We have basically finished it. I say basically because we have some touch up paint and some painting to do on the overhang, and a porch to add, but the biggest and most important parts are done.
Again, almost. We still have laying boxes to make - but we will do that this weekend.
This is the front, obviously, and you can see the overhang that needs to be painted. Soon, we will add a little porch on here - that is why it is so long.
Do you see the big pots on either side? Those are full of dirt for 'dusting' boxes for the chickens - and they LOVE their own private dusters! Lol... The trash can there holds the hay I need to freshen the coop.
The east side:
The west side:
The south side - or better known as the back:
When you first walk in, there is a 4 foot area for storage for food and such - and then a screen door to enter the coop:
Inside the coop, we built roosts with the poop boards under them. The poop boards are filled with Sweet PDZ, a horse stall deodorizer, but I use it for a chicken litter box - kinda like a cat litter box, ya know? Every morning, I take about 5 minutes to scoop the poop out (with a cat litter scoop) and toss it in the compost pile.
I put the Sweet PDZ in 2.5 months ago, and have done daily scoops with no changes or additions of Sweet PDZ. It is still fresh and not a mess. Sweet PDZ is natural, compost-able and works like a charm! Absolutely no stink in this coop!
We installed a fan so the chickens can stay cool in the summer heat - they love their coop! They enjoy 'hanging out' in here!
I am using the deep litter method for the floor. I put hay, Sweet PDZ and grit on the floor. Again, no stink in this coop. This litter has not been changed for 2.5 months - I have occasionally added hay and I sprinkle Sweet PDZ over their poop, but beyond that, nothing. The feathers are left over from when I had WAY tooooo many roosters. We are down to two now so no more feathers are flying. Man, that was a mess! I will say though, I need to change it just because it is 'looking' sad.
We have a Poultry Butler Door. It opens at sunlight and closes at dusk. Yes, our chickens make it in before the door closes. Occasionally, Ella, my 'special' chicken doesn't get in, but I have a rooster that crows until I come out to bring her in. Even at 11:30 pm - he crows. He needs all the 'girls' inside and safe before he sleeps. All the others make it in before the door closes! I LOVE this door! Well worth the money!
This is what is always at my feet - my 'special' girl Ella and my side kick Chelsea. Yes, she herds chickens. And yes, she loves Ella!
The only thing we are missing in the coop are the laying boxes. We have two weeks to get them installed and that will be done this weekend. We just haven't gotten it done yet, but the girls are a few weeks from starting to lay now. We will get them all finished before then.
If you missed noticing this, I put chicken portraits on the walls - after all - it is their house!
I 'see' you rolling your eyes... lol... that's ok, it is my coop, and I like it!
And my grand daughter and I added the "Easter Eggs" so we could encourage the 'girls' to lay colorful eggs.
And finally, the name. Are you surprised by what I named it? Lol...
Now you have seen our chicken Taj - but, in the future, you will now hear it being called Justa Cluck Inn.
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