Chicken coop makeover

I been having challenges with this side of my barn since I moved here.  I had to cut down all the overgrown shrubbery only to find severely rotted wood..
I had a saw mill custom cut the new boards that I sat out in the barn to weather for a year then  me and some guy I hired resided it.

I stained the wood with a stain made by soaking a brillo pad in vinegar.  You can’t tell the old from the new wood!

I decided to use this side for my chicken coop so I started building it with no help…which explains all the mess ups..
It was fine for a while and I was happy with it but it had problems and I knew it needed tweaking.  I had several problems with the coop as it was.  The roof has to be redone because it leaks…I used chipboard for the base of it and if I had the right slope and sealed the seams it would have been fine.  I probably should have also used roof paper on it. I don’t have enough overhang on the roof so when it rains the inside gets really wet.  The door started rotting on the bottom so I put my old door on it upside down..It looked terrible white.  I later painted it BUT I have yet to decorate it.

and the nest box on the side was okay except I hated reaching my hand in there.  One time I found a snake in there and I touched it ewwwwwwl!!

Rain gets in which make a freaking mess.

This weekend I decided to make some changes.  Inside I had a pallet that I leaned on the wall for the chickens to perch on…it came out.  I also had a makeshift ladders and other junk.
I had my grandson help me.I worked that baby to death and he loved every second of it LOL.  We took off the nest box, added an old rotted ladder that we sistered the legs so it won’t collapse and moved the feeding tube away from the weather.  I use the deep bedding method in the coop.  One layer of kitty litter to absorb odors, then 2 bags of pine shavings.  Every couple of weeks I add more pine shavings.  I also bring home the paper shreddings bag from work and spread it.  I  give the chickens table scraps which makes them nice and fat…and unfortunately they poop a lot so every 5 months I have some healthy compost which I shovel out and add to my compost bin to weather.  I think my chickies are happy and soon I will be too when I get eggs and start using the compost in the garden.  I replaced the nest box with a cabinet I got from the dump.  it is the perfect size for nesting.  So this project is unfinished for now but I have to get back to it to replace the roof and I have to do something with the end where the nest box was.  I am thinking I am going to get a big sheet of pexiglass.  I like not having wood on that end so the chickies can get some sunshine.  Healthy happy chickens equal healthy happy eggs!

 

I have a LOT of cleanup yet to do.  Since all the wood is soaked with water it is too hard for me to move and I can’t do it alone.  I need a man over here to help me.

I did not get any good photos of the inside.  Once I clean up I will take more photos and add them to this post.  Right now I have to hit the sack!!  Good Night!!