With maple syrup season finally in the rear-view mirror, it's time to turn our attention to our chicken project. Maggie has assembled a brooder in the basement, but we still need a place to keep the chickens when they reach 6 weeks. Since this is the first year we have tried to raise chickens, the hope is we can get the chicks to 6 weeks, but we are trying to think positive thoughts and are assuming there will be at least a few that make it to the point where they need to live outdoors. We made a lot of progress on the coop in the fall, but there is more to be done.
Work this weekend focused on the interior. I hung plywood sheeting along the bottom portion of the walls to reduce drafts and make cleaning easier. This was a bit of a challenge as the lumber used for the studs was not standard dimensional lumber - the 2x4 studs are actually 2 inches by 4 inches, and not 1-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches. I purchased 2x6 lumber to cut down when additional studs were needed to attach plywood. Because the roost will be in one corner, I ran the plywood higher up the walls to match the height of the roost. The nesting box was then attached to the back wall of the coop. It was, of course, raining when I started the work, so I set up a work area in the garage. For a while, it seemed like I spent more time going back to the basement to get tools than actually using tools.
With the skirt up, the next step will be to install caps to fill the stud bays. Again, if this was dimensional lumber, I could use 2x4 blocking. I plan to instead use 1x5 pine, which will also allow me to extend the blocking across the plywood edge for a neater finish. I also need to install the actual roost boards to the frame I constructed and provide places for the chickens to sit. I constructed frames to hold window screens as a winter project, which are in the process of being painted. The screens will be done in a couple of weeks, and will wrap up the windows.
On a trip to get some additional lumber, I stopped at Tractor Supply. They have baby chicks already, and it was fun to look at them and think about how our own chicks will enjoy their new coop.
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