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  1. Tweakster

    My New and Improved Chicken Coop :)

    I absolutely LUV the homemade light. Only chicken lovers can appreciate what they are looking at when they see it. Anyone else would assume it is an odd weather tight fixture. Great job!
  2. Tweakster

    Lighting in winter

    If using a timer the answer would need to be yes, in the morning. BOOM! A gazillion watts of good morning shatters the darknes and jolts the fluffy butts back from la-la land. Sister Cane illustrates how it can be done in the evening, annnnd with a bit more gentleness. I already have low...
  3. Tweakster

    I need some easy, cheap, coop roof help..or ideas for winter

    Might I still suggest a tarp?? What can be done to get drainage is to nail a 2x4 upright to the midle of each each end of the arbor, so they stick up in the air about 18 inches to two feet. Then connect them with another 2x4 placed on the 2 inch edge (nail or screw both ends into the...
  4. Tweakster

    Lighting in winter

    Sister Cane, I luv your idea! Having solar lights on a timer is kinda bad as it doesn't provide a fading dusk that allows the chooks to find their place on the roost before it gets dark. With a timer, it's just SURPRISE! Lights out and you can crawl your way to a safe place. Using the...
  5. Tweakster

    Building my first coup.

    Tokie, More answers, On the grass thing, it won't be grass for long if the chooks are enclosed with it. They (full grown chooks) scratch like crazy and will have it turned over in less than a few days. You WILL NOT have grass there long. Don't need a rooster for eggs, and having a...
  6. Tweakster

    Poop board construction - questions on how-to and different methods

    Got mine from Home Depot and I know the local Lowes also carries it the fencing section. It is colored green. Chicken wire is more difficult to staple down than the half inch mesh (I used a pnuematic stapler with 1 inch long staples). HTH!
  7. Tweakster

    Poop board construction - questions on how-to and different methods

    I installed a poop board in the chicken tractor I built and luv it. My goal with the chicken tractor was to limit my need to go inside. So I designed the poop board to function like a large drawer, which can be removed from the exterior of the tractor (coop), emptied, and slid back into the...
  8. Tweakster

    Bottomless

    No problem using mesh, I have it as part of the floor in my tractor. Realize that it will be a bit difficult to clean as the droppings tend to pile up on 1/2 by 1/2 inch mesh. You need a bit larger mesh before the droppings fall through. I used the 1/2 by 1/2 mesh under the roosting area in...
  9. Tweakster

    shelf life

    That is a GOOD Mother Earth article! It debunks several preservation methods that have been recmmended to me because somebody had heard the method worked (or not as in the research by Mother Earth news). Thanx for posting that!!
  10. Tweakster

    From Book Cover To My Backyard - Update 7/2/12 Sand is added!

    Cool beans! I like it.
  11. Tweakster

    When to paint wood for coop. Confused about when can I primer/paint.

    I have to agree, paint after it is together. What this does is gets paint into the joints, helping seal them from water. The large wood joints won't get sealed unless you caulk them first. Best to paint after the coop is done.
  12. Tweakster

    Need input!

    Nice, cozy little coop! I'm sure your chooks enjoy it. With the water-er and feeder, getting them up off the ground helps kept dirt out of them. As the chooks tear up the ground a bit more you're going to find that they throw a lot of dirt around as they scratch. This makes a bigger...
  13. Tweakster

    Maine coop 2012

    I luv it! You are truly an amazing lady with surprizing carpentry skills!
  14. Tweakster

    Which Auto Door Opener should I buy

    If you look at the post from N4HHM, you will see the cable from the lift motor attaches to a simple mechanism. Note that the pop door attachment is not a single point, but a plate that rotates as the tension is added or removed from the lift cable. The rotating plate slides a pin, on the right...
  15. Tweakster

    Atomatic door motor ?

    I'll second the D20 endorsement! No problems what so ever. Although I will say, if you're not a handy type, then get a pre-built unit that just plugs in. The D20 takes a little set-up that can throw some folks. Regarding the door closer from Wells in the UK, I'd hesitate to get a plug in...
  16. Tweakster

    Which Auto Door Opener should I buy

    I luv the simplicity of your locking mechanism! Simple and effective! I also have the D20 Add-A-Motor closer on my coop with a solar charger since I don't have power to my coop. My coop is a movable chicken tractor so running power to it is a bit impracticable. The Add-A-Motor has worked...
  17. Tweakster

    New Coop is Near Completion - several pics UPDATED PICS ADDED

    Great coop! Could you tell us how you taught the chickens to rake the sand in the run so nicely? I'm sure it's easier than getting a teenager to clean their room,, heck, anything is easier than that! I really love the way you did the nest boxes.
  18. Tweakster

    Run cover - PVC or Polycarbonate?

    I have to agree with 2Old2Crow, the polycarbonate works great and lasts. I used it over my chicken tractor because of the high strength/low weight. I also put it over the run to keep it dry and provide some shade, as I used a green colored polycarbonate instead of clear.
  19. Tweakster

    Help with ventilation and Run door

    If it were me, I'd put a vent along the bottom of the side away from the house. This would allow cooler air to enter in low, creating some circulation to allow the hot air to escape out the top. I'm not sure where you'll put the nesting boxes, so that option may not be available. I'd put the...
  20. Tweakster

    Should I paint the nest boxes

    They do seem to luv cool concrete in the summer. We have a covered patio and all of our chooks can be found there on a hot summer afternoon. Then I get sent out in the late evening to hose off the patio so the DW and I can spend the evening on it. The chooks do NOT, by the way, like the hose...
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