Coop Project: Maken the Plunge & Getting Chickens

[Rock Home Isle]

Once your connections are made for the cable that you are working on you will want to protect the connection so that it doesn' short. You'll need to screw on a Wire Coonectors. Its a little winged connector that just screws on over the connection to protect it and keep problems from occuring.



The Wire connectors come in different colors according to size.



Each size corresponds to a different gauge of wire. I'm using a small gauge wire because I'm only using a 15 amp circuit to power my coop, so I'll be using yellow.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

When you screw on the Wire Connectors make sure that it goes on so that it covers the entire connection...all you should see is insulation going into the connector. To make sure that the connection fits proeprly into the Wire Connector, use your pliers to trim back the connection to about 1/2 an inch; you should never see bare metal once the Wire Connector is installed.



Its just screws on to the connection and there you have it...

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Once all my connections are made and my Wire Connectors are installed the whole thing is carefully stuffed into the junction box. Make sure that you put Wire Conectors on your grounding wires, the wires that have no insulation; I had to go back and install the Wire Connectors.



Then I screwed a cover plate on the junction box.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Once my cover plate is on my junction box, I then installed my vent covers...and one more job on my Coop List was completed.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Your talk about duck eggs in baking inspired me to buy 4 ducks. I think I may need a spouse who isn't so willing to get animals. We are HORRID with animals. lol

I don't know what it is about duck eggs in baking...but it sure makes a wonderful difference.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Here here, I couldnt agree more.

Thank you...

It may take me a while to develop an opinion. I'm not a person that is easily swayed by emotion; I really like to research and gain understanding before I committ. But once I have a good solid understanding of a situation and some experience to support it, then my opinions are pretty strong.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Vey nice set-up and a great use of your available backyard space!!! ~Beulah

Thank you very much...

I've put a lot of thought into the layout of the yard over the years, and how I was going to integrate the poultry. I started researching backyard flocks and poultry breeds back in 2008. I originally wanted a tractor for the chickens (and I'm working out an idea for a small garden tractor design), but the backyard tractor idea gradually evolved into a coop. I wanted a tractor; it was a hard idea to let go, but it just didn't mesh with the busy schedule that my wife and I have in our lives.

I also love to sit outside on the deck and watch the interactions of the birds in the flock...that is such simple and fun entertainment.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

The Robins and Black Birds have all hatched their babies. They have been bringing them into the cherry trees all week. It starts at about 5:00am just at sunrise and the racket just picks up from there. We had an early snow storm last fall and the snow from the storm broke out this branch in the cherry tree. It has created a nice little opening to the interior branches of the tree and it seems that almost every bird that visits the tree lands just about where this robin is sitting.




The pullets do not like the baby birds that come into the yard. I've had a few fledgling fliers that are just learning to use their wings crash into the windows of the house this spring. And I've had to rescue 3 of these errant pilots, so far, from the pullets. Once they crash into the yard...here comes the pullets at a dead run and the pecking starts.

I was a little surprised at that behavior. Not very neighborly of my girls I must admit.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

I have been patient with the girls, but finally they seem to have deveoped a taste for apples.



I dropped this core down to the flock while they were taking an afternood nap and they jumped on it and chased each other as they tried to devour it. By the time I got the camera, most of the attention was diminished. But they do have a taste for apples...very nice.

 

[Rock Home Isle]

Success....Okay, Partial Success. I went out to put the pulletts in for the night and they were already on their roosts in the coop. The Ducks on the other hand just do not want to go up that ramp and into the coop...They are still outside in the run spending the night outside the coop. I'll probably have to build them a small box coop for the coming winter.

I went out at 5:00pm today to check on the flock and fill their waterer and the entire flock, including the ducks, was already in the run and napping in the shade. So I gave them fresh water and topped off the feed hopper and closed the run. My wife and I then went to Greeley to look at a new Washer/Dryer (she found what she was looking for and is very happy)...then I took my beautifull wife out to dinner.

We came home after dark-thirty and I went out to round up the girls and put them to bed for the night and awesome upon awesome....they were already there. It was such a good feeling to see them all in the coop and sitting side by side on the roost. It just warmed my heart. They have water and feed in the coop with them...they are very content.

As for the ducks, growing up I have only ever had small flocks of ducks and they were always free ranged and kept in small box coops at night. A box Coop is just like the name implies, its a very simple structure at ground level and there is no ramp. My ducks would wander the land all day feeding forageing and swimming and they have always put themselves to bed in these types of coops. The other thing is I have never had Swedish Blues before (just Pekins & Rouens), so maybe this is a breed thing that I'm dealing with. At any rate, I am at a loss as to how to get ducks to go up a ramp and put themselves in the coop at night. Dang those ducks...But at least the pullets are now putting themselves to bed (we'll see if they will do it for 3 nights in a row).

So anybody have any ideas about how to get a duck to go up a ramp?? I am all ears...