Coop Extension

I've not been doing very good blogging everday and taking pictures. Kelli at Sugar Creek Farm is really quite an inspiration where this is concerned. She takes a lunch break walk everyday on her farm and carries her camera with her. I love to take pictures but have not gotten into this habit.
Anyway...
I've been working on extending our chicken coop to hold a larger number of chickens. We currently have 22 layers but 43 chicks in a barn stall waiting for a home. These chicks have grown unbelievably (pictures to come) and are really needing their new home. This is where I am on it so far!
I'm quite pleased with my pallet coop. I've purchased only the roofing materials so far which is the corrugated sheets and 2x4's. Oh, yes, I forgot that I bought the cement blocks for the posts. But the rest has all been pallets and scrap wood laying around the farm. The roof is done and now I'm staring to put up the boards to cover the sides.

The front has a large opening (where Joseph is posing at) that I am just going to screen over for good ventilation. The newer coop is attached to the main coop. Once the old flock is butchered a door between the two sections will open up so that the bigger flock will have room to roam the whole thing.

Just a fun picture of Kelsey, Joseph and Charissa peeking through the pallets.

The chickens have a fenced run and a good part of the year they'll have access to the large fenced garden. I really do wish that I could let them truly range everywhere but being that we only have 2.5 acres and near enough neighbors with roaming dogs I just cannot trust that they'll be safe to range. We have neighbors dogs in our yard daily!