My chicken coop, well its been used for many different things; an ice shack, chicken coop, storage house, then back to a rotted chicken coop. First you will walk up my lawn and turn right, when you first see my hen house it looks like a red rotted away shack, with chicken wire, mud, and a solid metal water trough. It isn’t it is a great hen house. Actually it’s okay, it’s not like its going to win a beauty prize.
When you first see my hen house you will notice the moss covered roof. I did not paint my chicken house my grandpa did. The outside walls are particle board, the first wall you see is painted red, all the windows except one are outlined with white paint, this wall also has a hole. This hole was made by chickens pecking at the wall, but it looks rotted. The wall with the door is also painted red, this wall has no windows. The other two walls are painted Christmas green, the back wall has the biggest window but it isn’t outlined with white paint.
Before I forget I will tell you about the pen. The pen is like a chicken wire box. Their are four foot tall green metal posts stuck in the ground they hold the wire up, so it doesn't cave in. The pen is about six feet long and six feet wide. The top is covered with chicken wire due to hawks killing my hens. The inside of the pen has two rocks that form a six inch cliff to the lower part of the pen. In the lower part of the pen in the right hand corner is my solid metal water trough. My uncle Rodney made this trough for me when I first got chickens. Now what you’re probably wondering is how do the chickens get into the pen? Their is a two by two and a half ramp. The ramp connects to the hen house and then the end of it is in the mud. The chickens like to dust under it in the shade during the summer.
I will now bring you into my chicken coop. First I will open my plywood door with the little metal handle. What you will see is egg boxes, a roost and a little one by one square hole into the pen. The egg boxes are five feet long two and a half feet high and about a foot wide. Their are two levels in the egg boxes. A top row and a bottom row. Their are five egg boxes in a row. Their is a little roost that spreads in front of the top row. This makes it easer for the hens to get out. Although my stupid rooster thinks he’s a hen and sleeps with only his head in an egg box and his big butt sticking out. (he is very fat, probably about fifteen pounds). Each egg box has a two inch layer of wood shavings, so the eggs don’t break when they are laid, or if their are little newborn chicks.
Then you will come to the roost. The roost is setting on two cinder blocks. The roost is just an old oak branch. I moved my hen roost and egg boxes around so behind the egg boxes is what I call “my chicken art” which is poop on the wall. It looks like paint.
The inside walls, don’t worry I’m almost done. The inside walls are thin sheets of wood. Me and my dad installed them our selves. They are not insulated but the roof of the hen house is. The roof, well the roof is rotted and its covered or painted with soft green moss. I will bring you outside to show you one of the most used places of my hen house. Under the chicken coop. Under the chicken coop is dirt. The chickens will sit in this small dirt pit for hours and dust. (If you don’t know what I mean by dusting it’s covering their bodies with dirt to cool them off and rid themselves of mites.)
I shall now bring you away from my faithful chicken coop and bring you to the cellar. Now you are probably thinking the cellar why the cellar? Well, I have my chick pen in the cellar. It’s really a bunny cadge but I use it for chicks and broody hens. One of the left hand corners is cracked and broken. I got a deal on this cage due to that crack, so I like it. The cage isn’t super big but broody hens and chicks like to be kept together so they feel safe and secure. Another pen I have is the out door chick and broody pen. I will bring you back out side to see this pen. Me and my dad made this from scratch. It is a three by three pen, and it is three feet high not counting the tarp bubble roof. I lock it with a small balk bungee cord. The pen is small enough so I can move it around so they can have fresh grass. This factor helps if you have a mother he that wants to get out after two months of being inside. Well, thats my chicken coop and pens thanks for reading!