If you have visited VJP Poultry in the past you more than likely have visited the “chick room.” It is a little room off of our garage that houses all of the silkie chicks that are currently for sale. It’s a fun little room with all of its cheeping and classical music, but it also had some problems.
The room had never been properly finished. The sheet rock was water stained and drab. The chick pens were not arranged so that they could be easily cleaned, and it was simply too tight of a space to move around in. Any more than having two people in that room was too crowded. It was time for a change.
The January thaw was just the right time to move all of the chicks out and onto the floor of the garage. My car would need to sit outside until the project was over. We put out a few space heater so all of the chicks were kept toasty warm.
The first step was to clean and clear out everything. There were tables, shelving and a bunny hutch to move out. I try to keep the room clean but there was a ton of dust everywhere that all had to be blown out.
When the room was empty we began to tape the drywall. There were also lots of holes in the sheet rock to plaster over and make smooth. The floor needed to be scraped. A lot had stuck to it over the years.
Next we needed to prime the walls with white. When it was dry we could finally paint. I chose a lavender hue (luscious lavender was the name of it.) This color matches the purple house theme and blends in nicely with our logo purple colors.
Some insulation was added near the door and then molding was added along the floor. The white metal cabinets were quite rusty so those needed to be sanded, primed and painted. A new light fixture was added to make it easier to see the birds clearly.
Lastly we purchased new shelving. This will be the key to making the pens easier to get at and to making it more spacious.
I love the changes that were made. Thanks to my husband who is always there with the vision. VJP Poultry is better than ever!
For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com . VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul. We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available. Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.
Victoria J. Peterson
VJP Poultry 