Consolidated Kansas

[WichitaKidd]

Ok just wanted to mention that with sketch up you have to draw every board not just lines (unless you just want to play with possible dementions). I draw 2x4s as 2x4, 2x2s as 2x2 but when you go to build realize that lumber dementions are actually off by a little. You can refer to this table if needed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumber#Dimensional_lumber. Mesh is very hard to draw so I just fudge the the fencing materials provided to represent what I will actually use.

It's not as bad as it sounds. I actually draw out "standard" dimension lumber & save them as components first. Then I just copy what board I need for the plan. Think of it as "virtual" building. This is how I figure out my materials list by how many "copies" of what board. As for mesh, there is a fill pattern that's pretty close that I use. I know it's not 'exact' but it does give me an idea of how it will look. If you can find a photo of the exact mesh you want to use, there is a way to create your own fill pattern based on a photo. That might be something to play with too.
And if it all sounds like too much, pencil & paper works just fine too.

 

[Hawkeye95]

I've been taking decongestant for the last 24 hours. I'm not feeling any better. As soon as I start moving around my nose starts tickling and I start blowing and sneezing again. I did take a nap for a couple of hours. I felt better for a few minutes. I still haven't been out to feed and water the birds. I just can't make myself go do it. I guess I need to pretty quick or they won't get to eat today. (there's always plenty out there but a little of it might have gotten wet). The ones that have to eat outside I am sure are hungry. I was hoping DH would offer. He isn't doing anything and isn't nearly as sick as I am. He's out in the shop anyway so he doesn't have to get all bundled up. Fat chance.
So Hawkeye, Any idea how long this bug lasts?

Well, my little girl was sick for 3 days and is feeling fine today. I hope I have the same thing so that by Sunday I'll be better. I was sick yesterday, today... and then maybe a bit better by tomorrow or at least feeling on the mend by Sunday? I hope so! I have to do communion at church and then we have a super bowl party. I do not want to miss any of it. Well... communion, I can't miss. I'm not sure who they'd get to fill in last minute. Sigh. I haven't let the birds out of their coop at all today. There run and under the coop is completely under water-- looks to be an inch or two under there. They have feed and water, so they should be fine. I let Seymore out once the big thunderstorms passed thru. She's not thrilled with our new "water front property". Once again... we are a lake. It doesn't usually do this unless the earth is just really, really dry. If we regularly get rain, it soaks it up pretty fast.

 

[HEChicken]

In the FREE version of SketchUp you have to "measure" & mark dimensions if you want to know how big something is. To do this make sure you are using the "large tool set" that displays on the left side of the screen. If it's not there you can enable it from the menu bar by selecting View>Toolbars>Large Tool Set. Roughly in the middle of the toolbox (right next to the tape measurer) is the dimension tool (looks like 2 lines with a number 3 on top). Click this button, go to your drawing, click a starting point & an end point of what you want to measure & then again to display the dimension wherever you'd like. I don't think it's too hard. Or, you can buy the professional version of SketchUp for $500 to have the software do it automatically. I prefer the "cheap" method.
Good Luck!

Funny thing is, I found this tool just a little while ago. It hadn't been covered yet in the tutorials I've watched so far, so I didn't know it even existed. Love the way it works.

Wow, $500 for the paid version, huh? I wonder what it offers that the free one doesn't.

Okay, great tip on creating your own components - I didn't know that was possible either. I persisted with it this afternoon and am finding some success. I was able to create a framed version of my coop that gives me a start on figuring out how much lumber to use (created each 2x4 individually since I didn't know the component trick yet!) I guess I'll go and play with components now....

 

[HEChicken]

I've been taking decongestant for the last 24 hours. I'm not feeling any better. As soon as I start moving around my nose starts tickling and I start blowing and sneezing again. I did take a nap for a couple of hours. I felt better for a few minutes. I still haven't been out to feed and water the birds. I just can't make myself go do it. I guess I need to pretty quick or they won't get to eat today. (there's always plenty out there but a little of it might have gotten wet). The ones that have to eat outside I am sure are hungry. I was hoping DH would offer. He isn't doing anything and isn't nearly as sick as I am. He's out in the shop anyway so he doesn't have to get all bundled up. Fat chance.
So Hawkeye, Any idea how long this bug lasts?

Danz, sounds awful - sorry you aren't feeling better yet. Don't overdo the decongestants - if you do you can actually end up even more congested than you were when you started. Drink plenty of fluids - peppermint tea is a favorite of mine when I have a cold - drink a cup of hot tea every hour. A trick we used to use when I was a kid was to get a bowl and put boiling water in it, then a few drops of eucalyptus oil. Take a towel and while leaning over the bowl, place the towel so that its over your head and around the bowl. When you breathe in the steam and the eucalyptus oil, they will help clear our your nasal passages and sinuses. Another thing I've always done is to dab a little Vicks Vaporub on the top lip right under the nose. I swear it helps decongest you. Just last night my son, who is battling a cold, asked for the Vicks and this morning told me it had worked wonders.

It may not have occurred to your DH that you'd like his help today - my experience is that men do better with direction than being expected to anticipate. Don't be afraid to just say "Honey, will you please take care of the birds today - I don't feel well enough to do it".

 

[chicken danz]

Darn site triple posted on me. It kept saying an error occurred and it couldn't post.

 

[tweetysvoice]

Danz and Hawkeye, Sorry ya'll are feeling bad. I'm finally over all my crud, but I think it was a bit more than what you guys had, so I hope it goes away soon!

Ivy, I'm happy to hear that your DH is feeling better!!! I"m sure his body will heal the area the cath went into and he'll be his old self again soon!

I loved waking up to the nice thunderstorm last night. We so needed the rain! Did anyone else see the moon ring last night? It was pretty cool. This was my first chance to check out the area that I removed mulch from and where I want to put in the run. I'm so glad that it drained really nice and didn't pool up! This saves me a lot of time since I don't have to find a way to create a run-off. yippee!

 

[tweetysvoice]

Funny thing is, I found this tool just a little while ago. It hadn't been covered yet in the tutorials I've watched so far, so I didn't know it even existed. Love the way it works.

Wow, $500 for the paid version, huh? I wonder what it offers that the free one doesn't.

Okay, great tip on creating your own components - I didn't know that was possible either. I persisted with it this afternoon and am finding some success. I was able to create a framed version of my coop that gives me a start on figuring out how much lumber to use (created each 2x4 individually since I didn't know the component trick yet!) I guess I'll go and play with components now....

I decided to download this to just play with it. I love learning new software - but I noticed that if you go into "new models" and do a search for chicken coops, it will bring up a bunch that people have already made! Fun to be had by all!

 

[rittert3]

So you just save the materials and then make "virtual cuts"? Thats a good idea, I might give that a shot! As far as the mest I use the different materials in the fencing folder and then edit them. My tool bars don't quite match when every one else discribes, I don't know why. I'm using sketch up 8 free edition.

It's not as bad as it sounds. I actually draw out "standard" dimension lumber & save them as components first. Then I just copy what board I need for the plan. Think of it as "virtual" building. This is how I figure out my materials list by how many "copies" of what board. As for mesh, there is a fill pattern that's pretty close that I use. I know it's not 'exact' but it does give me an idea of how it will look. If you can find a photo of the exact mesh you want to use, there is a way to create your own fill pattern based on a photo. That might be something to play with too.
And if it all sounds like too much, pencil & paper works just fine too.

 

[rittert3]

Sounds like a few people are having some bad luck and illnesses in their lives, I know I'm not keeping up on replys to these things but just know I'm keeping you all in my thoughts and hope things turn around for you.

 

[Ivywoods]

Hi FOLKS! I'm back. First off, thank you, thank you to everyone for your concern, prayers and well-wishes. My DH is doing fine and I am SO relieved! We had excellent care in Topeka. We were very happy with all involved in his care and elated that they were able to find the problem and fix it. Mike, my DH is feeling so much better. His pain and shortness of breath are gone. I was so worried! He was getting worse by the day, and every test they ran kept coming back negative. Anyway, he is resting now and it is so good to be home. It's good to see him feeling more normal.

Rosie-Thank for keeping folks updated here for me. Sure looks like the forum has been busy. It has taken me a while to catch up on this thread. Congrats on your new baby chicks. I came home to two brand new wheaten ameraucana chicks in the hatcher. They are so cute!

Hawkeye-"I probably could have had it done by now if I hadn't spent so much time hunting." Gee! Imagine that! Remember the sideboard I was hunting for? LOL! I know how much time a person can spend hunting for what you need. I spend a lot of time doing that since I am such a scrounger. BTW, your new little coop reminds me of the hutch part I built on my chicken tractor. I'll see if I can find some pics of it sometime and post it.

Patricia-So sorry for all the bad news from your place. It does sound like you had a very bad day.

Be sure to let us know what KSU finds on your poor little hen.

Tweety-Congratulations to the soon to be Grandma! So exciting. My boys are so career minded sometimes I wonder if I will ever have grandkids. I guess I shouldn't worry. I was no "spring chicken" when I had my kids!

Jeff21-Yes, I use zip ties. They work GREAT for keeping birds separated. If you use them when the chicks are young, just be very diligent about removing them and replacing them as they grow, and they grow faster than you think sometimes. Zip ties are a MUST for any chicken owner. They work for so many things for the birds and in the coop. I've used a ton of them now and wonder how I ever got along without them and wonder why I was so dumb to not think of using them sooner. They are cheap, come in different sizes and lots of colors. Our hardware store sells some that are so big I swear you could zip tie your car to the garage so no one could steal it.

HEChicken-Ditto everything Hawkeye said about cutting concrete. We've done it. The only thing I would add is be sure to wear eye protection and a dust mask. When we have used it there was so much concerete dust it was terrible. Plus it was in a basement where there was not a good way to ventilate. Outside, especially if you can be "upwind" from the dust should be a little better.

Danz-Wow! Glad you got the pups in before all the rain hit. I'll bet Marshmallow was just too hot. I know our dogs do not like the heat at all. Sorry you are not feeling up to par. What a bummer. Hope you feel better soon!

Trish-What a bummer about those crazy pups! Maybe Chook's suggestion about raising the chickens nests would be a good option. Of course that only works if the hens use the nest, which mine do not always do!

Wow! The poultry swap on facebook has sure grown by leaps and bounds! Awesome. I'm going to have to get on there pretty soon and list some things I could swap AND I'd like to find a really nice (show quality, if possible) mated pair of royal palms. Gotta get the pen built first, though!