Chicken Coop

One of the first things Grandpa built down in the barnyard in the mid-70's was a chicken coop. Since then she has housed many a chicken. Mom and Dad used it when they first moved out here. But for the past six years or so, she has sat vacant. Two things, it's in disrepair and it's in the way. Therefore, it's time to go.

Three of the sides are constructed out of three sided logs. The back wall is rotted out from dirt sloughing into it. If we went through the trouble of tearing it apart, I bet we could save about enough logs to build a single hole outhouse. Therefore, we decided to doze it.

Well used.

The tin on the roof was worth removing, though. We can find a use for that someday.

The single slant roof didn't help the rotting back wall over the years. 50 years standing isn't bad, though.

Having dozed sheds down before, we've learned that your best bet is to chop the roof up beforehand. So we cut it into quadrants. 

And then got to pushing. The idea was to implode it on itself. This would make for a nice burn pile, but also because there is a concrete pad underneath that should help in cleanup of the aftermath. 

Looks like a bonfire to me. 

Before we touched it off we got the professional's opinion. Fire Chief said go for it! 

So early this morning, Dad and I got to work. A little gas to get this party started. 

We started in the corner thinking we'd slow it's progression down as best we could.

Didn't take long before she was burning hot.

About our only concern was the tack shed, which was probably only 15' away. With plenty of water at our disposal, we just kept water on it during its raging stage. 

Definitely put off some heat.

After about three hours, she really simmered down. So we took the dozer and pushed the pile up to let it cook for the rest of the day.

So long.

There is a season for everything. This chicken cooped provided chores for many a kid and it produced eggs for a lot of people. But those days are past. If we want to raise chickens again, we'll build a new littler shed out of the way. As for today, it was time for the coop to go.

Alls well. The beauty of being burned on the concrete pad, is now all we have to do is push it into the bucked of the tractor and haul it off. Then we'll break up the pad and haul it off, too. Nothing is going back in its place. Once we level the ground, this will make a nice area to turn a trailer around. 

One of my favorite aspects of the coop being gone is how it exposed the rocks. These sandstone gems line much of the hills around the barnyard. I like to look at them. They remind me of my ancestors. If you don't move forward in life, you get left in the dust. Grandpa would be proud of the work we've done down here. The heavy lifting is over. Now let's have some fun. Onward and upward.