We’ve been at the Zumbrota farm for a week and a half now, and I’ve been hard at work on many house-related projects. There’s the obligitory cleaning and unpacking, and then there are the fixer-upper projects.
In the midst of all that I managed to sneak out to the barn for a while and make a spot for the new chicks that should be coming tomorrow.
The barn is an old dairy barn that is right behind the house. Unlike the house, however, the dairy barn hasn’t had much in the way of maintenance in the past….well, it’s been a while.
The thing with the chicks is that they’ll need a nice enclosed room that drafts and predators can’t get to. It’ll also need electricity, but the barn already has that.
There just so happens to be a smallish somewhat-suitable room in the back corner of the barn. Sure it’s full of manure, loads of old lumber and an old drinker-bowl hooked up to some galvanized pipe.
Oh, and it has a set of exterior doors that have certainly seen better days.
The back wall of the barn is below grade, and has several cracks and some buckling. Nothing too bad, but I’m not gonna mess with fixing all that just yet…
Step one of the Barn remodel, scoop out all the poop. (no need for a picture of that, right?)
Step two, rip out all the old lumber, including the doors and door frames, as the frames were rotted off at the bottom.
Step three, jack up the top of the frame and replace the frame.
Step four, new doors, latches and all that jazz. Snazzy no?
The final product: a nice warm, safe spot for the chicks when they get in tomorrow.
Oh, and somewhere in there I made a little 3’x3′ hover-brooder for the little fellas.
With all that done I think I’m gonna go get some sleep. The post office is supposed to call real early when the chicks get in.
I expect some poop scooping pics next time. Why else would I read a “farm” blog?!
Love the two little doors Andrew! Good work!
You did a nice job on the doors, it looks like a good spot for the new chicks. Is the 3×3 hover-brooder all you use to keep them warm this winter or will you also have to add some thing more for the Minesota winter?
Hi Gordon,
The chicks just need the brooder for about 4-6 weeks until they feather out. After that, they can handle the cold just fine on their own as long as they have a nice draft-free spot to hunker down.
good job, Andrew and good luck with the chicks. I’ll try to plan my visit about the time they are ready for the frying pan,
Include some pics. of the wife and baby one of these times.
Your a genious man…fix anything…write well enough for the New York Times…thats my cousin…woot woot