So, we’ve been working SLOWLY on Lexi’s new coop!  We didn’t start from scratch, we are converting our former Turkey brooder to use as her coop and so far so good!  Even though we’re not done with the finishing details, we did manage to get enough done yesterday to move her little guy & gals in.

I’ll do up a nice page on how we created her coop as soon as we’re done in a couple more days.  It’s around 7 feet long and around 3′ tall inside and we’ve raised it up off the ground with cinder blocks footings that are 3 blocks tall.  We don’t have the roof installed yet, but the frame is up and the panels are laying ontop, which as long as the weather holds for a couple of days, should be just fine.  I expect we’ll have it screwed down before the night is over tonight.  The whole coop is right up against the house, underneath one of our bedroom windows and so is actually under the eves of our house.  It’s a shady spot 365 days per year and should be a great location for them.  They will be the only chickens on the property so far that have a full time play pen or outside run.   Of course we are working toward everyone having that but it takes time.  The Cochins get the first run because their coop is so so small!

So last night in anticipation of completing the new “Bantam Barn” I went looking for some Barn Red paint!  How silly of me to think that would be an easy or simple process.  After 30 minutes at my local Lowe’s we left empty handed, no paint.  :(   You see, apparently any decent type of exterior paint that is ALSO at a decent price +/- $20 per gallon CAN NOT BE TINTED the deep red color I am looking for.   Of course this information didn’t come to us easily as our paint rep from Lowe’s was only on his 3rd day.  Anyway, I left without a color because I did NOT want to spend any money spontaneously and so I needed to go home and think it over.  Here’s my options, what do you think.  Please keep in mind, the color I select for her Bantam Barn will be the SAME color I finally put on my own Hen House.

1.  Choose the “perfect red” currently selected is Heirloom Red from Valspar.. at a cost of $30 per gallon.  While I’ll only need 1 gallon for HER coop, I’ll need probably 5 gallons for the rest of my coops.

2.  Choose Redwood Exterior stain at a price of around $10 per gallon.  Redwood is not really the color I’m looking for, but it surely is common.

3.  Choose Red Barn & Fence Paint, which suprisingly resembles the Redwood color found in the stain, at a price of $12 per gallon.

The cheap alternatives are just the WRONG color, but can I learn to live with it and maybe even LOVE it?  I’m just not sure.    What do YOU think?  Here are some samples, keep in mind monitor colors aren’t always very true, so this is just an example:

Heirloom Red Sample: http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Match-of-Valspar-1010-3-Heirloom-Red-p/mpc0098582.htm

Redwood Color Sample: http://www.myperfectcolor.com/Benjamin-Moore-Country-Redwood-p/country_redwood.htm

You can post your comments on my paint color or anything else by clicking “comments” right below this post!