moving the coop in place

Now that the coop was finished it needed a good coat of paint to protect it from the elements. We asked a close friend and artist, Peggy Turley, to give us some color patterns that would be unusual for a chicken coop but attractive to visiting children. After some trial and error, the coop became one of the most colorful buildings in Memphis. It was now time to move the coop to the outdoors.Easier said that done. We estimated that we had constructed an 800 lbs structure. We would need a least 8 strong man to successfully move this thing. Because I could not come up with a list of 8 strong friends ( no offense) I decided to follow the old country saying: " Do not do yourself what you can have done by a machine" . I remembered that our friend and neighbor, Steve Schwartz, had a Bobcat forklift that would have no problems with this project. Finally the Chick Mahal was in place.

THE MAKING OF THE COOP

With 6 chicks in the brooder box we had to start thinking about a permanent outdoor coop and run.
The internet is a great source for inspiration and it did not take long to come up with a good design. One minor problem was the fact that we had no plans ( ie dimensions) just some pictures of things we liked. I engaged my friend Damien and we spent 2 days building a coop that should make even the pickiest birds happy. We installed a window to allow some crossbreeze and light during the day. A nesting box is attached to the house which allows access to the nests ( = eggs) without having to go into the run or the coop itself. One of the biggest chores for a chick fancier is the fact that you have to open and close the coop door at certain times. To avoid this routine we installed an automatic door that works on a timer. By the time we finished our project, we had created deluxe accommodations for at least 20 chickens and the coop was so heavy that we couldn't move it outdoors.