CALIFORNIA The Whole State thread

[wolftracks]

Problem with this pen is I was building it before the Stockton show and it wasn't done. I won a pair of Lt Sussex in the raffle and I needed a lace to put them, so stuck them in this thing. Then I lost the roo, who had been shaking his head since the show. I think he might had hurt himself in the cage there. Luckily I hatched out a pair from the only 2 eggs that have hatched from them. But I needed to move the Marans and stuck them in there and still hadn't finished. We get high winds, but man were these bad. So since I hadn't finished the front I hadn'tt fastened it to the bottom from. The whole thing lifted from the tarps and went straight up I guess, cause it's still up high and caught. I went out with rope and tied it so it wouldn't go any further and removed all the tarps. 7 of them! It would not have been so hard to move it if the tarps weren't attached. The wind would hit and I'd try and hold on and I felt the pull in my back when I had hold of it and it tried to finish going over the fence. Today, if I can get it set right, I'm going to add the washers as I go. No more thinking it will stay. If you look to the left, you can see the tarps on one of the little hoop houses. Maybe they held up since they are small, but they held up and that's the important part. Then again, they are secured to the frames. A little tarp damage, but nothing I can't fix. Main problem is I have 3 breeds of birds running together in my yard now. I need hatching eggs, but not mutt chickens darn it!!!

 

[capayvalleychick]

My very first chicken tractor was made from pvc pipe & hardware cloth. The wind picked it up and blew it over 100 ft. into the next pasture. Next chicken tractor was made of wood. Didn't move in the wind but was too heavy to move, period. Now my mobile coops are on wheels.
DH made some shade structures for my pigs. He used a base out of 2x4s with a cattle panel as the hoop, covered with heavy duty tarps. Those have held up much longer & better than expected and they don't blow over in the wind. Maybe you could try something like that, with hardware cloth?

 

[wolftracks]

My very first chicken tractor was made from pvc pipe & hardware cloth. The wind picked it up and blew it over 100 ft. into the next pasture. Next chicken tractor was made of wood. Didn't move in the wind but was too heavy to move, period. Now my mobile coops are on wheels.
DH made some shade structures for my pigs. He used a base out of 2x4s with a cattle panel as the hoop, covered with heavy duty tarps. Those have held up much longer & better than expected and they don't blow over in the wind. Maybe you could try something like that, with hardware cloth?

If I ever get a house bought, I'll be using the panels also. I'm realistic at thinking when it comes to moving, it's just going to be me and my 16 yr old moving things, so everything has to be easy to take down when I leave here. This thing would have been fine. I just hadn't used washers and screws to fasten it to the bottom frame. Lifted right off the rebar, which is also going to be longer this time. I went out, looked, my back spasimed and I walked back in. Just rubbed in more Arnica. I wish I could have found the tube 2 days ago. I'm heading to a health food store today or tomorrow to buy more. I can't believe I let myself get down to one tube and it's almost gone. I shudder to think how I'll move at all if I don't have that stuff.

 

[wolftracks]

I have at least 3 Silver Phoenix chicks available so far. PM me if anyone is interested.

 

[wolftracks]

Anyone need hatching eggs? I have lots and no room in any of the incubators right now.

 

[PetRock]

My very first chicken tractor was made from pvc pipe & hardware cloth. The wind picked it up and blew it over 100 ft. into the next pasture. Next chicken tractor was made of wood. Didn't move in the wind but was too heavy to move, period. Now my mobile coops are on wheels.
DH made some shade structures for my pigs. He used a base out of 2x4s with a cattle panel as the hoop, covered with heavy duty tarps. Those have held up much longer & better than expected and they don't blow over in the wind. Maybe you could try something like that, with hardware cloth?

We are currently building breeding pens at my friends farm using two 5 ft. x 16 ft. cattle panels as a hoop and heavy duty pipes instead of wood for the base. We plan on either putting a tarp on the backside or getting corrugated roofing panels to cover half of it. Hardware cloth is going over the rest of it and a door will be on the front end. They are going to be very sturdy and we plan on moving them around the property with a tractor. My friend decided to use pipes instead of wood because it will last longer. She said that moving them wood eventually tweak the wood.

Here is a pic of the first one in progress. We are going to work on it again this weekend. We have the PVC feeders and half of the cup waterers made.




Forgot to say that they are 10 ft x 7 ft and 6 ft tall in the center.

 

[capayvalleychick]

I'd like to see it after you get the door on and it's finished.

 

[PetRock]

I'd like to see it after you get the door on and it's finished.

Will do! My friend's 17 year old son is doing most of the work for us. He has been busy with school so we are behind on finishing it. Hopefully we can get this first one done this weekend. I have some crowers here that need to go to the farm and we are out of pens for them. They are young Marans/OEs and way to small to go into the trailer coop with our big Langshan roos.

 

[ronott1]

Quote: I will be looking forward to seeing the finished pen too!

 

[wolftracks]

That's what I'm talking about. I can't wait to have those, but for now, I can only do so much. But I love the hoops.