As we slowly convert our property to a self-sustaining enterprise, one of the next steps is to introduce animals into the mix. This year, we took a small step with the addition of a beehive. Next year, the hope is to add chickens - the 'gateway' animal, to the homestead. There are two broad categories of chickens, laying and broiler. We will be starting small, with a few laying hens.
When looking for property, we found ones that had a large number of outbuildings, often in varying states of decay, and ones with just a house and garage or outbuilding. The property we purchased fell in the middle, with a two-and-a-half car detached garage, a small barn, and two small sheds. One shed is slightly elevated with a wood floor, and the other has a dirt floor. Over time, the elevated shed has become the default garden shed, being used to store pots, row cover, and beekeeping supplies. The other has sat largely empty, being used to store tomato cages. Our plan is to convert this shed into our chicken coop.
My initial plan was to divide the shed in half, using one half for chickens and the other for continued storage. Because I am assuming our flock will grow over time, and because dividing the shed would frankly take more work, I decided to go all-in and use the entire shed for chickens. The shed is in fair condition. Maggie hired an Amish roofer to put new metal roofs on the outbuildings a couple of years ago, so the shed should be watertight. However, the windows and door are in poor condition, there is a hole dug under the door by various animals looking for a home, and there are no soffits along the eaves. The first step in our conversion is to make the shed as varmint-proof as possible.
I started from the top, by tackling the soffits. Coops need good ventilation, but I also want to retain some warmth in winter. My thought was to install 1/4-inch hardware mesh in half the soffit bays and seal the other half with 2x4 blocking. I beveled the blocking with the table saw to provide a tight fit along the roof, and screwed them into place so it would be easier to switch to hardware mesh if more venting was warranted. I cut the hardware cloth into rectangles and bent the edges 90 degrees using a hand brake for sheet metal work. The vent screen was then tacked into place using lathe and crown molding staples. A one-day project and the roofline is sealed.
Chicks are usually purchased in March, so they have the spring and summer to mature and to produce a few eggs by fall. If we want chickens next year, the shed needs to be largely complete by spring. In late summer I had started my last major project of the year, which was the basement. With the bees and basement bathroom complete, the basement was the last of our three 'B's' this year. As always, late summer and early fall were consumed by canning and getting the garden ready for winter, so progress on the basement has been slow. With the realization that the coop project needed to be pushed along, I decided to use the last of the warm weather for that project, and switch back to the basement when it became colder. Hopefully we will have some Indian Summer.
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