Colorado

[samsr]

I am collecting the parts now for my small cabinet incubator. I have the 9 bottle wine refrigerator, already gutted. I chose this because it has a full glass door on the front, so that I can keep an eye on the eggs. I have the Thermostat, heater coil, and two 120mm computer fans coming next week. The cpu fans have red led lights built into them so that I will have light in there without having to drill another hole in the cabinet and have another wire running around. The heater coil is a replacement coil for the gqf sportsman cabinet incubator. it should work well.I have a question that someone may be able to help me with if they will. Where is the heater coil located in the sportsman incubator? My plan is to locate the coils in front of the fans so the air moves across them. The fans and coil will be mounted to close to the top of the incubator. I should be able to have two levels to hatch on. I am picking up one used turner tomorrow, but will have to cut an inch off of it to get it to fit in the cabinet. I will take pics as the project progresses. I hope it works as well as I think it will. I am already collecting eggs for a test hatch. It should take about three days to assemble, as long as the weather holds(it is cold in the shop). Wish me luck

 

[trsturself]

I am collecting the parts now for my small cabinet incubator. I have the 9 bottle wine refrigerator, already gutted. I chose this because it has a full glass door on the front, so that I can keep an eye on the eggs. I have the Thermostat, heater coil, and two 120mm computer fans coming next week. The cpu fans have red led lights built into them so that I will have light in there without having to drill another hole in the cabinet and have another wire running around. The heater coil is a replacement coil for the gqf sportsman cabinet incubator. it should work well.I have a question that someone may be able to help me with if they will. Where is the heater coil located in the sportsman incubator? My plan is to locate the coils in front of the fans so the air moves across them. The fans and coil will be mounted to close to the top of the incubator. I should be able to have two levels to hatch on. I am picking up one used turner tomorrow, but will have to cut an inch off of it to get it to fit in the cabinet. I will take pics as the project progresses. I hope it works as well as I think it will. I am already collecting eggs for a test hatch. It should take about three days to assemble, as long as the weather holds(it is cold in the shop). Wish me luck

Awesome! Can't wait to follow along with your progress!

 

[Reinette]

Hi fellow Coloradans! I just joined BYC. I'm not yet a chicken mama but hope to be one by this spring. I'm currently deciding on coops - prefab, custom, used, hand made (ha). I posted in introductions but saw this Colorado thread and thought I'd say hello here too! So ... Howdy from Lakewood.

 

[Dnetschke]

Welcome to the Colorado thread Reinette.

 

[Pozees]

Welcome, Reinette! Your coop selection depends on so many things. Some want one they can walk into without bending over, so a shed is in order, others want one of the newer styles like the Egglu I think it's called? You might want a tractor style so you can move the chickens around the yard every day or two. Do you live in a neighborhood where there is an HOA? If so that will likely influence your choice.

I have three different coops right now and am wanting to put up another full size plus something for growing out males away from the other birds - hey, a girl can dream! Anyway, my first coop in this iteration of chicken keeping is about 3'x4', the bottom is 3' off the ground, it has an attached run, it's handmade (not by me, I bought it from someone who had decided they didn't want chickens anymore) and because it is up high it's easier to access the interior to check on birds, add bedding, etc. The problem is it's up high and the wind can get under it and tip it over, which it did twice last year, luckily it had no birds inside at the time. Now I have it set up immediately to the west of my second coop which has (knock wood) so far kept it from tipping, since the wind here almost always comes from the west. That coop with young pullets included cost me $400. I overpaid. A lot.

I bought a coop from a gal who makes them from wooden shipping crates, and when it arrived I loved its rustic appearance (still do) but Bob the practical one said, "You can't put chickens in there! It is one big draft!" He was right, there was daylight all over the place between boards. We spent the next 2 or 3 weeks insulating and then covering the insulation with 1/4" plywood, then painting it. Then we also added vents at the top. The original $340 I paid for it quickly grew to more like $600. It is a nice coop now, lots of room (almost 4' wide by 8' long and 3' high, up on 2' legs). It is surrounded by a chain link run including a cover of chain link. It took a lot of work to get it set up the way we wanted it, and just last month we realized in a couple more years we are going to have to figure out how to move it, as there are a couple of young trees that will grow into the chain link.

This past January I ordered the Shed Kit From H*** - paid $2000 for a 12 x 16 kit and spent at least that much again making it right after I had incorrect materials delivered twice and not enough roofing material to actually cover the roof. It was a nightmare - this kit that was advertised as taking a weekend for two people to complete, took almost 3 months. We are fairly happy with it, but when we put up the next one we'll change the layout a bit. It's okay though, I can walk into it, and we ran electric to it so I can brood chicks out there.

Everyone here has their own arrangement, and everyone has tweaked things a bit to get it more to their liking - someone got the coop Big R sells, which is a bit pricey but really nice, I've looked at it (read, lusted for it) many times, and they look well built and attractive. I say "the coop" but they actually sell several, many of which are not so well built. Most of the kits that say they are made of "sturdy fir" are anything but sturdy, they fly around in a good windstorm and just don't have enough room for large fowl.

Wendy can fill you in on an annual tour of coops she participates in, maybe that's a good way to get a better idea of what you want.

Feel free to ask questions and share your experiences - as a group we are all at various stages of keeping, but between us we've seen lots of what can happen when you have chickens.

 

[Pozees]

samsr I am really anxious to see how your cabinet incubator build comes along!

 

[suncatcher]

Welcome Reinette! Agree there are many, many coop designs out there. Having looked at a ton of DIY coop plans, I have seen them in all shapes and sizes, you will find one that you like, and will work for you. Also, helps to know what has worked, and not worked for others.

samsr, Did you get your idea on using the wine/water cooler from Youtube? Using one with a glass door is a great idea! Looking forward to seeing yours become an incubator! I came across a Youtube where the guy made an incubator out of a chest freezer, and a hatcher out of an old non working stove! He heated the hatcher with a light bulb only. Some people are very good at reusing things!

I have one chicken tractor started, I found the plans on line, it is very simple, and quite sturdy, I will still secure it to something, maybe 4x4 posts in the ground on one side, as I don't plan on moving it around much. Yep, we too are going to need a place to house the "boys", still thinking on what might work best for us.

 

[carolynm]

So thanks to Margie I'll have an incubator for eggs. Does anyone have a suggestion for hatching eggs, my kids will be trying to show them for 4H. (Breeds, Egg suppliers.....)

I see a lot of bantam cochins at the 4H fairs-they're easy to handle, don't take up much space etc. After seeing them I had to get some LOL. I hope to have calico /mille fleur cochin hatching eggs this spring and actually do have several roos available right now. I'm a 4H leader here in Park County. If a child wanted a roo for a 4H project I'd happily donate one.

 

[wsmith]

I am putting together the final fl) materials list for phase 3. My hope is to have this final chicken building phase finished by the end of March.... If the weather cooperates......
Phase 3 will include an area for up to 15 turkeys (eventually the plan is for this to be the turkey breeding house/pen); and two chicken breeding pens. Each of these three areas will include a 6 X 8 walk in coop. This will end the chicken building. When we are finished, we will have the main hen house (10 X 12) in the 3000 Sq ft run, the two growout pens, (each with a 4X6 elevated coop in an 8 X 24 pen), 4 breeding / brooding / segregation pens, each with a 3 X 4 elevated coop; the two breeding pens will each be about 575 square feet, while the turkey pen will be about 1000 sq ft.

Phase two also included a storage shed for straw, etc, and a work shed, and a feed/supply shed with a front porch.

I think that's enough.... LOL

.

After the chicken building is done, the greenhouse is next, followed by a possible larger turkey operation........"Chicken math" has become "poultry calculus"

 

[gardendufus]

I am putting together the final (

) materials list for phase 3. This will end the chicken building.