all about preparing these last few days.

I've pulled out my hand crank weather radio, 

washed blankets

and stocked up on bread milk and toilet paper.

Last night was all about prepping the chickens.

I finished covering the run in plastic sheeting

to prevent it from filling with snow

and to offer protection from the winds.

The food and water were filled and the

coop was cleaned and filled with shavings and straw.

I also put straw in the run to offer something to scratch around in and some insulation.

They have 3 suet blocks for added calorie intact and sunflower seeds.

I also hung a cabbage to offer a boredom buster.

Hopefully all these preparations ensure the girls will be safe and secure

through the storm.  

The Last Brown Egg

Yesterday I dosed Henny Penny 

with antibiotics and Nutri Boost

and she seems to be slightly improved.  

The rattling in her breathing is gone and she is eating and drinking

all promising signs.

I also managed to get home and clean and sanitize the coop and accessories.

Earlier in the day
I let the chickens out.
They were out for maybe 15 minutes
and in that time, Blaze Starr disappeared.
My brother searched the fields for any signs of her or feathers or anthing
but there was nothing.
Could have been the fox,
though my brother and I are leaning towards alien abduction.
So I collected the last brown egg
until the pullets start laying
(Zombie lays white eggs)
So I got the coops all cleaned and all the stuff sanitized.
While I was at it, I kept an eye on how the 3 chicken in the coop were behaving.
All 3 got along.
Zombie didn't chase or peck anyone,
and all 3 were able to eat together at the same time.
Something that never happened with Blaze
who did nothing but terrorize the smaller chickens.
So, while I'm sad I'm a chicken down,
I'm not sad she's gone.
Seriously thinking her bullying behavior created the stressful environment
that allowed this illness to take hold.
 

Supervisory Chicken

Yesterday evening I decided to work on painting the coop.

The wind was blowing pretty hard so spray painting the portions

that need to be sprayed was out of the question,

but it was a good time to get a coat or two on the rest of it.

I brought along Henny Penny so she could get some exercise,

but all she seemed to want to do is make sure I was doing my job properly.

I had to lay on my stomach on a piece of cardboard to get the areas

located under the coop.

Penny was especially curious about why I was doing that.

Eventually she decided she just needed to sit with me.

I wish she'd try to go make nice with the other young chickens,

but she always sticks by me when I'm out in the yard with her.

It was quite the challenge painting while trying to keep a curious chicken out of the paint.

I did manage to get at least one coat on pretty much everything

(except 2 boards I couldn't reach).

The area under the coop is finished

as I decided if I had to crawl under there I only wanted to do it once.

It needs a second coat

and I need to spray paint the wood that has the wire attached to it,

but other than that it's finished. 

Repainting

Part of the coop renovation includes repainting.  I meant to get another coat of paint on it last year but time got away from me.  The original paint was seriously weather beaten.  So far, we've managed to get one coat on most of the coop.  It will definitely need a second coat, so I'm hoping I manage to get that on this weekend.  We're also painting all the wood framing of the run to help prevent the wood from rotting. That requires a little more work as I never painted it originally and now there's a lot of dirt and mud built up on the bottom framework.  It's nothing a little elbow grease and a wire grill brush can't tackle, but it's time consuming.  To help preserve the wood further, we're putting the whole thing up on 1 foot pavers to keep it out of the dirt.  And there's the reshingling of the roof and fixing/rebuilding the nest box and installing a second roosting bar. It will definitely be a busy weekend.

Locked In

I went by the "homestead" to check on the chickens

and get some more seeds planted in the garden.

I love how the new chicks come running to me when I get close to the coop.

So I went in and sat down with them for a bit

and spent time feeding all the chickens some dandelion greens. 

My husband found this amusing.

Moreso when he locked me in the coop 

and went inside the house 

where he spent considerable time chatting with my mother.

While I was locked in the coop.

The little chickens were pleased,

they used me as protection from the big chickens.

Renovation Day

This past Saturday was a gorgeous sunny 75 degree day

so we decided it was a good day to move the new chickens in

and upgrade the old coop.

The plan consisted of moving the side of the coop 1.5 feet

to add more floor space.

Martha Stewart was not happy about all the noise and bailed out of the coop.

In fact, there needed to be a couple of "egg breaks"

so the hens could lay their eggs. 

The other part of the renovation was adding 2.5 feet to the run

and making the run the same height as the coop.

Here is the mostly finished project.

All I need to do is paint it 

and make some "chicken furniture".

The new chickens were moved in

and that meant everyone is stuck in the coop 

for a few days until the new girls get used to the new home.

Bertha, the Queen Bee of this coop, was not very happy 

to find the old doorway was now closed off.

She's also not very happy that there are new chickens around.

In fact, I had to take the smallest chicken back home

as she was pecked and was bleeding.

She's now back in the house recovering.

Hopefully quickly!

Renovations

Yesterday was a beautiful day in our neck of the world
and since an injury has me sidelined from the gym and from my usual hike training,
I figured it was time to lay out a plan for the coop renovations.

Because I brought home 1 chick more than I was supposed to intended,

and 2 of the new chicks are Jersey Giants- the largest breed of chicken,

it was evident that we needed to make the coop a little larger 

to accommodate all the girls comfortably.

I had already planned to redo the run of the coop by making it the same height as the coop itself.

This would let me enter the run to clean it

and allow me to hang a waterer

and add some perches.

The plan has morphed into adding  1 1/2 feet to the existing coop

(which requires cutting large openings in the existing wall), 

adding 1-2 windows 

(which may require the need to relocate a support beam

and/or the existing perch)

adding 2 feet to the run

making the run the same height as the coop

and replacing the small door with a door big enough

for me to enter the run.

My husband is thrilled.

Bertha was interested in the goings-on 

and came to check it out.

Truthfully, I'm pretty sure she was looking for me to give her food.

Over the weekend they got some strawberry pieces

and that means (to them) that I might have strawberry pieces each time I come to the coop.

She and I had a talk about being nice to the new arrivals when they move in

as she is the boss of the coop.

She might have a run for her money 

as one of the new Speckled Sussex pullets is asserting her authority in the brooder.

We might end up with 2 rival chicken gangs like 

the Sharks and the Jets.

If I see any of them snapping their fingers

and singing I'll let you know.