Eastern Washington

[Raech]

Raech, in the house I make a fruit fly trap by mixing about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in 1/2 cup water, and adding a drop of dish soap (breaks the surface tension of the water so the flies drown). It works really well, and I am sure it would work outside or in a greenhouse too. Good luck!

Just made three of them, one for my tomato pot, one for the mint pot, and one for the square garden. Hopefully that helps. Thank you

 

[AWalker3]

Hey all! Been away for a while but thought I'd poke my head in and see whats new. Welcome to the new peeps!!

Question for the Eastern Washington thread...

We've got the coop framed out and will be finishing it up over the next two weeks. We're at the point that we need to decide if we are going to insulate it or not. The coop itself is 10x4 and is raised 3ft off the ground. I keep reading all different views about insulation across the web but wanted to get some direction from folks who have the same Spokane-type weather we do.

Do you insulate your coops?

I am in Colville, just a bit north of you. I have not insulated my coop and my 2 year old Barred Rocks are quite happy. My coop is also about 3ft off the ground though a tad smaller than yours. One tip is to size your coop to your flock (or vise-versa) as the birds will put off quite a bit of heat themselves. During last winter's cold snap, I checked the temp inside the coop after my three had been in for about an hour and found it to be 10-15 degrees warmer inside. Feathers are pretty good insulation. Just make sure they have a dry, draft free place to fluff themselves up and they will be fine.

 

[gpsygrl]

Hey all! Been away for a while but thought I'd poke my head in and see whats new. Welcome to the new peeps!!
I am in Colville, just a bit north of you. I have not insulated my coop and my 2 year old Barred Rocks are quite happy. My coop is also about 3ft off the ground though a tad smaller than yours. One tip is to size your coop to your flock (or vise-versa) as the birds will put off quite a bit of heat themselves. During last winter's cold snap, I checked the temp inside the coop after my three had been in for about an hour and found it to be 10-15 degrees warmer inside. Feathers are pretty good insulation. Just make sure they have a dry, draft free place to fluff themselves up and they will be fine.

Hi there! I have a coop/house with an open door and I'm trying to figure out how to put a door in before winter to keep the inside warmer when it gets cold out... I was told that very thick plastic (like used in grocery store freezer doors) with a slit down the middle or with strips cut so the chickens can go in and out, might work. What do you think?

 

[AWalker3]

Hi there! I have a coop/house with an open door and I'm trying to figure out how to put a door in before winter to keep the inside warmer when it gets cold out... I was told that very thick plastic (like used in grocery store freezer doors) with a slit down the middle or with strips cut so the chickens can go in and out, might work. What do you think?

I havent seen a door like that. I suppose if the chickens got used to it, it might work. I just have a simple drop door that I can use, but rarely do. With my girls inside a wire pen, and living in town, I have never worried about shutting them in at night.

 

[ThisishowIroll]

Is anybody from EW still around? I'm sad there is so little activity here now.

 

[Raech]

I'm still here.

 

[PheasantsFirst]

Hello!

 

[ThisishowIroll]

Phew! Thought I lost you all! Anybody have any stories or pic? I'm kind of fixated on my EE's green toesies. Anybody else have some green footed chicks?

 

[Raech]

Waiting to get a black walnut tree milled, might be a couple of weeks yet, but I have started making a list of things I would like to make with it. Told Hubby I was going to make a bench for the dinning room table with storage under it, we only have a couple of chairs and 3 kids(some days). The look I got was very irritating to say politely. I plan on making a couple of planting boxes as well, but I wanted to have something big in the house out of the wood that people could actually see, an look pretty to match the set of shelves I plan on making.

If I can make it look half as good as it does in my head and in the book, I just might have to keep building. Plan on only doing a thick varnish on all the wood, just because I love the real wood look. Have to admit that it is really frustrating to be as young as I am, and not have as many "skills" as I would like. Every time I try to expand my knowledge Hubby or my Dad decide that the way I am doing it is not how they would do it so they finish it. I could barely get the wheels on a wagon from Wal-Mart without my Dad coming over to "do it right." I am very proud to say that I borrowed tools from my Grandpa and made my garden box all by myself, now I want to keep going and build bigger stuff. Think I am going to have the wood milled, taken to Dad/Grandpa's get it cut to size then borrow the tools and take the wood home in the back of my car and do it at night like I did the garden. Maybe then I can get it all done by myself. I am not the most handy person but I know how to use a hammer, staple gun, drill and wood glue. Pretty sure I can figure out the triangle thingy(very technical term) I know what it is for so it should be pretty self explanatory, and I have professional blue prints to follow. First thing I am going to build is the Blueberry Boxes, in a log cabin look, might even use smaller branches for the bark look. Then it is going to be the Strawberry planters, in a cradle planter design. Followed by the Walla Walla Onion boxes, to go under the strawberries, on wheels just incase I want to move them. Then the adjustable peg shelves for the pantry/closet. Followed by either the storage bench or under the bed storage for under the new twin bed we are getting this summer. So many projects need to be done in my head and I hope I have the strength to do them all, in a reasonable time frame. Figure the bench might take me a week with the kids running around, the shelves might take me a day or two. The hardest project is going to be all the planters because there is so many of them, 5 strawberries, 2-3 onions, 4 blueberry and maybe a couple more depending on my mood and how my pots stand up to the winter. But that is all that is going on here, just everyday joys.

 

[ThisishowIroll]

Ooh! I do hope you post pictures of all the things you get out of that wood! It's like a hidden surprise when you varnish wood.