Recent content by ftroop

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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    I've put a standard feeder in there but will probably build one from PVC that will waste less food. I put a bucket with a nipple on the bottom for watering but the Cochin doesn't seem to want to use it. Any suggestions about that? I left it in there fro a day and she got very inactive and just...
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    Yes, there's hardware cloth on the bottom. Thanks for the suggestion about putting it over the ridge vent.
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    Yea, the pressure treated plywood and shingles really add extra weight but I built it to be very solid with extra corner brackets. I picked up one end of it so that it was balanced on one edge and walked it for a little ways. It didn't buckle or skew at all under the twisting. I then set it down...
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    I moved the Fortress of Fowl uphill across the yard last night. It weighs well over 300 pounds. The chickens and I will both be happier when I put wheels on it.
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    Here's that latest pics. Five chickens who are about 5 weeks old are living in the coop and seem to be doing well. The coop has a ridge vent for those warm Georgia summers. I just wanted to lay shingle for the look, although all the wood on the coop is pressure treated. Those handles on...
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    Well, I have 15 chicks arriving on Friday and I'm going to need my brooder for them, so I'm moving the chickens in there out to the coop before then. Here are the adorable little eating machines in their current cage. I'll put a heat lamp out there for a few weeks even though they're a month old...
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    Well, we talked about it and decided that we may want as many as 8 chickens at a point, so we created a new tractor that is 6x8, based on the recommendation in "Raising Chickens for Dummies." That gives us 48 sqft of run on the bottom and 24sqft of coop up top We also attached the hardware cloth...
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    Comment by 'ftroop' in article 'Cozy Coop in Cape'

    Nice coop, especially with no plans. I like that way of building. Great use of space with using all the base for a run, having the coop shelter part of the run and having enough space to walk in there. I like the rocks for stopping diggers. How did you attach the hardware cloth on the inside?
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    Yeah, I built it from 2x2s for weight. It seems quite solid and stable as I continue adding pieces to the frame. I imagine that roof decking will make it even more solid. Well, I was looking for feedback about the inside apron. I was thinking it would deter digging predators. After looking at...
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    YO GEORGIANS! :)

    I'm in Decatur
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    New at building the Chicken Tractor

    I'm new at this and building a chicken tractor for a few hens to live in my back yard. I'll keep updating this as it progresses over the next few weeks. Here's the initial frame-up, Its run has a footprint is 6'x6' and is 2' deep. The upstairs coop is 36" wide and 34"high. The...
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    Comment by 'ftroop' in article 'Quick Guide to Common Brooder and Coop Bedding Materials'

    Really helpful. Wish I had read this when I started out a few months ago...
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    Comment by 'ftroop' in article 'Stage II Brooder'

    Great design. I love the size and how much you've done with so little material. I wonder if there's a way to stop drafts through that door like a 10" lip with a ramp on the inside as well. No one has talked about wrapping the chicken wire like that to stop predators. Great idea. I've also heard...
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  14. Poultry Playpen

    Poultry Playpen

    I created this little pen as a brooder for when they are young or for quarantining a chicken when they are older. I'd love some feedback. It is 31" wide so that it fits through doors. It is 48" long and about 30" high.I have attached hardware cloth with screws and washer to stop predators...
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    To floor or not to floor

    Many people talk about electrified chicken wire. Does anyone have a picture of that? are we talking about electrifying all the chicken wore or just putting a strand around the bottom?
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