Between the Bees, Coop Outfitting

[aart]

My only real comment is that the future bee hives you mention planning to build may end up with the bees showing an interest in your chicken feed. It is occasionally posted as a question on here. People freaking out when they find a swarm on their chicken feeder. They will move on eventually.

That usually only happens when hives are not managed well with supplemental feed/water if needed.
But, yeah, have seen several posts on that, one where the bees actually chewed thru a plastic waterer.

 

[we3ernes]

I missed that little red door completely when I looked, it will be interesting to see how they react when you open the small door. Are you going to remove them before servicing the brooder?

JT

I AM planning to move them when I take care of the brooder, we have a large walk in shower, and I’m going to make a collapsible pen for the yard for warm days (it hit 74 today, so it isn’t unreasonable to think I could put them outside for a little while)

 

[we3ernes]

My only real comment is that the future bee hives you mention planning to build may end up with the bees showing an interest in your chicken feed. It is occasionally posted as a question on here. People freaking out when they find a swarm on their chicken feeder. They will move on eventually.

Thanks for the warning, my husband would be delighted to get a “free” swarm. I’m not worried about his hives swarming, he’s a very concientous person and his bees will be well taken care of!

 

[we3ernes]

Yay for warm dry days!

Screened wall between the storage and coop areas. Left side will (eventually) have nesting boxes in the opening. Right side I’m still deciding if I will utilize the opening or just screen it. Dutch door with a removable threshold for litter.

Reverse side of the wall, each half of the Dutch door has a spring to hold it shut.

The springs are easily unhooked for times when I want the doors open (like right now!)

Simple wood retaining clips for the threshold.

Window now has an adjustable rope system to hold it open at the desired angle.

Paracord and eyehooks run along the eve to the front porch....

And then down the side to another eyehook. The upper knot keeps the two sides of the window moving at the same rate.

This is the pop door to the brooder/isolation area, still need to add ramps and latches.

Tomorrow is cooler but still workable so I’ll be working on poop boards and then caulking and painting. I REALLY need cut the door that will lead to the run, but my Black & Decker Matrix died on me, so I don’t have a jig saw OR a trim saw OR a reciprocating saw OR an oscillating saw . So I guess that will wait until I can get back to Home Depot!

 

[aart]

The springs are easily unhooked for times when I want the doors open (like right now!)

Yes!!

Excellent work!

 

[we3ernes]

Got the first poop board built:

The poop board lifts up when it’s time to clean the coop. The area under it will be my future brooder/isolation area.

A nail and two eyescrews become the catch for the poop board (don’t want it falling on my head!)

Simple set of eyescrews and a nail . . .

Hold the poop board in the upright position (saving me from getting knocked in the head!)

Roost is completely removable and weighs very little. It is constructed of trim material with mdf brackets (what I had on hand). Two pieces of trim come together in a “T” shape and are glued together so they act like a beam and can carry a fairly high load.

Close up of the free end bracket and the “T” beam.

Didn’t get as much done today as I wanted to, there was a lot of head scratching and a few arguments with some stubborn screws!

Chicks were supposed to arrive today, but I spoke with the post office and they won’t be here until tomorrow morning. Gave me a full day to test out the mama heating pad!

 

[we3ernes]

Baby chicks are here, not sure how much I’m going to get get done today!

The blue Andalusian (gray one in the lower left) was the first to figure out the nipple waterers, her name is Lyda (they are all named for our grandmothers and great-grandmothers).

It looks a little cloudy because the walls of the tub aren’t perfectly clear. The water is slightly yellow because it has the chick version of peidalyte in it.

Not trying the feeder just yet, I have crumble sprinkled on the paper towels and a small dish of gro-gel for them to eat (I know, I know, they don’t NEED the gro-gel, but I was a nervous new mama).

One of the Buff Orpingtons (Velma and Thelma, yes, my husband’s grandmother was named Velma and she had a twin sister Thelma) was very slow to learn the nipples, she is also a bit smaller than the others, but she eventually figured it out. @aart - do you see the little button light? I put it under the mama heating pad at your suggestion and it really seemed to help them figure out where to go.

Hopefully I’ll be able to tear myself away to actually work on the coop!

 

[aart]

named Velma and she had a twin sister Thelma

Ha!! Have a neighbor named Velma who's sister is Thelma, not twins but Velma goes by Louise(before the movie)

on the light.

 

[RoosterML]

Nice work on everything your doing! I would try to keep as much as possible off the floor. Every little thing off the floor now you'll be glad later when it's cleaning time.
This is one thing I noticed you could very easily change if you want. Hold the poop board with a diagonal piece and you'll have a nice clear floor under.

 

[we3ernes]

Nice work on everything your doing! I would try to keep as much as possible off the floor. Every little thing off the floor now you'll be glad later when it's cleaning time.
This is one thing I noticed you could very easily change if you want. Hold the poop board with a diagonal piece and you'll have a nice clear floor under.
View attachment 1638757

I will be doing that on the rest of the poop boards, but this particular one is also the roof for my future brooder/isolation pen, so that square is necessary as the wall of the pen. The front wall is three lightweight panels with a chick portal that come out when the pen isn’t needed any longer.