Chicken Coop
MY FREE CHICKEN COOP HAS ARRIVED; SCROLL DOWN TO SEE WHAT PLANS I HAVE FOR IT!
I have a chicken coop! I know it’s not exciting to everyone but I’ve been waiting for two years to get one and it was FREE. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly.
This coop is for meat chickens not laying hens. I already have a source for farm fresh eggs so I don’t even bother raising them myself but meat chickens are another thing.
In past years I’ve raised our meat birds at Grama Red’s farm but its a hassle having feed, water, and clean the coop when it’s not right on our own property so it’s been a year I’ve been without our own raised chickens.
Hubby said he’d build me a coop but I hated to go to the expense when I knew he comes across buildings all the time for free so I’ve been holding out. Well the timing was right and the shed was free so hubby loaded it onto our trailer and brought it home for me and added a couple of free windows.
Hubby, son, and one of our employees picked it off the trailer with two of our bobcats while the other one drove the truck and trailer out from underneath it and gently set it in place.
It even came with electrical so that was a huge bonus. I only need to run a heat lamp for a couple of week so electrical wasn’t a must but it made it much easier that’s for sure.
I’d planned on ordering Jumbo CornishCross chicks online and even had them in my cart but at the last minute I decided to run to Tractor Supply first to grab feed, a waterer, and a feeder and while there I asked if they had any meat chickens left.
It was getting a tad late in the season so I figured they’d be sold out but to my surprise they had 20 left, exactly the number I was looking for. There was a sign on the brooder though that said SOLD. I asked a store attendant about them and he said someone had paid for them 2 weeks prior but never came back to get them. I asked him if I could buy them and him refund the other people if they ever showed up again. He was all for it they were getting to big for the store to keep and they needed them out of there.
So home I came with my supplies and 20 not so baby anymore chicks. After thinking it on it some I decided buying them later in the season is smarter. The store spent the money to feed them for two week, they were past the stage of pasty but, and didn’t need a heat lamp for long once I got them.
Normally I’ll loose a couple of chicks in the first few days but these are all healthy and getting big. It takes 8-9 weeks from start to finish to become mature meat birds and ready to butcher. I figure these will be ready to go the beginning of July.
Once they’re in our freezer I have plans to make the coop cute. Right now it has yellow siding on it, I don’t have anything against yellow siding it just doesn’t match our cabin. In fact it really sticks out like a sore thumb on our property.
My plan is to paint and distress it to look more like our home. I checked with a friend who’s worked for Sherwin Williams forever and she said they make a paint that’s specifically engineered for vinyl. I’d done a little research and everything said if you paint it a dark color the sun will warp the siding and I’ll have a bigger mess on my hands. She informed me that’s not the case with this paint and I’ll have no problem going with a darker color.
So I’m anxious to get started on that project and I’ll also white wash the inside once the chickens move out. We’ve had rain almost everyday anyway so I wouldn’t have been able to paint anyway. It’s probably a good thing because it’s something I really want done.
The photos above is a mock-up of how’d I like it to look, or something similar. The dark brown will fit in much better with the surroundings and the color of the cabin.
Dawn, your going to have the cutiest COOP in town . That is awesome that you raise your own meat chickens. How much do they normally weigh when you put them in the freezer ?
Cheryl, I sure hope the coop turned out cute! The chickens dress out around 8 pounds, their more like a small turkey.
As a grown woman, my mother-in-law used to ask for my help butchering chickens, and while I appreciated the home-grown chickens from her freezer, I couldn’t do it. Since childhood, even the lowliest of creatures were viewed by me as a pet, just like dogs and cats, so chickens, while not the smartest of critters, were no different. As a child and even a teenager at our small town home, my mother knew me well enough to warn me when she was going to butcher the chickens I had fed and named, and I would spend that day away from home. I grew up knowing we have to kill animals for our food, and while I do eat meat, I cannot take part in the killing and processing. Good luck to you with your 20 chicks. I hope they’re healthy and nourish your family well.
Pat, No way can I do the butchering either. I’ll put them in crates and take them to be done. I grew up raising all our own cattle and my Dad was a butcher. I became a vegetarian for years once I’d witnessed the process but I’m back eating meat again just not processing it myself.
Isn’t it wonderful when God leads us or gives us the desires of our hearts! You were blessed big time. The coop plans looks awesome!
Aw thank you, I’m so glad I’ve been patient and waited for a free coop!
We raise for eggs, I just can’t raise & look at a bird 24/7 then, chops it head off …
I love my chickens.. I feeling sorry, for those white meat chickens 🐔 Knowing, they will only live for 6/7 weeks.
Past the green beans & other veg’s for me ☺️
Sofia, LOL I was a vegetarian for years because my Dad was a butcher and I witnessed too many of our farm animals served as dinner but with age I realized it’s all part of where our food comes from and I’m okay with it all now.