Definately Not Cheep....er, Cheap!

It seems like I am always trying to figure out ways to make my life a little more complex and somewhat stressful. This time, I thought a perfect way of achieving this was to start raising chickens. Oh, I always have known that to a certain extent, raising chickens has time and money involved, but I know that depending on the type of person you are, really determines the level of enjoyment that you can get out of almost anything. With our nation appearing to head into the toilet on so many levels, I have heard that people are starting to simplify their lives and try to prepare themselves for a time when they might have to start living more frugally and not have the option of relying as much on things we have grown accustomed to. So my thought was to start raising chickens for eggs and possibly meat. So far, the journey hasn't been too bad. Amy and Erin have really enjoyed the little peeps and this has been a wonderful learning experience for all of us. I, for one, have really learned a lot about general construction techniques because of course, the chickens need a place to stay. I have also learned that those chickens need to lay a lot of eggs in order to make back the money that we have already invested in the project. I never thought that we would really save money in the process, but I was hoping that it would cost less than it has. That's what this post is about. I hope you enjoy the pictures of the construction process of what has become way more than what was probably necessary.

Here are four of the five new members of the Walton clan. We actually purchased 6, but one expired for no apparent reason. At the time of this picture, they are about 2 weeks old.

 Here you can see the idea that I got for a portable chicken pen. It's built out of 1/2 inch pvc pipe and chicken wire. The cost was about $25, but really worth it, because it lets them get out of their little brooding box and into the sunshine. This is not predator proof but under supervision, it has allowed our other outdoor pets to get used to the chicks without having them for lunch. In the background, you can see the start of the chicken house.

This is the start. I was able to score quite a bit of used wood from several friends and family members and that has helped with the cost. The foundation is always one of the hardest parts because you have to make it level and square.

Since the coop sits off the ground a bit, the chickens needed a ramp to get in and out of their house. Erin built this pretty much all by herself. I think she did an excellent job.

Here, you can see the little opening that the chickens will use for access. You can also see Erin's ramp in place.

The coop with some siding in place. I had to learn about rafters and cutting the "birds' mouth" in order to get the pitch right for the roof.

Here, I have installed all of the siding and the tin roof. I decided that I wanted a door tall enough for me to enter without bending down. So I cut a 6 foot door. Remember that this is for 5 chickens. I think we have room for growth.

The trim is going up. I found a pretty good deal on some fiber cement siding and decided to use that. The only problem was that it was too wide and I had to rip it. Not really that much fun when you don't own a table saw. I also own a masonry blade for my circular saw, but it was slow and VERY dusty. Erin has begun painting and you can see a little of the trim around the door has been painted. We also now have a window.

Erin painted the little chicken ramp and I think it looks very nice in place.

I found an old window at a yard sale for $1.50. Good deal, but difficult to insert and we won't be able to raise it. It's primarily for light anyway. I also built a custom door from scratch. Getting close to calling this place done. One thing I haven't added is the nesting boxes. They will go on the left side of the coop and will stick out so that we may collect the eggs from the outside instead of going inside and potentially getting our feet poopy.


That's all I have for now. I will post more when available.