chicken coop improvements

 Our chickens stopped laying eggs this winter (chickens only produce eggs for about 1/3 of their life). After much deliberation about what to do with them and how to sequence in new birds we decided to try to give away our 28 older birds and simply buy new laying birds so we can start having fresh eggs again.

A few weeks ago we listed the birds for free on craigslist and within 20 minutes we had four calls about them. A very nice couple came and packed the birds up to bring to their farm just hours later (the fate of the birds will be free roaming and one by one make it into the pot).

So after they left, our chicken house stood empty and still half finished from our original construction on it. We decided it was a priority to make the improvements we wanted to do before we got new chickens. As we learned the first time, it is near impossible to work while the chickens are living there.
Alex and David spent two days siding the building, laying down a linoleum floor, and making some new fancy egg laying boxes. You can see the boxes protruding from the side of the house. The eggs will roll down, and we will open up a little door and gather the eggs from outside. This will be easier than our old egg system. Hopefully the eggs will be cleaner (not covered in poop), the chickens won't peck at and break the eggs because they won't be able to reach them after they roll down, and we won't have to walk across  a poopy floor to gather the eggs.

Of course, as with every part of our lives, there is still plenty to do on it~ but we are content with the level of done-ness for awhile.
Now to find some new lovelies for our coop!