Building a New Coop for My Growing Turkeys, Part I
The latest building project here at my Bedford, New York farm is nearly complete - a new coop now designated for 13 growing turkeys.
The poults were incubated and hatched in the feed room of my stable, where they remained until they were big enough to move outdoors. But turkeys grow fast, and I decided they needed more room and a bigger coop where they could live, roost, and nest more comfortably. My property manage, Doug White, is a very talented craftsman and carpenter. Along with the help of Pete Sherpa from my outdoor grounds crew, the two took on the task of building the structure in a separate fenced in area of the chicken yard. The coop is made from diseased ash trees that were taken down here at the farm and then cut into usable lumber with my portable sawmill. This project took several weeks to complete, but it looks great.
Enjoy these first photos of the building process.
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- These are two of 13 turkeys I am raising here at the farm. These cute babies hatched earlier this summer. Raising baby turkeys is a lot like raising chickens. Both birds need good quality feed, fresh water, safe living spaces, clean bedding, adequate roosting areas, and nesting boxes.
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- But they grow very fast. Here they are shortly after they moved into their new outdoor enclosure.
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- And here they are now. I needed to build them a bigger coop in a larger space.
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- To build the new coop, we used wood that we already had. We lost a lot of ash trees at the farm due to the emerald ash borer larvae which kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves water and sugars up and down its trunk. I am happy we can still recycle and repurpose the lumber.
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- Pete cut the lumber to the appropriate sizes. This new coop measures 10-feet by 10-feet.
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- Pete is using this sawmill to cut the wood down to size. Some time ago, I decided to gift myself with a portable sawmill, so I could cut the lumber right here at the farm when needed. It’s a Hud-Son H360 Hydraulic Portable Sawmill.
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- Doug and Pete already created the foundation on a bed of 3/8-inch native stone gravel.
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- As with any construction project, there is a lot of measuring. Here, Doug measures the wood for the floor and framing of the coop.
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- And here’s Pete installing the floor – the two work very efficiently together.
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- It doesn’t take long before the framing is up for one of the walls. Doug lines it up carefully…
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- … and then Pete secures the pieces.
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- Within a couple of days, the duo gets the framing up for two walls. They also put in one of several windows. The windows are from an old house I took down in Maine next to Skylands. They are perfect for this project.
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- Next, Doug puts up temporary braces to hold the framing together until all four sides are done.
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- And here is the coop with the framing in place.
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- Next, the roof. Here, the two stop for a quick photo. Looks good, guys!
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- Doug and Pete install the joists and collar beams. Here is Doug making sure the eaves are perfectly spaced.
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- The coop will have lots of room inside for the turkeys to roost on a handmade ladder. It’s now looking more and more like a coop.
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- Once the entire frame is together, Doug and Pete start putting up the planks for the walls.
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- Here’s Fernando Ferrari, a longtime member of my hardworking crew. He’s getting a head start on the painting – Bedford, gray, of course.
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- Here’s Doug at the front of the structure working on the roof. The roof requires many different parts to create a system that will protect the turkeys from the elements. Doug makes sure all the rafters are properly installed. The rafters connect to the ridge board and support the roof. They bear the load of the roof.
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- Pete installs the horizontal slats on the roof. The shingles will be nailed into these slats.
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- On one side, a door – turkey sized. In addition to the large barn door in the front, the turkeys will be able to walk in and out of the coop through this smaller doorway and down a ramp. The turkey coop is coming along. Wait until you see the end result. It looks great. Stay tuned.
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