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

[perchie.girl]

Has anyone tried a zip line to carry feed into the coop/barn? I'm thinking it might work well - hook up a zip line so it runs directly into the coop but use those tighteners with the hook end so you hook and unhook your line. Then I'm thinking that something like a canvas horse stall 'gate' that has hooks. You would hook up your zip line, back up the car or pickup to the line, wrap the bags of feed in the canvas carrier, run nylon rope through the hooks and then hook the rope onto the zip line pulley. You then just slide your bag of feed along the line until you get to the end where you have your feed can. Open the bag and let the feed pour into the can. It would save lifting and toting and for all of us who just can't carry 50 lb bags it would also save our backs. You could use it for bales of hay also... Just a thought - I ordered a zip line kit today so am going to put this together. Plus grandkids can hook it to a tree and have a great time - lol!

What ever glides on the wire will end up at the low point of the wire generated by the weight of the goods. To counteract that the wire has to be tensioned and sloped to assure the goods arrives at the destination rather than somewhere in the middle.Those zip lines have to be incredibly tight Like as tight as you would a guitar string. So hooking and unhooking couild be an issue. Do-able but an issue. Probably be easier to leave it there. Wire tends to go invisible over time. And degrades over time. If a wire under tension snaps for any reason it recoils.

To test out what I mean you can use clothes line and a pully and a small weight like a five pound sack of flour. hook it up and give it a push. It will slide to the middle and stop. Because the clothesline is level and probably not stretched as tight as you would think.

I was hit by a recoiled rope once when my horse pulled back and broke the snap. The half snap hit me in the chest and just about knocked me down. Of course rope is springier but cable is also springy especially over long lenthts.

I did some research on this myself a while back for the very same reasons. But I didnt persue it any further because I have no way to create the anchor points for a stretched wire.

deb

 

[dennymeyrand]

Thought I'd show off my waterer. It has a total of 8 nipple waterers off of it and holds 60 gallons total. The white bucket at the top is a sediment separator since I water my chickens off of a sistern that has a lot of sediment in it. It supplies water to both of my coops.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

Ni

...

Thought I'd show off my waterer. It has a total of 8 nipple waterers off of it and holds 60 gallons total. The white bucket at the top is a sediment separator since I water my chickens off of a sistern that has a lot of sediment in it. It supplies water to both of my coops. [/quotMic Nice!!'

 

[Bens-Hens]

I like the level indicator you have used too! I put a similar one in my nipple drinker. I could not find any right angle fittings though, I had to use 6mm electrical glands so mine sticks out a bit further.

 

[aart]

Thought I'd show off my waterer. It has a total of 8 nipple waterers off of it and holds 60 gallons total. The white bucket at the top is a sediment separator since I water my chickens off of a sistern that has a lot of sediment in it. It supplies water to both of my coops.

Is that large pipe coming from the cistern?
Float valve on it somewhere or manual fill?
Sediment just passive settling or is there a screen or filter?

 

[dennymeyrand]

The large pipe is my drain for the sediment bucket. The fill tube runs up the back. I have to run a hose from my spigot to the fill tube.

 

[Frugal Que]

Great system DennyMeyrand! What a great way to collect water and I use the water level indicators too. My husband showed me how they work and the concept is super simple. Our rainy season hasn't started yet and my barrels are already set up but I think I will add a sediment bucket like you have.

Does anyone know how to do a diy mini float valve? I googled the subject but maybe I am just dense, I can't seem to figure out how to do one. I understand the concept but the normal size floats are too big for my purposes. I just need something to float/cover a 1/2" pipe.

 

[rawheid]

For those of you who are using cattle panel hoophouses this is how I hang my waterers and feeders.



This is both the top and bottom hook for the feeders.

For the waterers this is what I use at the bottom of the chain.



Also for the cattle panel hoop houses this is how I tie the board framing to the panels.



I use fourteen gauge galvanized electric fence wire for this purpose.

No-tip frames for holding #10 cans, rubber bowls, etc for use as feeders or waterers.

I have these same waterers but I didn't know that I could hang them. This would solve the problem of constantly leveling my waterers.

Could you show some more pictures of the hoop houses you built? This seems like a great way to make a chicken run.

 

[Frugal Que]

I love your hoop house A.T. Hagan!

I don't know how I missed this when I read all the pages in this entire thread. Can you explain all the different feeds you have in those cans? I am totally interested.

 

[Italia]

I love your hoop house A.T. Hagan!

I don't know how I missed this when I read all the pages in this entire thread. Can you explain all the different feeds you have in those cans? I am totally interested.

X2