Parsons' Prairie Farm

I have been thinking about getting good laying chickens for some time now and have done a lot of studying on types of coops or housing for my hens.  I have looked at all kinds of coops, some very, very expensive, some not so bad.   I have considered both permanent coops and the mobile, tractor types that can be moved about the farm.  I considered housing the chickens in the barn with the alpacas and building a coop within the pastures.  Once I took everything into consideration, I decided to use the chicken coop that had been on the farm for many years. 

It is very sturdy and must have housed many chickens over the years.  There are a few things I need to do for the safety and health of the hens and a few things I think would make the coop more convenient for me.  And, of course, there are a few aesthetic things I would like to do as well.  Now that the chicks are here (and seem to be growing so fast) we need to get busy on the coop renovation.  So last weekend we got off to a good start. 

Jeff removed the warped and rotting floorboards and began filling the space below the floor with some of the leftover limestone chipping we purchased for the barns.  It is a slow process, one wheelbarrow at a time, but hopefully we will be done with that by the weekend. 

And, of course, Sun Tzu kept a careful watch on the project.  Wonder what he will think when the chickens are added to the coop? 

I will keep posting as we continue with the Chicken Coop Renovation.  Hope you will enjoy the transformation!