Happy Chicken Coop Tour!

Today is the Twin Cities Annual Chicken Coop Tour.  I think this is our fourth year on the tour. I'd hoped to get our coop remodel done by today, but what with starting a full time job and other distractions, we're only part way through. I'm sure Jeremy wishes we were done too!  But the coop is certainly functioning and showable.

Here's what we've been up to the last few weeks:

Inside the coop you can see we got the sheathing up on the north and east walls. The chickens were quite interested in the power tools.




Windows in on the west and south walls:

 

Once all the outside sheathing/windows were done, Jeremy got to work on removing the original hen house from the inside.  Doors off first!
 

Then dismantling the floor...
 

...and cutting that away, all but the last foot or so in the back. We're planning to add three more nest boxes under the original three and have their food and water under this ledge. You've got to have a cover over those things or they'll poop in it!
 

Here it is on the outside with the trim and paint mostly done! Okay - the only part of the exterior that isn't done is on the north and east walls which you can't see at this point.  Pics of those ... later?
 

Inside! Readers may remember our tiny mini-coop we put in last year. We decided with the remodel to turn that to the side and make the entrance go right into the main coop. When I post pictures of the north side this will make more sense. It's blocked off at the moment because the chickens were trying to eat the rigid insulation!  After some more finishing touches they won't be able to get at that.

 

We added an extra roosting bar spanning the whole length of the coop - but these are all temporary. There are 3-4 silver leghorns that have been roosting up in the rafters and attic space for the last year. We'll be putting a ceiling in soon and putting a stop to that. And we're thinking about the best design for roosting space.
 

This unfinished state works quite well now because it has been quite warm the past few weeks. But pretty soon we'll get insulation in the walls and sheathing up. Then they'll be nice and toasty for winter. Plus, on the really cold days when we can't let them out of the coop, they'll have plenty of space to roam around, and access to their food and water. I think they will be much happier.

Now, it's almost 10:00 and that's when the coop tour starts. I'd better get out to the coop!