Consolidated Kansas

[HEChicken]

I want to make four or five of those hoop coops and use them next spring to seperate by breeds. If anyone has the measurements used for cutting the boards I would like to have them.

Are you all buttoned up and tied down for the weekend storms that the forecasters have been warning us about? I usually don't fret about the weather. I actually usually get a little charge from a beautiful storm. But my DH is out of state for a fishing tournament until Sunday evening, and the idea of taking care of these animals alone during storms scares the bijeezers out of me. I guess my biggest concern would be losing power and not being able to get the generator hooked up to the incubators in time to save my little candled blips.

Good night. Sleep tight!
Many Blessings,
Tammi Jo

In my signature line there is a link with pictures and "how-to" for when I built my first hoop coop. There aren't a specific set of measurements because hoop coops are really flexible so it depends on how many panels long you make it. My panels are 52" so I decide how many panels long I want it, and get boards long enough to fasten that number of panels to. Most people make them 8' wide. I happened to have some 10' boards lying around so rather than cut them off, I made mine 10' wide. It is still tall enough in the middle for me to stand up without bending over, and I like that they have a little extra space on the ground, which is of course where the birds spend their time.

Mine is 12' long but the next will be 13' long. At 10' wide they have 120 square feet of space. If I'd cut the boards to 8' wide, they would have only had 96 square feet of area.

Sally's death this morning sidetracked me.

So sorry for your loss.

Tweety, I hope you were able to sleep the last few nights. At least the wind has mostly been during the day and at night it calms down a little.

 

[Trish44]

I want to make four or five of those hoop coops and use them next spring to seperate by breeds. If anyone has the measurements used for cutting the boards I would like to have them.

Are you all buttoned up and tied down for the weekend storms that the forecasters have been warning us about? I usually don't fret about the weather. I actually usually get a little charge from a beautiful storm. But my DH is out of state for a fishing tournament until Sunday evening, and the idea of taking care of these animals alone during storms scares the bijeezers out of me. I guess my biggest concern would be losing power and not being able to get the generator hooked up to the incubators in time to save my little candled blips.

Good night. Sleep tight!
Many Blessings,
Tammi Jo

I sent you a PM with pics & a materials list I used for mine. I have two of them & am working on the third now.

I left the goats out all night last night, they weren't sure what to think because they've always been put in the pen at night. I take them down normally & feed them in the evening & put them in. Last night I fed all of the other birds & animals & then took them down by the pen but not in it & fed them & the lamb was watching them eat & though oh you're eating, I think I'll eat too, so he ate along with them. It was so cute! They two goats settled down at dark & slept right by the driveway last night, they were good girls.

I plan to go out in a bit & work some more & my hoop coop to get it more stable in case it does get really windy here. I need to get the frame done & add the frame for the doors. I doubt I'll get the doors done today, but at least would like to get the other frame on.

I have more chicks hatching today, they were really due yesterday but I have stragglers.

 

[merideth]

Hello everyone! I'm a brand new member from butler county. Friendshipstar, it sounds like we might be neighbors.

My mom kept chickens when I was a child, but being the only girl and what my mom calls a "houseplant" (I much preferred to stay inside or out on the porch swing with a book), I had no dealings with them until they or their eggs landed on our table, lol!

I've wanted chickens of my own for years now and am thinking of ways to incorporate them into teaching life skills to my 9yo Aspie boy. This site is a wealth of knowledge!

 

[tweetybaby2005]

It's been a few days for me. Between working and chickens I can't keep up with myself. I thought I would be done with the brooder. But then I decided I needed to get some silkies. And I found a few. I get to pick them up Sunday. I can't wait. I've never seen one in real life before. So I spent this morning moving the little guys out to the coop and cleaning the brooder and kitchen. Not the best place to keep the brooder. But it's the only place not accessible to my dogs or 17 mths old. My brooder is an extra playpen I wasn't using. And I like that after I clean it it folds away!! And if I don't stop getting chickens I may have to build a second coop. I have 20 chickens right now. And 5 on their way. My coop is an old 6x8 metal shed I fixed up.

Okjenyp, sounds like you are well on your way to getting more chicks just like some of us... LOL... Congrats on the silkies... I have never had one before and they look fluffy and fragile to me but I knew Hawkeye (she moved to OK last year so hardly pops in here much any more) had quite a few and she knows them silkies.... But I really like their look though.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

I want to make four or five of those hoop coops and use them next spring to seperate by breeds. If anyone has the measurements used for cutting the boards I would like to have them.

Are you all buttoned up and tied down for the weekend storms that the forecasters have been warning us about? I usually don't fret about the weather. I actually usually get a little charge from a beautiful storm. But my DH is out of state for a fishing tournament until Sunday evening, and the idea of taking care of these animals alone during storms scares the bijeezers out of me. I guess my biggest concern would be losing power and not being able to get the generator hooked up to the incubators in time to save my little candled blips.

Good night. Sleep tight!
Many Blessings,
Tammi Jo

Tammi... I usually don't mind having a storm or 2 myself but the forecast has evolved from not bad storm with large hails to tornado possible with 2" hails and very strong wind... so I'm trying to get things situated ... just in case...

I hope it is just a normal storm without much punch to it especially since your husband is away from home....

Hang tight and the wind is already blowing like crazy.... AGAIN... LOL

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Sally's death this morning sidetracked me. We have a storm coming, and I want to make sure everything is secure. I have a heavy hoop coop made from two cattle panels, so it should be ok, as well as the wooden former dog house in Silkyville. It is the small PVC hoop that concerns me. The back side (east) is tarpped straw bales. The PVC pipes used as ribs are on rebar stuck into the ground. We also used tent stakes to secure the chicken wire to the ground, and attached the tarp with zip ties. It was designed to be quickly erected and quickly taken down when no longer needed. Anything else I could do?

So sorry about Sally... I must have missed your post some where. since I was so busy the last few weeks.. Is Sally a chicken?

If you have sand tubes or bags of top soil or something like that, you can sit them on the PVC pipes or sandwiched the pipes between the 2 bags. Not very practical but hopefully they will help hold your pen down. The tarp is what worries people the most since the wind can get caught in it and lift the pen or hoop coop up. But sounds like you are doing everything to get things situated.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

From Danz "Tweety, I would use Preventic collars on your dogs. They are excellent, don't make them sick and are great for keeping the ticks and fleas off. On GPs it's good to clip down the hair where the collar sits so it is short so it can make better contact with the skin but they seem to work even without doing that as long as they aren't dangling loose."

Well, quote is not working for me again today... bummer...

I found 2 ticks on big Sky yesterday and 2 more today... all of them were found on top of her head and under her jaw.... This is really upsetting me. So I went ahead and bought 2 Preventic collars (25" ones) for the GPs. I sure hope they work because as of right now, I'm checking her head to tail daily and I'm not sure if I miss some on her body or not because she has thicker coat/longish hair. Argh...

And won't you know it, the Preventic collars that's on Prime won't be shipped for another month or so... Soooo I have to get them and pay shipping from another vendor from GA. I think it should be here quckly though. This vendor has 98% rating.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Hello everyone! I'm a brand new member from butler county. Friendshipstar, it sounds like we might be neighbors.

My mom kept chickens when I was a child, but being the only girl and what my mom calls a "houseplant" (I much preferred to stay inside or out on the porch swing with a book), I had no dealings with them until they or their eggs landed on our table, lol!

I've wanted chickens of my own for years now and am thinking of ways to incorporate them into teaching life skills to my 9yo Aspie boy. This site is a wealth of knowledge!

Woohoo... Quote is working for me again... hahahahahah

Sorry... meant to say Welcome...

I'm just a tad west of you. Tell us more about your plan... I gather you haven't gotten the chickens yet? We talk and discuss just about anything and everything. If you need help selecting breeds, just ask. We have quite a knowledgable group here. I have only had chickens for about 2 years myself so still a newbie compare to Danz, Trish, Hechickens, and others. Just feel free to ask your questions if you have any.

 

[friendshipstar]

Hello everyone! I'm a brand new member from butler county. Friendshipstar, it sounds like we might be neighbors.

My mom kept chickens when I was a child, but being the only girl and what my mom calls a "houseplant" (I much preferred to stay inside or out on the porch swing with a book), I had no dealings with them until they or their eggs landed on our table, lol!

I've wanted chickens of my own for years now and am thinking of ways to incorporate them into teaching life skills to my 9yo Aspie boy. This site is a wealth of knowledge!

Welcome Meredith! We very well could be neighbours. I love that.

Do you currently have chickens? And if so, what kind?

 

[okjenyp]

Welcome Meredith! I am new to the chicken world as well. 3 months ago it was just an idea. And now I have 20+ chicks!! People here are so helpful!