Step One: Fix The Old Coop

While Little Man and I were taking a nap Sunday afternoon, Andy decided he was going to take advantage of the unusually warm weather to start getting the coop ready for our chickens in the spring. The only thing we had done up to this point was clear out some of the Japanese Knotweed that was surrounding it (we still have a lot to clear out). As you can see from the chicken run we are going to have to take the whole thing down and start over because of the Knotweed.

(And at this point, Andy takes over the post...) As you can see in the photo above, it takes a special kind of moron to start renovating a chicken coop in the middle of winter. Tromp out to the coop, clear the snow to get in the door, and start making it home for the future feathery fried fowl. (Oops!-I meant, 'the egg-providing hens'.)

Below is a picture of the inside of the coop before sweeping and weed removal commenced. It's in fairly good condition - I swept out the hornet nests and pulled the weeds, and all that's left is patching a few holes. Weather-tight and cozy (for a chicken).

Below is a picture of the laying boxes. Should be enough to cover the small number of birds we'll be keeping. Add some litter, set up a feeder and fountain, and we'll be ready to open the Chicken Chateau! Sounds great, right? Take another look at the first picture showing the outside of the coop and the dilapidated run to the right. Yeah...going to need to rebuild the run. Right now, it's choked with knotweed and falling down. I've started to pull the wire and supports down, but there's still a full day's work left to remove it. Then I have to build the new run. (Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to get some eggs at the market?!) Hopefully, it will get warm for a few days next month, and the work can continue.