We've been busy building, next up was replacing the coop that was destroyed. Again, we used repurposed lumber and windows. The plan here was a bit different. Instead of setting posts in the ground, this is built on skids. This meant Dan could build it where the lumber pile was, near the greenhouse, instead of dealing with the mud near the chicken run. More importantly, it also means we can move it in the future. A mobile chicken house means we can take them away from their run when the grass is eaten up and put them somewhere with fresh pasture. We are always trying to make better use of our land and rotationally grazing areas with chickens reduces both mowing and insects while cutting down on our feed costs and giving the chickens a more natural diet.
This coop is also full of luxury features! While there is no removable window, there are ones that open. Ventilation was added near the roof with predator-proof wire. It sits much higher off the ground which prevents predators from lurking underneath and puts the chickens quite a bit higher up from ground level. This is really important, as we had a flash flood which reached all the way to the chickens' feet on their roosts last July. This should keep them safe in the event of another flash flood if the coop is near the creek. Dan also made a very special chicken door. It slides vertically to open and is extremely secure for keeping out nighttime predators. In the past I had to go into the chicken run each night to shut the door, but now I just have to pull a string! There is a small rope that runs through some plastic fittings to the outside of the coop, so I don't have to go in the coop or the run to open and close the door.
But perhaps my favorite feature are simply the door handles.
This coop is also full of luxury features! While there is no removable window, there are ones that open. Ventilation was added near the roof with predator-proof wire. It sits much higher off the ground which prevents predators from lurking underneath and puts the chickens quite a bit higher up from ground level. This is really important, as we had a flash flood which reached all the way to the chickens' feet on their roosts last July. This should keep them safe in the event of another flash flood if the coop is near the creek. Dan also made a very special chicken door. It slides vertically to open and is extremely secure for keeping out nighttime predators. In the past I had to go into the chicken run each night to shut the door, but now I just have to pull a string! There is a small rope that runs through some plastic fittings to the outside of the coop, so I don't have to go in the coop or the run to open and close the door.
But perhaps my favorite feature are simply the door handles.
Anything could work to open the door- the old coop had a small hole to stick your fingers through, far from ideal- but it did work- and I had long ago gotten used to it. On a working farm, function beats beauty because things not only have to work, but also need to hold up to hard daily use and be durable enough that the critters and weather don't destroy it. Slowly the doors on things like this newest coop (as well as the sheep house and hog house) have handles Dan made in the blacksmith shop. He's been a professional blacksmith for a few years now, and it shows. His items are beautiful AND durable. But as farmers and makers, we find that most times we tend to create beautiful things for others but not ourselves. We eat the misshapen produce, leaving the perfect specimens for the market table and not our own. We take the pork chops cut too thick on one end and too thin on the other. The chickens damaged in processing. The first tries from the forge or the sewing table that turned out a little wonky, the practice runs. We keep the good enough and save the great for the public because in doing so we have been able to make a living here rather than having off-farm jobs we hated. But I've also come to realize that it's necessary to treat yourself to some of the good stuff every so often. While it's a terrible business plan to save all the T-bones for yourself and hope the customers like chuck roast, it's probably equally terrible to deny yourself all of best pieces, whether it's steak or art. It's a treat for me to have something Dan made in the forge because I truly love it.
In fact, although 2019 started out rough I feel like we are really moving forward. The buildings that were created so far have been much more functional than what they are replacing. They are completely customized to what works for us here. We have continued doing many of the things that Dan's parents valued here- growing organically, raising animals in pasture-based systems, selling directly to our neighbors- but we've put our own spin on things. We still raise chickens, but I hatch heritage breed chicks in addition to producing meat & eggs. The meat chickens are raised in almost the exact same manner as before, but we need different housing for the layers because I'm also keeping roosters and single-breed flocks for hatching purebred chicks. I'm grateful for all of the infrastructure that was here for us to build on, but it's exciting to create something designed exactly for what we're doing now.
In fact, although 2019 started out rough I feel like we are really moving forward. The buildings that were created so far have been much more functional than what they are replacing. They are completely customized to what works for us here. We have continued doing many of the things that Dan's parents valued here- growing organically, raising animals in pasture-based systems, selling directly to our neighbors- but we've put our own spin on things. We still raise chickens, but I hatch heritage breed chicks in addition to producing meat & eggs. The meat chickens are raised in almost the exact same manner as before, but we need different housing for the layers because I'm also keeping roosters and single-breed flocks for hatching purebred chicks. I'm grateful for all of the infrastructure that was here for us to build on, but it's exciting to create something designed exactly for what we're doing now.