DIY Thread - Let's see your "Inventions".

[rojororeo]

They think I'm a bit odd...but overall, I have very positive & approving neighbors. Although my lot is small, it's too expensive for me to fence the whole thing (which I would have preferred, too.) So running tunnels to the yard is the next best thing. I laughed yesterday...they were walking all the way to the coop and then back to the yard, then back to the coop. It is like having a toy train set that makes itself "go," instead of having to turn on the switch.

It is totally!! You just pick a room in the house and look out that window.. eventually the crazy chicken train comes buy, toot toot!!
I would love to do that just for fun, even though we have 6 acres... but I can totally see a horse or dog or even cat destroying it and pinning the chicken underneath by accident or even for kicks. lol

 

[mlowen]

OMGosh!!! That's ALOT of chunnel!!
What are the dimensions?
Did you use 2x2's for lumber?
Are those birds full grown large fowl?

I ended up using 2x3 rough cut hemlock, because 2x2x8' were 1.75 and the 2x3x14' hemlock were 1.50 each. I was able to use 6 foot 2x3's to make the front yard's "portable paddock" (photos of that to follow.) They are about 20 inches wide (16 inch cross pieces) and vary from 5 foot to a 12 footer. (VERY heavy!) If something heavy lands on it, it will squish, but I'm only letting them out when I'm home and we almost never have loose dogs go through here. They are all almost a year old--2 leghorns, 2 barred rocks & one wyandotte.

 

[mlowen]

Here is the view from the street. In front of the "paddock" is my raised bed garden. I used 3-foot pieces of 2x4 for one cross piece "foot" and a 2 foot piece for the other cross piece. That seemed a good idea to stabilize the 2x3x6' uprights. The welded wire is 4 feet high and I added a 2 foot roll of chicken wire above it, to guarantee the girls stay in the yard. I cannot, physically, unwind and set up a 6-foot roll of welded wire fencing, so this was the compromise. (Maybe some day they will be old & fat & lazy--or I'll clip wings--and I can go with just the 4 foot fence.)

 

[bruceha2000]

It is like having a toy train set that makes itself "go," instead of having to turn on the switch.

Chicken TV! And you are sharing with your neighbors. I bet the get a kick out of watching as well.

I ended up using 2x3 rough cut hemlock, because 2x2x8' were 1.75 and the 2x3x14' hemlock were 1.50 each.

The hemlock will probably also handle weather better than a pine 2x2.

Bruce

 

[mnchicrancher]

Nice ideas y'all got. I've seen a few that I am going to use in my coops

 

[rojororeo]

Here is the view from the street. In front of the "paddock" is my raised bed garden. I used 3-foot pieces of 2x4 for one cross piece "foot" and a 2 foot piece for the other cross piece. That seemed a good idea to stabilize the 2x3x6' uprights. The welded wire is 4 feet high and I added a 2 foot roll of chicken wire above it, to guarantee the girls stay in the yard. I cannot, physically, unwind and set up a 6-foot roll of welded wire fencing, so this was the compromise. (Maybe some day they will be old & fat & lazy--or I'll clip wings--and I can go with just the 4 foot fence.)

How funny that you have issues with yours flying. Mine are in a 50ish by 50ish yard, with a barely 4 ft fence, no top cover. Mixed flock of lights, meds, heavys and a couple of Polish. I have seen all the lights get up enough air to get over my fence, but no one ever does! Originally they had their wings trimmed when I first got them, as I was deathly afraid of the chickens, and didn't want to have to chase them lol. Now a few have molted out new wing feathers, and I haven't clipped since... we shall see if I didn't just jinx myself!

 

[PrimroseMom1]

How funny that you have issues with yours flying. Mine are in a 50ish by 50ish yard, with a barely 4 ft fence, no top cover. Mixed flock of lights, meds, heavys and a couple of Polish. I have seen all the lights get up enough air to get over my fence, but no one ever does! Originally they had their wings trimmed when I first got them, as I was deathly afraid of the chickens, and didn't want to have to chase them lol. Now a few have molted out new wing feathers, and I haven't clipped since... we shall see if I didn't just jinx myself! 

I had the same experience. Mine flew over a 6' fence. So I clipped wings. Now they molted and I haven't re clipped but they don't try to fly over. Except a stranger went in the yard and scared them and two went over, but no other time, and they just stood by the fence for me to put them back in.

 

[perchie.girl]

I finished part of my chicken tunnel project, today. (Chunnels?) I'm so excited! I have another 35 or 40 feet to build and then just set up the "portable paddock" in the front yard and they can "cheap range" (because they are not really FREE.) The ones I finished today go to the chicken tractor that is set up over a spot that was crawling with grasshoppers, last year. When finished, they'll exit the tractor at the other end and go on into the front yard.

Oh my goodness that last pix is hilarious..... Excellent job.... How easy is it to move about? Say if someone wanted to use the driveway.

deb

 

[Penny Hen]

I had the same experience. Mine flew over a 6' fence. So I clipped wings. Now they molted and I haven't re clipped but they don't try to fly over. Except a stranger went in the yard and scared them and two went over, but no other time, and they just stood by the fence for me to put them back in.

You've BRAIN WASHED them!

 

[mlowen]

Oh my goodness that last pix is hilarious..... Excellent job.... How easy is it to move about? Say if someone wanted to use the driveway.

deb

They are heavy, but I can pick up an end & swing it out of the way. I have a corner lot & my driveway goes straight across from street to street, so I just use the other end these days.