Coop Progress and Veggies in the ground.

Our life seems to have taken a turn for busier, so I haven't kept you up to date. Let me see. I will add pics later, I know a visual is much more descript than my short explanations.

We finished priming and painting the rear exterior wall of the coop. We have post holes dug, and posts and supports sunk for a small chicken run. As time and funds allow this summer we will get a bigger run in place.

Our veggie garden has taken shape. I got some really cool hinges frames from a local guy that are great for tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. How I wish we could find more. John will be busy soon helping me get some more frames together. Let me see, to list off what has been planted...a few basils, 5 varieties of tomatoes(Early girl, Brandywine, Cherry, Roma, hmmmmmmmmm.....and another kind that has slipped my mind), dark purple eggplant, turnips, a few varieties of pole beans, sugar snap peas, zinnias, carrots, cucumbers, corn, green peppers, sunflowers, beets, asparagus. We still need to build the bed around the asparagus and the strawberries. The purple and green bush beans are not in yet, and a batch of garden peas and a variety of radishes .....starting to get nervous, but it will happen, all in good time. And I would like to get a few berry bushes in. I have been looking at blueberries, raspberries, and cherry trees. we will see what I come up with.

Our last batch of chicks(that some how I have no pictures of still) are enormous and about 6 weeks old. I really need to get pics of these, they are so cute, Partridge cochins....very small with feathered legs and feet. Our last batch of chicks were all bantams. They will be good for the younger children to handle.

To do list on coop....

• Prime ceiling of porch
• paint ceiling of porch gloss white
  
• make sure all eves have been fully gloss painted
  
• cover 3 showing nails on roof with asphalt caulk
• trim shingles on front and rear edge of roof
• find razor knife and scrape paint off windows
• finish installing run posts and supports
• attach fenced run to coop with pop door trim
• lash run fencing to posts
• install threshold on human doorway
• install and prime and paint vertical doorway stop
• figure out what trim needs to be acquired for outside of coop
  

Several weeks ago we got a dozen fertile eggs

from one of the poultry club leaders for the preschool classroom. They were placed in an incubator and 21 days later 7 chicks hatched, under the watchful eyes of about 60 kids. They stayed in the classroom for a few weeks, then we brought them home to join our flock. Last night we let them out of their small fenced off area in the coop to join the other birdies. A few of the Barred Rocks have really taken to these littlies as mother. I thought I would share pics of them today.

Finished Painting 3 Sides....

Butter Yellow. This weekend I painted the north side, south side, and front. It started raining, so back side is still unpainted, but as soon as we get a free moment we will be painting it as well. The chickens seem to be loving the coop. I love the way it is turning out.

We were able to go to the Farmer's Market here in town and show a few of our birds with other members of the poultry club on Saturday. It was so much fun. Both of the older girls took a bird, the girls were enjoying showing their hard work, and the birds were well behaved. It was a lot of fun.

To do list for this week

Well, the kids are out of school...thank goodness. So we have lots of plans for the yard and gardens. Of course finishing the coop from the outside is now our priority. So, the short list to do first before we begin trimming it out and building the run.

• Prime ceiling of porch
• finish priming porch posts
• remove vent and prime the square around it
  
• fill hole made by wood borer (GRRRRRRRRR!!!!)
  
• make sure all eves have been fully primed
• cover 3 showing nails on roof with asphalt caulk
• trim shingles on front and rear edge of roof
• find razor knife and scrape paint off windows
• start painting over primer(start with north side)

Priming Priming Priming

I spent a few hours primimg today...nearly done. Just need to pull out the vent, prime around it, and prime the porch ceiling. I think we have used 5 gallons of primer so far...maybe 6! Yikes!

Rooster Window Pulls

I just checked the mail and guess what came in today??? Some hilarious drawer pulls I ordered for the windows of the coop! So, I ran straight out there and installed them.

Priming Right Along!!!

It is such a nice beautiful sunny day out today, so with a few hours and a couple gallons of primer...voila! 3 sides are primed, just need to prime the back, the porch ceiling, and the front porch gable!

Checkin' Out Their New Digs

I think we have a bunch of happy birds and happy kiddos...the moment we have been waiting for! We set a small enclosure inside the corner, with a lamp for our 7 youngest birds, in a few weeks, they can join the others. Off to bed for everyone, sleep well feathered friends! I gotta' go clean the dining room!

The Proud Builders

One last peek around the coop...all is ready on the inside. We are all so proud and excited about what we have accomplished! Now it is time to bring out the birdies.

Final Finishing Interior Details

Painted the cabinet doors to the "attic" today. Then I put hook and eyes on the bottom and some sort of hasp closer thingo in the middle where the 2 sides come together.

Removed the vent to prime and paint the rear gable interior, primed, painted, caulked a small gap, then had John re-install vent.

Hung small chains with "S" hooks at the ends to hold up the roosts when I want to clean under them. Then I put a screw on the wall to hook the chains to when they are not in use.

Two big ceiling hooks were hung with chains and big "S" hooks at the ends to hold the waterer and feeder. With great joy, the children filled them.

While I finished the painting and caulking of one last spot, John cut the frame for the north window interior. I quickly primed and painted those...installed them wet. Then I used my bit of recycled rubber packaging and hammered up my doorstop. The paint was pretty wet and slippery, so it is a little crooked.

Just for fun, I found an iron door mat grate, so this welcomes you at the front door.

Now, I think we are ready for the birdies to move in. YAY!!!!!!

Chicken Door

Finished the chicken door. It is primed and painted, inside and out, and moves freely in it's track. It is 14" tall and 12" wide. We used another piece of left over drip edge to protect the seam between the sheething and stud. Not sure why an arched door, but a 12" plate worked well at the top for the arched section. Then I screwed 3 screw eye bolts in to hold a locking some thing or other. For right now a piece of left over 1/4 round, it will be different later.

A bunch of little bits.

Today's list..what was done...? hmmmmmmmmmm.....................

~paint any missed spots on front interior wall.

~prime both cabinet doors, inside and out.

~cut out and install chicken exit door

~prime chicken exit door

~caulk last gap near ceiling at rear

~prime 1/2 rear gable interior

~prime and paint frame of screen in south facing window

Pictures later!!!!

The Sleepover

Last night we finally got the interior of the coop completed enough for a camp out. Yes, I know, it was a school night, but they all slept out there anyway..the 7 kids and John. The babe and I slept in the house. Yes, I know, party pooper. They seem to have all enjoyed themselves. I got out there this morning just in time to snap a pic through the front door of the last 2 sleepy heads.

Second Window Screen, Rear Gable, Vent, and Cabinet doors

Today we were back at work on the coop. This afternoon I got the screening on the 2nd window. Then, I caulked some more. After soccer and Girl Scouts, we were back at it. John got the rear gable up and installed a vent. Then he cut the second door to the cabinet, and got it hung. While he was working away with the tools, I started clearing out all our tools and extras that had accumulated inside. So, once again...we are very near completion of the inside. So, tonight the kiddos and John are going to take a sleepover out in the coop. Hopefully by nightfall tomorrow the chickens will be resting peacefully in their new digs.

Thinking ahead for tomorrow....

~paint any missed spots on front interior wall.

~re-install stud braces on either side of doorway.

~prime and paint both cabinet doors.

~install hook and eyes to cabinets to keep then closed and to ceiling to hang open when needing access

~ frame out north facing window screen

~prime and paint the frame

~re-install door stop

~install chicken exit door(and whatever goes along with that)

~caulk last gap near ceiling at rear

~prime rear gable interior(remove vent first)

~paint rear gable interior

~re-install vent

~caulk any gaps

~prime and paint feet of roosts

~install hook and eyes on bottom of roost and ceiling

~prime and paint frame of screen in south facing window

~paint rafters

~hang chains to hold feeder and waterer

.......fill feeder and waterer and MOVE IN THE CHICKENS!

A Window With a Screen, Roosts on Hinges, and Strike Plates Installed

Keeping myself busy with coopy loveliness, the littlies and I managed to get a few things accomplished. I found a few more places where the caulk had not been painted...took care of that. I think those unpainted spaces breed when I am not looking.

Could not find the roll of welded wire anywhere that I looked(not in basement, not in garage, not in barn, not in wood shop area, not in shed...where could it be?????), so...chicken wire was available and used for window screen as well as a layer of aluminum mesh. I guess chicken wire really is neccessary to give it that coop kind o' feel! Keep the birdies in, the sweet woodland critters gone urban pests out. Then I framed it out inside. Need to remove and paint those tomorrow.

Gia and I built and painted the roosts. When they were dry, Anthony and I installed them on hinges, so they can be lifted up and raised out of the way when clean out is happening. To accommodate the hinges, we installed a small bit of 2'x4' over the stud brace thing so both sides were even. Ugh...that made no sense, sorry, thinking I cannot describe it so well at the moment. (why is this underlined?...weird)


Then I used the chisel & knocked out the places where the door latches in the jamb...and installed the strike plates. All in a days work! whoo hooo...still not done, but jeez we are almost there.

Front gable cut and installed

Happy Mother's Day! I got the front of the porch put on by my dear husband. He also got 1/2 of the back on and one cabinet door! Somehow I do not have pics of those two items. I spent the day painting some more, caulking some more, and helping to hold boards and tools and what not. Oh and I devised a funny little door stopped out from a recycled item that has amused me to no end today. More on that later. We are sooooooooooo close!