Ended Official BYC DIY Contest #2 - Show us Your Project and Win!

[Sally Sunshine]

I tried it but lost formatting but everything looks attached! @sumi Thanks!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/gigantic-cabinet-upright-cooler-incubator-w-semi-auto-turning

Gigantic Cabinet COOLER INCUBATOR​

w/semi auto turning

​

(with added SIDE NOTES from the thread at the end, also a link to the thread)

Hubs and I have had a very busy weekend, lets call it "Together Time"

We had more time fine tuning our new incubator than building it so it has perfection in temps top to bottom, but our brainstorm has turned out amazing! And WAIT till you see the temps holding top to bottom!! I took images all the way through this project even the fine tuning to get no variance top to bottom. This brainstorm started with the desire and need for a large capacity incubator that could hold enough eggs for our chick sales and also lesson all of the hand turning I have to do. And we are always trying to come up with cheaper and better ways of doing things, plus I really don't have $800. to have a new sportsman mailed to me.

est $135.00 cost

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/gigantic-cabinet-upright-cooler-incubator-w-semi-auto-turning​

 

[RonP]

This 20 minute project helps immensely to rid my coop of accumulated dust.

Simple in design and build, but very effective.

Click to see Dust no more

 

[TXCountryGirl]

I have three ducks in the coop with my chickens. Anyone who knows ducks is aware of their messiness with water. They splash water out of the container to create puddles they can sieve through for bits of food. This creates a mess for the chickens causing muddy feet, dirty feathers and dirty eggs. I tried several arrangements with the waterer, but the ducks would always find a way to create mud. I finally devised a plan that has worked. I bought concrete pavers, rounded on one edge, landscape cloth and drainage rocks. I dug a pit deep enough to set the pavers upright with about two inches above ground level. I lined the bottom with the landscape cloth, secured with the U shaped pins made for that purpose. I set the pavers around the perimeter of the pit, making sure they were upright and secure. I filled the pit with the rocks and hung the waterer over the center of the pit. The chickens and ducks use it with no problems. The ducks can still splash, but can't make puddles. The chickens enjoy scratching in the rocks. Now if the rocks get dirty, I can hose them off and the water drains away. The rocks are inexpensive and easy to replace.

 

[mschickee]

Here's my hanging water bucket, I really wanted one of these after seeing it at the local feed store, but holy moly, they started at $35.00! My out of pocket for this was $1.76.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/my-nifty-hanging-water-bucket

 

[tvlgal85]

.DIY Chicken Tractor Type build. I moved my meat birds out here and it will be for my young one's next year so they can free range with the fear of predators getting them.

 

[dheltzel]

Here are plans for the hoop tractors I use for grow out pens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hoop-tractor

 

[RonP]

Hopefully my final attempt to keep water from freezing.

Click here to see my DYI solution.

 

[RonP]

Frozen horizontal nipples seem to be an issue for many.

Here is my solution, now cold tested.

Unfrozen Nipple Watering for those cold days.

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Orignally posted here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...arn-chat-meet-new-friends/39210#post_16436237

Here's a quick, easy, and inexpensive water container that's ideal for use inside of a brooder or coop. The water stays clean so it doesn't need to be changed daily, and there's virtually no waste or spatter, so bedding stays dry. This procedure can be used on larger or smaller containers. While I haven't attempted metal, they work great on most any plastic containers... as long as it's thick enough to provide a good seal on the threads.

I previously had a Sterilite 2-quart pitcher in my brooder, but with a large number of chicks, it requires refilling every day. I bought a 1-gallon pitcher from a dollar store to make a new one with the extra horizontal poultry nipples I got from Amazon.



Start by drilling 1/4" holes in three places (or how many you want) near the bottom of the pitcher, swap to a 3/8" bit to get the final size hole. Drilling a smaller hole and changing to a larger bit helps keep the plastic cooler so there's less melting and balling up of the plastic. Once the 3/8" holes are drilled, I trim off any burrs that remain, and give the holes a slight bevel since the nipple threads are tapered.




Making sure the nipples are not going in at an angle, screw them in until they're almost flush with the pitcher. You don't want to screw them all the way down, or you run the risk of stripping out the hole.




Once the nipples are installed, it's time to leak-test them. I've made several of these, and have yet to have one leak.



Drill a small vent hole in the lid so a vacuum isn't created when the water level drops, pop the lid on, and you're done!

 

[Ur-ur-ur-urrr]

Here's my 8'x8' coop and 8'x16' run. I used 4x4 treated posts in the corners, 2x6 treated floor joists, and 2 sheets of treated plywood for the floor. 2x4's finished the framework, and 1/2" shop siding covered the exterior. The run is made of treated 2x4's I ripped into 2x2's, and covered with 2"x4" welded wire.



Front section of coop (3'x8') is for storage and egg collection.



Ladder-style roost is on a pulley-type system so it can be raised for easy clean-out. Door below roost makes for easy clean-out by simply pushing bedding out.



Diagonal roosts are removable if needed... but I haven't needed to since they're not in the way of anything.



There are two sliding panels on the rear (right and left) that can be adjusted to control ventilation. It's winter, so they are mostly closed to reduce drafts. Plywood creates a natural buffer between ceiling and tin roof to keep things cooler in the summer.



There is also a flap on the front that can be opened in warmer weather to create cross-flow.



The pop door uses a pulley-type system to open and close without having to enter coop or run.



To save time and a lot of labor, instead of digging a trench and burying wire underground to keep critters out, I opted for a set of Solar Nite Eyes. I have one mounted on each corner of the coop and run, and though we have lots of foxes, coyotes, raccoon, opossum, etc., nothing has attempted to dig under the fence. I highly recommend these!!!