The Chicken Coop!

Here is the photo journal of building our chicken coop. 

We built the floor (8' x 8') in the garage, then put it on pilings to reduce the risk of critters getting in from underneath.

 We had all 4 sides and the roof framed when Grandpa Ron came and pointed out the sides bowed out! So off came the roof and side framing while we straitened up the walls and reset the roof. (Good thing Grandpa was there to make sure we got it right!)

 Once everything was squared up and the roof back on, the inside walls went in, first the back (4' tall) . . .

 then the front (6' tall).

 Next the ends were re-framed . . .

and the inside end walls added.

 The opposite end as well.(We had lots of good helpers for this project.)

Chickens need light, so we installed windows on the East wall. (Thank you Grandpa Austin for the wonderful windows. They fit perfectly and look mighty fine!)

  Next the large door is framed and hung. 

 It was Jospeh's idea to use the elk horn for the handle.  All in all, a very cool looking and artist door built by Daniel, and Grandpa Ron! Here is a nice close up of the handle.

 This is the opposite end waiting for its door.

 The smaller door has a drop horn from a small buck and was built by Daniel, Caleb, and Joseph.

 To keep out the drafts we wrapped the coop with an aluminum foil wrap that one of our renters very kindly left in our garage. Then recycled 1"x8" boards cover the outside. (And they were free!)

Making progress on the end.

 And finally, after about two weeks, the finished coop!

 The children thought it would be fun to sleep out in the coop before the chickens took possesion.

 They had a nice little camp out.

 The next day we moved the chicks into their new home.  (You can see we painted the inside with a $5 gallon of paint to make the walls easier to wash. A nice shade of blue that keeps it light in there. Credit goes to Amiane and Hanna for such a nice paint job, with a little help from Andrew.)

 This is the back wall with access to the nest boxes.

 Here we have the door open and a little helper peeking out.

 It was quite an undertaking, with many long hours, but a great opportunity to work together as a family. We are quite delighted with how it turned out.