Here it is...
FIRST CHICKEN TRACTOR' was started a few days ago for my 3 EEs's, 3 Light Brahmas ,3 Buff Orps and 2 Barred Rocks
With 11 five week old chicks in my bathroom i HAVE to get them out to the grass...NOW.. Its getting lethal in there!
Built the runs 4 sides and painted them with outdoor paint, Thursday &Friday
SAt put on the wire,.
ran out of poultry wire staples Sunday
Used untreated 2x2's for light weight.
8x4 x4 high.
First plan was doing it 2 ' tall trying to build cheap...but the idea of crawling thru the run to get stray chicks didnt appeal to me so changed it to 4 ' high.
However that caused a few glitches.
The hardware cloth i bought early on is 24" wide So had to add two 8 foot 2x4's to the sides horizontally for the 24" wire to reach in 2 strips .
Also had to do the same with the ends as they were 4 'wide.
One has a 2 foot plywood sheet on 1/2 of it it where the coop will attach.
The other side of this will be the door.
End 2 is all screen but also needed a center piece for the wire to meet correctly.....DARN!!!
Glad i used the 2x4 on the sides as my 165 masitff Sophie might like a little chicken nugget snack. She isnt too agressive so this should stop her. Luckily my male Mastiff Jackson is banned from the front yard to play
.He WOULD go thru this run like a bull in a china shop.
House screens have nose holes and the 16 foot chihuahua run built of 1x2s,2x2's and chicken wire was destroyed,smashed flat... in one 10 minute period last summer while he jumped in and tried it out .
Chicken Runs start...
RUN FINISHED!!Took about 4 days of working 4 hours a day The plywood end will be where the coop attaches
The coop is a a separate entity to move on its own .less weight of the run as its not THAT light
.Also intend on a double layer of screen on the sides b/c of my large dogs.One layer of screen may not be enough.My door or the opening isnt made evenly .bad measuring....my only negative.... but it worksfine.Girls go out today!!!
Devilish Jackson
.
Sweet Sophie
Light Brahma girls
and Ruby One the Friendly Barred Rock. RUBYUPDATE MAY14th
NOT done with the run.... YET!!
This weekend SWEET Sophie the 165lb girl shown here dug a nice little hole in the hardware cloth The one foot spot i DIDNT have doubled....Darn!!.
I had even gotten, I thought, over protective and doubled the wire layer on each long side FOR 6' OF THE 8' RUN, tried to be consetrvitive as am running out of the wire..Now i see i have to do the whole pen to be safe.
Might name it Fort Knox
Doesnt look as nice now doubled with a 2 inch "air" space between(see photo below) but will be strong enough i hope.
Good news! believe it or not this run is movable even with no wheels
Worked 10 hours o n the coop itsself Friday hoped to get it done and girls could stay out all night.. Nope..
Finished a lot but all girl went back in the bathroom. another night
COOP DOOR;
My plan is to keep the coop and run separate joining them after moving
I am making the doorway from the coop extend out some inches maybe 4- 6" or more with 2x2's and then a matching hole in the plywood on the run top
Hope to cut a hole to insert the coop doorway into. Then somehow join them so nothing is able to get in. Hope my coop door idea works. Will see
My coop is REALLY REALLY Crude.SICK of spending money on it all..so used what i had here and made do..
Old Johnny Cash songs been going thru my head... "A Piece at a Time"(says he built a whole car from different model parts he "took" home from his car plant job )
Started using any wood i had even some nice smooth low knot woodwork project pine.(GOOD CAUSE)Need to sawzal off the pieces that are sticking up all over.
Made floor solid hardware cloth that way poo can drip through.
OK my door IDEA......The tringular opening is sort of projected forward and i put a hole, hoping the coop door could slide into the pens hole
.Well some glitches...it wont go all the way in as its a tiny bit shorter and i cant change the pen as the boards are piecemealed below the ply so cant cut it..
Coop door does go up against the pen and i added boards on either side to take up the gaps pretty much hope nothing more than a mouse could get in AND of course close the coop door at night and wire it shut.
This is their summer home.Too small for them all to spend any length of time in there. the 4x6x8 coop awaits them in winter.
.I made it like the door on a castle...flops down so they use it as a launching pad to the ground
In the doorway the top of a 1/2 potato i have put over a long sharp screw that holds the hinge on the door. I was running out of screws and had to use what was availabe until i could find a shorter screw...Last minute at dark
Hey! it stayed on all night and there in the morning.!!!!
Buying some left over shingles from a guy for $15 tonite for the roof.Roof? where does it stop on this shape? screened a vent for air over the doorway.Painted today CLOSE TO ALL DONE!. TWEEKS.
