First off, this isn't a Centerpole level coop, but there aren't too many grain silos in northwestern Montana. I built this entirely by myself over the course of the summer and I'm pretty pleased with it so far. We'll see how it holds up once it's got a couple feet of snow on the roof.
Started out in what looked like one of the flattest areas on our property, ended up spending multiple evenings digging out rocks to get the cinder blocks to sit level. There was a solid 8" drop over the 9ft width of the coop.
Original goal was to have it done by the end of May when our new chicks would be ready to go outside. Our order got delayed, then the feed store couldn't get half of them, so I placed an order online. Ended up getting the chicks a full month and a half later than we planned on. Gave me a much looser timeline but not getting eggs out of them until sometime over the winter.
In hindsight, I wish I had gone with 3/4" flooring and tin on the roof. When the shingles need replacing, I'll probably switch to corrugated steel. If the flooring wears out, I'll likely switch to 1x6 planks to allow some of the dust to settle out.
I also can't believe the number of painting projects I've done in my life without owning a paint sprayer. It's a PITA to clean but I put 5 gallons of primer and paint on in what amounted to an hour and a half probably.
I would have preferred to get everything painted before I put the wire up but schedule didn't work out and we were ready to have those stinky SOBs out of the house.
Started out in what looked like one of the flattest areas on our property, ended up spending multiple evenings digging out rocks to get the cinder blocks to sit level. There was a solid 8" drop over the 9ft width of the coop.
Original goal was to have it done by the end of May when our new chicks would be ready to go outside. Our order got delayed, then the feed store couldn't get half of them, so I placed an order online. Ended up getting the chicks a full month and a half later than we planned on. Gave me a much looser timeline but not getting eggs out of them until sometime over the winter.
In hindsight, I wish I had gone with 3/4" flooring and tin on the roof. When the shingles need replacing, I'll probably switch to corrugated steel. If the flooring wears out, I'll likely switch to 1x6 planks to allow some of the dust to settle out.
I also can't believe the number of painting projects I've done in my life without owning a paint sprayer. It's a PITA to clean but I put 5 gallons of primer and paint on in what amounted to an hour and a half probably.
I would have preferred to get everything painted before I put the wire up but schedule didn't work out and we were ready to have those stinky SOBs out of the house.