Dixie Chicks

[vehve]

Deb, similar cinderblocks in use here. I'm just leveling with dirt now, but in reality, I should have dug a bit deeper and filled the bottom with gravel. That's a lot easier to level, you make it a bit too deep and then you fill with gravel. Easy to level that way. This thing might not be completely level, but I figure a 1cm tolerance in fine for it. "It's just a bunny hutch."

 

[perchie.girl]

@ hennible cute, cute ducks...how could you eat those babies??

@ amberjem... fiercely fine five chickies! Yay on a good hatch of your very own chicks!

@vevhe... impressive bunny fort knox foundation you got going there. I'm loving your raised bed prep too. In Cajun cooking, the recipes usually start with "first you make a roux." Gardening seems to start with "First you dig a hole." Yours rock.

well said.... VBG

 

[tntchix]

It never ceases to amaze me at how people can get dirt level with a shovel... I know you have a level but still...

when i made my turtle pond out of cinder block I used the mortorless kind they have a groove along the top to lay Rebar in ... But its wide enough for a two by three to use as a top plate.... Mortorless Cinderblock is designed to be filled with concrete.

deb

I know right? DH can grade any site by eye. He made me a paver path and I totally screwed it up in 10 minutes after he had everything perfect. LOL I have ZERO depth perception.

Felix, looks great so far.

 

[perchie.girl]

Deb, similar cinderblocks in use here. I'm just leveling with dirt now, but in reality, I should have dug a bit deeper and filled the bottom with gravel. That's a lot easier to level, you make it a bit too deep and then you fill with gravel. Easy to level that way. This thing might not be completely level, but I figure a 1cm tolerance in fine for it. "It's just a bunny hutch."

The kind of construction you are doing is the only kind of construction we can use for growing a garden here in the desert. Then above ground there has to be critter proof walls. Wild Rabbits here can dig down a couple of feet and in a big warren can span an acre or so. Interestingly Hares like Jack Rabbits don't dig. they make nests in the brush and the babies are fully furred eyes open and able to hop about a little.

Grandpa Dixon used to fence an acre down to three feet below ground and populate it with two or three rabbits. By the end of the season you would only see the mounds of dirt .... But come feeding time there would be a couple of hundred in there. It was the best way because they lived in Texas those warrens are climate controled by the rabbits.

deb

 

[Mahen100]

Since many here are incubating and hatching, I thought this link to "U. of Florida Hatchability and Problem Analysis" might be useful. I originally came across it in another thread, posted by ronotti. It opens as a PDF file. Twelve pages.


http://ufdc.ufl.edu//UF00008570/00001

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I have the depth perception but the minute i put something down It becomes UN level... the hard part is packing it all the same density and having it level. That was what felix was saying about putting down crushed rock. it doesn't pack... once you get it level its pretty much level....

I have several areas I would LOVE to put walk ways with stepping stones.... sigh... I may just split some stall matts down the middle and make walkways with those. Probably would cost the same as pavers... Hmmm maybe even less.... I am having an Aha moment here....

Stall mats are 45 dollars most places here.... one matt is 4 x 6 feet. they have a pebbled and a smooth side. Split them in half length wise and place those end to end I would have a strip 2 x 12 feet... Or if i split them in half the sort side I would have two pieces three by four feet... or a strip three by eight. I am thinking wheelbarrow wheel width.

To go fifty feet for instance it would take four stall mats for the skinny walk way... or six the wide way.

four times 45 is 180 dollars
six times 45 is 270 dollars

The stall matts are almost indestructable Sweep able scrubbable... I was planning on only using them inside the coop in the aisle...

Pavers are about two bucks a piece and 12 x 12 inches.... Which is about the same price... though I think I can get the stallmatts cheaper

the deal is there is no precise leveling required.... so no real prep on flat land and they handle sloping and undulating very well.

deb

 

[vehve]

Another benefit of the gravel in places it gets cold, is that it drains well. When the ground freezes, I'm risking cracks in the bunny foundation. But It's in the highest spot in our yard, and there seems to be some sand in the dirt, so it shouldn't be an issue. I hope.

 

[Amberjem]

Loki's peekin LOL

loki always peeks lol he loves watching chick tv, and smelling the chicks...he was excited cuz there were new ones lol and had to give them all the sniff over and say hello...gonna have lil baby chicks imprinted on my dog lol

Jem, literally digging it. I just laid the foundation, Karin needs to stop by the hardware store on her way home and pick up four more blocks, then I think I'll pour a dab of cement in there just around the seams to make it a bit more stable.







The bottom is now netted, and the pit is almost a foot deep. I'm going to fill it with soil back to ground level, so the bunnies will have something to dig around in a bit.

ya I been watching keenly all your work and efforts... I am sorry I havent had much energy but to post a couple pics and few comments here n there lately......I been not feeling well at all..........on the bright side feel better then I did the other day I was horrid...think had an infection and things are starting to mend up now..........

 

[tntchix]

I have the depth perception but the minute i put something down It becomes UN level... the hard part is packing it all the same density and having it level. That was what felix was saying about putting down crushed rock. it doesn't pack... once you get it level its pretty much level....

I have several areas I would LOVE to put walk ways with stepping stones.... sigh... I may just split some stall matts down the middle and make walkways with those. Probably would cost the same as pavers... Hmmm maybe even less.... I am having an Aha moment here....

Stall mats are 45 dollars most places here.... one matt is 4 x 6 feet. they have a pebbled and a smooth side. Split them in half length wise and place those end to end I would have a strip 2 x 12 feet... Or if i split them in half the sort side I would have two pieces three by four feet... or a strip three by eight. I am thinking wheelbarrow wheel width.

To go fifty feet for instance it would take four stall mats for the skinny walk way... or six the wide way.

four times 45 is 180 dollars
six times 45 is 270 dollars

The stall matts are almost indestructable Sweep able scrubbable... I was planning on only using them inside the coop in the aisle...

Pavers are about two bucks a piece and 12 x 12 inches.... Which is about the same price... though I think I can get the stallmatts cheaper

the deal is there is no precise leveling required.... so no real prep on flat land and they handle sloping and undulating very well.

deb

and the funniest part? i removed the pavers a year after we laid them, too much symmetry for me.
I am thinking about the stall mats for the coop reno too.

Another benefit of the gravel in places it gets cold, is that it drains well. When the ground freezes, I'm risking cracks in the bunny foundation. But It's in the highest spot in our yard, and there seems to be some sand in the dirt, so it shouldn't be an issue. I hope.

we dropped gravel in our crawl space to stop the mice years ago. There have not been any in that end of the foundation. Our driveway is pea gravel and larger stone. It drains quite well when the oldest isn't destroying the grade with his 4x4's doing donuts and such.

I hope it works out too.

 

[Mahen100]

@ perchie Great idea on the stall liner walk. Particularly if a wheelbarrow will go down it! I was going to recommend the "form" that uses concrete to fashion a rock walkway (I have such a form but I have not used it). Once you mentioned the wheelbarrow though, no, my "formed rock" walk would be horrible to push a barrow over. Concrete is cheap, though, the walk would be labor intensive.

I have been letting out the chick I hatched Feb. 21 and his 10-day-older buddy onto a "blanket run" over my new carpet. I "thought" I had them trained (via arm and hand guiding) to pretty much stay on the blanket during their daily time out of the brooder. WRONG. Need to get them into a larger tub, and into a different room.

I did get enough pics to warrant a trip to Walgreens to get them into a form I can upload and post. Gonna do that today.