Building a New Coop for My Growing Turkeys, Part II

September 25, 2023

Building a New Coop for My Growing Turkeys, Part II

Soon, my growing turkeys will move into a beautiful new coop.

Here at the farm, my property manager, Doug White, and Pete Sherpa from my outdoor grounds crew, have been working hard to complete the structure located at one end of the chicken yard. The 10-foot by 10-foot coop has windows on all sides for proper ventilation. I also wanted it to be tall, so it could house a ladder upon which the turkeys could roost. At the front is a large and very practical sliding barn door, which slides open and closed easily, stays put, and is out of the way. And on one side, a turkey-sized hinged door, which will offer the birds another way in and out of their new home.

Here are more photos, enjoy.

: On this warm, sunny day, the framing is all complete and the walls are all going up, plank by plank. Window openings are also framed out on every side.

: Fernando Ferrari has been working with me a long time. He does a lot of the painting here at the farm. Our favorite color – Bedford Gray, of course. Here he is starting on the back of the coop’s exterior walls.

: From the inside of the coop looking up, one can see the horizontal slats on one side along with the shingles that are secured to the slats.

: There are still a lot of shingles to put up. We’re using cedar shingles for the roof of this coop. Each piece measures about 16 to 18 inches long and about four to 14 inches wide. Wood shingles can last between 15 and 40 years depending on the climate, exposure to the elements, and the slope of the roof. As a rule, the steeper the roof, the longer the material will last because rain won’t pool on it and ice and snow won’t accumulate.

: Batches of shingles are placed on the roof, so they are easy to reach.

: Here’s Pete putting up the shingles on the south side if the roof. Each piece is hand-selected, so it fits perfectly.

: And here he is working on the ridge of the roof. The roof ridge is the horizontal line running the length of the roof where the two roof planes meet. This intersection creates the highest point, sometimes referred to as the peak.

: Down on the ground, Doug works on the casings for the windows.

: I brought these windows back from Maine. They are from an old house I took down on my property next to Skylands. They are perfect for this project.

: Fernando cleans the front window and prepares it for painting.

: This window is repurposed as an awning window – hinged on the top, so it can easily open and close with the turn of a handle. It will provide plentiful light and ventilation into the space.

: Here is a look from the inside.

: More windows are installed on the sides.

: On this day, the process was interrupted by a brief rain shower. Doug and Pete tested the coop and stood inside for the duration of the rain – no leaks anywhere!

: On the back is a door just for the turkeys. They will be able to walk in and out of the coop through this smaller doorway which will be connected to a ramp.

: Here are some of the parts of the sliding barn door. These are the rollers, part of the tracking system. They will go on the door rails and be used to slide the door open and closed.