To-Do:
Run placement: Under the back deck! Needs to be enclosed, only framing that will need to be done is for a door on one end so I can get in to feed/water/care for them!
Build a coop! I got 10 pallets for free today (1/16/11), so I'm halfway there! Also, picked up 2 pallet crates, so with a little modification and a few more boards, the walls are done too!
Picked up 4 concrete blanks with brackets (1/29/11) to make them into adjustable piers for the pressure treated 4x4's that the coop will sit on, time to get building!
Turn Plastic Tote into Brooder Box - Still need a grate for the hole in the lid. I got a 45-Gallon Plastic tote that "locks" (the green parts of the handles fold over & lock in place) and it's has wheels on one side of the bottom so I can easily move it if I need to. The Hardware Cloth is being shipped, should be here around 2/8/11!
Purchased a Heat Lamp and Red Bulb @ Aslin-Finch! (1/29/11)
Thermometer! Cheap and easy to get, just need to rememebr to get it.
I got a new toy! Color Security Camera with Nightvision and sound! This was on sale for $25! We went in expecting to pay $30 as we had a coupon, but they were on sale for even better.
I had my choice between RIR, BO, SLW, BR, and a sex-link (either Golden or Black). The EE's won't be in until mid-April, so no green eggs for me.
Oh how I wish I could get one of each! I made my chick choice! I'm getting 2 SLW and 1 BR! Yes, I know they'll all look about the same...black and white, but Aslin-Finch won't be getting their EE's in until mid-April! I can't wait that long! Mine will be coming in on March 16th (ish)! Today (2/1/11) is the day to start ordering chicks at Aslin-Finch! I actually ordered mine on Saturday, but that was only because the nice women working told me I could rather than having to come back today!
I picked up some chick supplies today (1/29/11) too.
The waterer is galvanized metal...when they go into the coop, I hope to have a nipple system installed.
After the chicks have grown into the coop outside, the plastic tote will house their feed/grit/oyster shell/first aid kit in the coop. (Will cover the open "grated" area to keep poo and such off the feed) Or...I may just sell it to recover a little of my $ and buy them a brand new tote for their feed!
So before the snow started flying again...I did get part of the coop built! That's "all" I have done...I'm needing to wait on better weather to get out there more. It's snowing & raining today (3/1/11) so it won;t be today, lol. I put vinyl tiles down before the crates went on, so the vinyl runs across the entire floor, including under the framing! Based on # of tiles used...this thing as more square footage than my master bathroom!
Also...
READ Raising Chickens for Dummies! Currently on page 274 (3/5/11)...I promised myself I'd read the whole thing cover to cover. I skipped the part about incubating eggs...I have no plans to hatch eggs at the moment.
I really need some nice dry, WARM weather so I can get done...
Plans for coming weeks (3/1 & beyond): Need to install the 100' roll of hardware cloth to make the brooder top and start the outdoor run. The area we are enclosing is approximately 10.5'x13'! We have some 2"x4" welded wire (already here from former owners), we will use it at the top portion of the run and wrap the lower half in 1/2" hardware cloth. Whatever the larger mesh won't cover will get the hardware cloth, including the door I need to build. We may need 2 rolls of the 100' length!
Since we're building so close to the house, I'll have electric from the outdoor outlet (it will actually be located inside the run)! That means the gals will get a small fan in the summer and a little heat/light in the winter!
Run placement: Under the back deck! Needs to be enclosed, only framing that will need to be done is for a door on one end so I can get in to feed/water/care for them!
Build a coop! I got 10 pallets for free today (1/16/11), so I'm halfway there! Also, picked up 2 pallet crates, so with a little modification and a few more boards, the walls are done too!
Picked up 4 concrete blanks with brackets (1/29/11) to make them into adjustable piers for the pressure treated 4x4's that the coop will sit on, time to get building!
Turn Plastic Tote into Brooder Box - Still need a grate for the hole in the lid. I got a 45-Gallon Plastic tote that "locks" (the green parts of the handles fold over & lock in place) and it's has wheels on one side of the bottom so I can easily move it if I need to. The Hardware Cloth is being shipped, should be here around 2/8/11!
Purchased a Heat Lamp and Red Bulb @ Aslin-Finch! (1/29/11)
Thermometer! Cheap and easy to get, just need to rememebr to get it.
I got a new toy! Color Security Camera with Nightvision and sound! This was on sale for $25! We went in expecting to pay $30 as we had a coupon, but they were on sale for even better.
I had my choice between RIR, BO, SLW, BR, and a sex-link (either Golden or Black). The EE's won't be in until mid-April, so no green eggs for me.
Oh how I wish I could get one of each! I made my chick choice! I'm getting 2 SLW and 1 BR! Yes, I know they'll all look about the same...black and white, but Aslin-Finch won't be getting their EE's in until mid-April! I can't wait that long! Mine will be coming in on March 16th (ish)! Today (2/1/11) is the day to start ordering chicks at Aslin-Finch! I actually ordered mine on Saturday, but that was only because the nice women working told me I could rather than having to come back today!
I picked up some chick supplies today (1/29/11) too.
The waterer is galvanized metal...when they go into the coop, I hope to have a nipple system installed.
After the chicks have grown into the coop outside, the plastic tote will house their feed/grit/oyster shell/first aid kit in the coop. (Will cover the open "grated" area to keep poo and such off the feed) Or...I may just sell it to recover a little of my $ and buy them a brand new tote for their feed!
So before the snow started flying again...I did get part of the coop built! That's "all" I have done...I'm needing to wait on better weather to get out there more. It's snowing & raining today (3/1/11) so it won;t be today, lol. I put vinyl tiles down before the crates went on, so the vinyl runs across the entire floor, including under the framing! Based on # of tiles used...this thing as more square footage than my master bathroom!
Also...
READ Raising Chickens for Dummies! Currently on page 274 (3/5/11)...I promised myself I'd read the whole thing cover to cover. I skipped the part about incubating eggs...I have no plans to hatch eggs at the moment.
I really need some nice dry, WARM weather so I can get done...
Plans for coming weeks (3/1 & beyond): Need to install the 100' roll of hardware cloth to make the brooder top and start the outdoor run. The area we are enclosing is approximately 10.5'x13'! We have some 2"x4" welded wire (already here from former owners), we will use it at the top portion of the run and wrap the lower half in 1/2" hardware cloth. Whatever the larger mesh won't cover will get the hardware cloth, including the door I need to build. We may need 2 rolls of the 100' length!
Since we're building so close to the house, I'll have electric from the outdoor outlet (it will actually be located inside the run)! That means the gals will get a small fan in the summer and a little heat/light in the winter!
2021 New flock, New coop and run!
As always, I ordered chicks before I even knew where I was going to put them! To be fair, my original plan was to put them in the existing coop and run with some upgrades.
My (original) plan was to get 10 chicks that would eventually be 10 hens. Our 10-11 year old coop and run are 12' by 15' run with a 4' by 8' coop on stilts to preserve the space under it as "usable" space. Plenty big enough for 10 hens, a bit above the "minimum" even, except the coop...I know when I built it, I had room enough for 7 hens there (I only had 3 because at the time, that's all my area allowed), so I knew I was going to need a bigger coop. I also have one of those tiny coop/run combo things that are "okay" for 1 or 2 (maybe), 3 if I leave it open and they're only sleeping in it, that was given to me by a friend. I actually would love to add is to my run to use as nest box space, but I don't know if that's such a great idea either. Probably best to save it as "time out" or a mini "hospital" so I don't have to completely move hens out if they get injured? At any rate, having that in the old coop area really cuts down on space, so I am back to looking at my shed. I believe it's at least 8' by 12' (will get out this weekend and actually measure it), plenty of space inside! We don't lose the "shed" use since its actually 2 stories and we can move anything in the lower half that needs to stay into the upper half (accessed only from the outside, it was originally built as a playhouse above a shed).
Need to add ventilation, hoping to keep it to the 2 sides of the shed that don't face our neighbors houses to (hopefully) reduce noise going that way), but will do whatever is best for my hens. The run is going in April 5-9 when my parents are coming up to visit (all current safety measures in place for this). They are bringing me a treasure trove in the form of a giant trailer full of building materials (plywood, lumber in all sorts of lengths and widths, 2" by 4" fencing, T-posts, and some chain link as well, plus wheelbarrows and all sorts of goodies)! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to build a larger run for my incoming flock when I have access to completely free supplies to do so! So now, the plan is for a (roughly) 10-15' by 15-20' run attached to my shed, all cobbled together with supplies we have on hand, I have hardware cloth (50-75' leftover), but will have no problem buying more as we need it. This time around, we have raccoons who have moved into the area, so I know I need to dig down and bury some hardware cloth to keep them from digging under. I also have put in a bid with my husband to buy me an automatic coop door as an anniversary present this year (I gave him a wooden sign with our last name and wedding date on it....bit of an inside joke, we have been together for coming up on 18 years, but only married for 4 years, neither of us can ever remember the year we got married (2017), so I had this sign made that clearly has "Est. April 1, 2017" on it.
No way to forget now!
Also, my plan to get 10 chicks turned into 15 chicks because shipping costs were greatly reduced and I save $25 by ordering more chicks! More info to come as the plan develops into an actual coop and run!
My (original) plan was to get 10 chicks that would eventually be 10 hens. Our 10-11 year old coop and run are 12' by 15' run with a 4' by 8' coop on stilts to preserve the space under it as "usable" space. Plenty big enough for 10 hens, a bit above the "minimum" even, except the coop...I know when I built it, I had room enough for 7 hens there (I only had 3 because at the time, that's all my area allowed), so I knew I was going to need a bigger coop. I also have one of those tiny coop/run combo things that are "okay" for 1 or 2 (maybe), 3 if I leave it open and they're only sleeping in it, that was given to me by a friend. I actually would love to add is to my run to use as nest box space, but I don't know if that's such a great idea either. Probably best to save it as "time out" or a mini "hospital" so I don't have to completely move hens out if they get injured? At any rate, having that in the old coop area really cuts down on space, so I am back to looking at my shed. I believe it's at least 8' by 12' (will get out this weekend and actually measure it), plenty of space inside! We don't lose the "shed" use since its actually 2 stories and we can move anything in the lower half that needs to stay into the upper half (accessed only from the outside, it was originally built as a playhouse above a shed).
Need to add ventilation, hoping to keep it to the 2 sides of the shed that don't face our neighbors houses to (hopefully) reduce noise going that way), but will do whatever is best for my hens. The run is going in April 5-9 when my parents are coming up to visit (all current safety measures in place for this). They are bringing me a treasure trove in the form of a giant trailer full of building materials (plywood, lumber in all sorts of lengths and widths, 2" by 4" fencing, T-posts, and some chain link as well, plus wheelbarrows and all sorts of goodies)! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to build a larger run for my incoming flock when I have access to completely free supplies to do so! So now, the plan is for a (roughly) 10-15' by 15-20' run attached to my shed, all cobbled together with supplies we have on hand, I have hardware cloth (50-75' leftover), but will have no problem buying more as we need it. This time around, we have raccoons who have moved into the area, so I know I need to dig down and bury some hardware cloth to keep them from digging under. I also have put in a bid with my husband to buy me an automatic coop door as an anniversary present this year (I gave him a wooden sign with our last name and wedding date on it....bit of an inside joke, we have been together for coming up on 18 years, but only married for 4 years, neither of us can ever remember the year we got married (2017), so I had this sign made that clearly has "Est. April 1, 2017" on it.
No way to forget now!Also, my plan to get 10 chicks turned into 15 chicks because shipping costs were greatly reduced and I save $25 by ordering more chicks! More info to come as the plan develops into an actual coop and run!