my new breeding pens (progress pics)

[Christie Rhae]

I managed to work a little under a tarp and in between cloud bursts.
Look what I made!!! All by myself. My husband left the tools at home and I had a party!! My 3 year old daughter was a big help holding things for me while I screwed them together.

This is the view from the front. The boxes are 12 x 12 x 16. It seems like 2 or three always want to crowd together so I made each box wide enough for that. But I don't want them standing around and pooping in the boxes so I made them short. Of course they are probably gonna stand on top of the whole thing and poop...

Ok that is really irritating, This picture is not upside down on my computer but for some reason when I load it here it decides to flip. Nice...
Well stand on your head and notice the door that opens and closes from the back to collect eggs.


And open....



I am going to attach this to the side of the coop and cut out a hole in the wire so that I can collect the eggs from the outside.
So proud of myself! Cant wait for my husband to come home and sees what I built!

Now I only need to make 4 more!

 

[DMRippy]

After tuning my computer upside down.... I think you done good

Why aren't you working on the other instead of posting? Hubby would be most impressed if they were ALL done when he came home.

I have a question what is that handle looking thing on top and how do you lock it?

 

[Christie Rhae]

After tuning my computer upside down.... I think you done good

Why aren't you working on the other instead of posting? Hubby would be most impressed if they were ALL done when he came home.

I have a question what is that handle looking thing on top and how do you lock it?

Ugh I am pooped!! lol
I put a little block of wood up there so there will be something to attach the other side of the latch. Gonna go to the hardware store and figure out what kind of lock will work the best after I get the thing up in the coop.

 

[MyHappyChicks]

Wish my wife would build nest boxes. I just keep getting more to do lists given to me Lol. Really nice job on the whole coop. I have to ask how bad is the cost of building materials on the islands. Every time I have been there never looked into that.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Wish my wife would build nest boxes. I just keep getting more to do lists given to me Lol. Really nice job on the whole coop. I have to ask how bad is the cost of building materials on the islands. Every time I have been there never looked into that.

Ha! Oh my husband has a very long To Do list. I am just impatient. lol Actually I kinda like putting things together. Just wish I had more strength. Dumb girl arms.

My husband and I have this thing worked out. He thinks he totally scored cuz he gets chickens and I do all the work (feeding, researching, hatching, etc). But the reality is... I have a serious addiction to chickens and I am just super stoked he is willing to go along.

I have been in Hawaii since 1996 so I am really not sure how building materials compare. I am sure it is more because everything must come on a barge. Gas is 4.50 per gallon on a good day. Milk is $7 per gallon. A 50lb. bag of chicken food is 25.00. But we have no heating or a/c costs at all. You wear pretty much one wardrobe all year. I am building a chicken coop with no walls. I pick greens for the chickens every day all year long that grow wild on our property. Costs me about 700.00 to get off this rock (airfare). I am sure it all works out in the end.

 

[MyHappyChicks]

Price off milk was the one thing I do remember about being over there. Milk here is 2 gallons for 5 feed is 16 per 50lbs. Air fair is exactly the same. Have to admit I do envy having only one wardrobe.

 

[DMRippy]

Ha! Oh my husband has a very long To Do list. I am just impatient. lol Actually I kinda like putting things together. Just wish I had more strength. Dumb girl arms.

My husband and I have this thing worked out. He thinks he totally scored cuz he gets chickens and I do all the work (feeding, researching, hatching, etc). But the reality is... I have a serious addiction to chickens and I am just super stoked he is willing to go along.

I have been in Hawaii since 1996 so I am really not sure how building materials compare. I am sure it is more because everything must come on a barge. Gas is 4.50 per gallon on a good day. Milk is $7 per gallon. A 50lb. bag of chicken food is 25.00. But we have no heating or a/c costs at all. You wear pretty much one wardrobe all year. I am building a chicken coop with no walls. I pick greens for the chickens every day all year long that grow wild on our property. Costs me about 700.00 to get off this rock (airfare). I am sure it all works out in the end.

You need a cow!!!!! Hubby almost had a cow when he saw the name brand milk here was now $5.50 a gal, store brand is under $3. For $25 I can get over 100 lbs of feed. I pay less than $21 a 100 lbs.

 

[Christie Rhae]

Almost done!!!



The roof is on, the doors are on. One nest box is done. No roosts yet dang it. But soon! The kids just HAD to put the straw in. They were rolling around on it. Not something they will be wanting to do when it is full of chicken poop.

Now I will have to clean up this construction mess. lol

Here are some some pics of something I work on when my husband is not home to help me with major construction. I made an intermediate brooder box for my chicks. After 3 or 4 weeks I really like to get them outside but it does get down to 50 degrees at night and that is a little chilly for them.
I plan to use one of these pens for a grow out pen and will have chicks of different ages growing up here. I thought that if the younger ones had something to hide under they could get away from older curious chicks. So I made this thing low. I attached an old piece of towel at the front for them to duck under like hiding under a mommas wing. There is also a low perch for them to practice on. I have a couple heights that I can attach the heat lamp to. I will add higher roosts in this pen for when they get a little older and don't want to huddle in a little ball like kittens.









I have 6 little marans chicks in here right now. I had to teach them how to go under the towel flap. They were just huddled up in a corner of the pen. Silly chicks. But they love having all this room to run and scratch in the dirt and straw after being stuck in an indoor brooder for the last month.

 

[DMRippy]

Good job!

OHHHHH have a question..... how do you keep them from turning over the water and feed?

 

[Christie Rhae]

Good job!

OHHHHH have a question..... how do you keep them from turning over the water and feed?

Thanks! They are still small enough that they don't knock stuff over yet. And there is only 6 of them so there is not the feeding frenzy mentality....yet. lol But I will be adding auto waterers and feeders soon.