Frankencoop is Born!

It was an eventful weekend.  Saturday was insanely busy with the kids, and Sunday – Ah Sunday! A friend came over to salvage parts of our fort that we are removing, and then my son and I took three of our hens out to a friend who is ready for a few back yard chickens.  Helps with bugs, provides eggs, and in general are just peaceful fun little critters to have around. 

I should mention now that she recently injured herself in what can only be described as an accident of cartoon proportions, and is on crutches for a while.  We loaded the truck with some supplies to install a short fence to separate the yard, and some scrap wood.  She had a large box that we were going to use for their new house, but I threw some scrap lumber in the truck just in case.  (Prescience maybe.)

My son caught the first bird and got her into the crate, then it was chicken rodeo to catch two more.  We ended up with one black giant, one white giant, and one red star. What a pretty trio these girls will make in their new well shaded yard!  Off we drove, and we arrived to move a little bit of wood and install a short section of fence.  As soon as we had the expanse up, we turned the girls loose so they could stretch their legs and we could then commence to converting what shall now be known as The Box into their new home.

The Box is a former small-medium shipping crate, which would have been perfect (note the would have been!) was filled with spray in foam covered by a sheet of plastic!  We got a couple of trowels and started digging it out.  After about 30 minutes (and keep in mind it’s 106 outside at this point), we called it quits on the box and decided to use it as a base.  We flipped it over and decided to make that the floor of the coop. 

Here I have to admit that a little bit of desperation was kicking in. I was getting overheated and starting to not feel quite rationale. 

Whatever shall we use to top it?!  Oh! The lid to the box can be the roof, right?! Sure it can!  How will we support it?  Well, here’s some handy scraps of wood that I had tossed in the truck!  Now… sides… “Oh friend! Can I salvage from the odds and ends stack to finish this out?”  Sure she says – use whatever you need.  Mwahahahahaha!!!!!!

Well… we found a length of polymer roofing (you know – looks like tin roofing, but it’s plastic and fairly flexible) – that wrapped and made two sides!  Awesome – Frankencoop is emerging.  Hmm… third side..  what the heck are those?  Oh! Garden stakes!  So we drilled pilot holes for the top mounting, screwed them side by side, then pilot hole drilled the bottom line and screwed those in.  Now… a ladder. 

Hello scrap wood! And some odd little flat panels that were in a bucket I brought.  And hey – a round monkey bar that I also tossed in the truck.  My son and I have created a monster! It will do it's job, so it isn't a monster - it just looks like one! Frankencoop has been born!  They have a roost, ramp, and 3 sides in which to shelter and to lay eggs.  They get a door Later!  

But what is that squawk?  Lucy, the red star, laid her first in her new home egg – in the back corner of the yard! 

When it’s cooler, we’ll take them a pretty coop.  I promise!