I raise large fowl Dominiques for breed preservation and egg production in central Oklahoma. I also keep guineas for tick control, and a small flock of bantams (cochins and a silkie) for extra broodies. I like to build chicken stuff out of recycled materials whenever possible, hence the username. Here's some pictures from around our place.
Large fowl Dominiques in the big coop. This coop is made out of recycled materials: pallets for framing, shelving for walls, political signs for siding, doors and windows bought used off craigslist, and metal roofing I scrounged from a friend's junk pile. Did buy the hog panels new though. I'm currently working on a new, mobile coop for the Doms. When they move out, the guineas are going in here, minus the fence. Free ranging guineas eat more ticks.
Bantam cochin pair (the other girl is broody right now) and a black silkie that I got from a poultry swap. I was going to get one hen and have her live in the sunroom as a semi-house chicken. When I came home with four chickens, plans had to be revised. I built them this nice little chicken ark from more recycled materials. Leftover hardware cloth from another project, more metal roofing from a friend's junk pile, and the sides are made from shipping pallets they use for ZTR lawnmowers. Bonus nest box is a box that kitty litter came in. Just turned it upside down and cut a hole in it. Also, the dome in the far end there is a grill cover that I hung up to protect their feed from getting wet. We just had a big ol' hailstorm with wind and driving rain this past weekend and the feed stayed dry as a bone. SCORE!
Better view of the bantam ark showing them all hiding under the roof from the rain and hail.
This is a giant brooder I made out of (guess what?) ANOTHER shipping pallet. This one was a gift from our neighbors. They did a bathroom remodel and for some reason decided they wanted a HUGE stained glass window. . . in their bathroom? Whatever. I got a good brooder out of the deal. It's separated into three sections, so I can raise different batches at once. The giant platform on the bottom is made from leftover materials I had laying around from another project.
My foundation rooster for my breeding program.
Dustbathing hens. (I think there's a rooster back there somewhere too.)
My bantam cochin rooster and one of his hens.
My black silkie hen.
Dominique chicks. (And a salmon faverolle I'm fostering.)
Guinea keets, all colors.
My broody cochin.
First broody Dominique hen of the year.
Update:
This is our hoop house. We finished it earlier this summer and move it around the pasture.
Hope you all enjoyed the pictures. I'll update periodically.
Large fowl Dominiques in the big coop. This coop is made out of recycled materials: pallets for framing, shelving for walls, political signs for siding, doors and windows bought used off craigslist, and metal roofing I scrounged from a friend's junk pile. Did buy the hog panels new though. I'm currently working on a new, mobile coop for the Doms. When they move out, the guineas are going in here, minus the fence. Free ranging guineas eat more ticks.
Bantam cochin pair (the other girl is broody right now) and a black silkie that I got from a poultry swap. I was going to get one hen and have her live in the sunroom as a semi-house chicken. When I came home with four chickens, plans had to be revised. I built them this nice little chicken ark from more recycled materials. Leftover hardware cloth from another project, more metal roofing from a friend's junk pile, and the sides are made from shipping pallets they use for ZTR lawnmowers. Bonus nest box is a box that kitty litter came in. Just turned it upside down and cut a hole in it. Also, the dome in the far end there is a grill cover that I hung up to protect their feed from getting wet. We just had a big ol' hailstorm with wind and driving rain this past weekend and the feed stayed dry as a bone. SCORE!
Better view of the bantam ark showing them all hiding under the roof from the rain and hail.
This is a giant brooder I made out of (guess what?) ANOTHER shipping pallet. This one was a gift from our neighbors. They did a bathroom remodel and for some reason decided they wanted a HUGE stained glass window. . . in their bathroom? Whatever. I got a good brooder out of the deal. It's separated into three sections, so I can raise different batches at once. The giant platform on the bottom is made from leftover materials I had laying around from another project.
My foundation rooster for my breeding program.
Dustbathing hens. (I think there's a rooster back there somewhere too.)
My bantam cochin rooster and one of his hens.
My black silkie hen.
Dominique chicks. (And a salmon faverolle I'm fostering.)
Guinea keets, all colors.
My broody cochin.
First broody Dominique hen of the year.
Update:
This is our hoop house. We finished it earlier this summer and move it around the pasture.
Hope you all enjoyed the pictures. I'll update periodically.
