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  1. perkolator

    How deep to bury hardware cloth in a run?

    Ideally you wouldn't have mesh under the floor of a run if you don't truly need it. Depending on the type of soil or bedding, the angle of repose usually limits a chicken to dig maybe ~8" deep, but of course it's possible to dig deeper. Aiming for 8-12" is probably a good depth to prevent the...
  2. perkolator

    Chicken Run. Stumped on what I should do.

    4x4 posts sitting on top of raised concrete piers/footings, would keep things above ground to minimize ground contact, and helps deal with any non-level ground. If you want the aesthetic of a level and solid bottom plate, add a horizontal joist on top of the footings, and fill in below with...
  3. perkolator

    Indecisive about coop

    I too would go with #1. However that's a lot of money for something that's only ~11.5'L x 5.25'W x 7.25'H. You could likely build something really similar, but larger, with a carport with metal roof kit, more corrugated roof panels and a roll of hardware cloth, probably for about half that...
  4. perkolator

    Protecting Sapling Roots

    Many people make fencing cages around young trees, mainly for something like a deer grazing or a rabbit/vole bark damage in winter; they also work for keeping chickens away from the rootball. I plant all over my property and have to cage around basically everything or the chickens will reverse...
  5. perkolator

    Coop Nest Box Lid Repair

    If you're covering over this with metal roofing, I would probably leave the original panel, and just add 2-3 furring strips across it lengthwise, for more structure to attach the roofing. The strips will also help out that weakened corner. If you get water leaks, consider adding in flashing...
  6. perkolator

    Egg Cartn - Winter in NJ

    How many chickens do you have? I'd imagine you can't free-range in the snow, and without an additional run they'll be confined to this very small space during winter. I'd be much more concerned about that situation than the cold. Not quite sure how that thin corrugated sheeting insulates or...
  7. perkolator

    chicken run material in a humid environment where the soil never dries out and average temp is 56f

    x2 on getting arborist wood chips. A chunky and tall profile bedding will elevate above flood conditions and will generally not hold water if it does flood occasionally. I use wood chips as a base for my setup, but prefer calling arborist directly vs dealing with ChipDrop. I also add lots of...
  8. perkolator

    Making use of a little side niche in my coop/run

    Yeah, you're good with just one box for them. Like mentioned a nest box doesn't have to be in that hole, it can be some other box just hung on the wall somewhere. Use it for storage if you like, that's a big opening and should be able to fit a 50# feed bag through it
  9. perkolator

    Making use of a little side niche in my coop/run

    If you're determined to divide it, I would go vertically, which will give you a narrow 10-10.5" wide opening once you factor in the material in between. That's a fairly narrow opening, but might be ok since most chicken doors are fairly small. I'd likely plan to expand the box inside the shed...
  10. perkolator

    Secure run and free ranging practices

    I have 1.3ac and used to free range daily and wish I still could, but no longer do that due to heartaches from predator losses. My setup now is a secure covered run attached to coop, with auto door to a larger secure but uncovered run. Door to exit large run for free-ranging, is manual only...
  11. perkolator

    Is it hard to cut and add windows to a Resin shed?

    Resin sheds are pretty easy to cut. I'd use a reciprocating saw, jigsaw, or circular saw, even a utility knife could technically work - just measure twice as resin isn't as easy to patch up as wood if you mess up. Instead of weatherstripping, you can use a bead of silicone caulking to seal...
  12. perkolator

    T-Post Fence Inspiration

    I did what you're asking, ~10ft spacing and then 3-post corners. If I had the Wedge-Loc hardware, I'd probably have used it, but I just copied what was done by previous owners on other t-post fence corners, and used metal wire to secure the corners. Seems to be working fine, just doesn't look...
  13. perkolator

    Care free coop

    Ok so here's a thing about BSF - while yes they can be great at consuming many types of animal waste, it's not advisable to feed BSF back to the animals producing the manure they're raised on. This has high potential to cause weird things like nutrient depletion and degradation, potential for...
  14. perkolator

    Tell me what’s wrong with our nesting boxes

    I would add a short lip at the bottom, which should provide more privacy and also keep out that bedding. Something not mentioned yet - right now in late summer/early fall is when a lot of chickens will go through molt and stop laying until their hormones/bodies do their thing. Perhaps this is...
  15. perkolator

    Care free coop

    Without any pic, I'd guess BSF (Black Soldier Fly) larvae, as they like to live in compost. They are FANTASTIC at waste consumption and are even used in sizeable operations to process certain waste streams. At one point I was raising some in a tub, on old food and rodent carcasses - the...
  16. perkolator

    Shelving under roosting bars

    I would brace the shelves to prevent sagging, probably 1x2 lumber on the perimeter in the tall direction to save on weight vs thicker lumber that will weigh even more. I'd also use the trays on shelf as suggested, instead of moving the whole shelf every time.
  17. perkolator

    Do I Need a Ladder? (New to Raising Chickens)

    Why would they need a booster/stool/ladder for the nest boxes, if the roost bars are another foot higher? A chicken that size can jump/fly 4-5ft easily, so my suggestion is add nothing inside. If that's a pic of the inside of this coop, adding more obstructions in such a small footprint...
  18. perkolator

    Shelving under roosting bars

    I'm assuming this is a poop board -- is it no longer functioning now that the board warped? Pics of the problem?
  19. perkolator

    It's too nice for my chickens.... :(

    That's a pretty awesome goat house! Lots of work to use logs, but if I had all those trees I'd likely be using them too - will you be doing the same? I could see this design being tweaked a little to make it into a chicken coop. This is probably what I would do: - I imagine the porch is the...
  20. perkolator

    Coop with “wings”

    Right on. No extra protection for the gable ends?
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