Quote: The hole you drilled in your bucket is too big. You have to drill it so that it is tight when you screw it in. I have the right size somewhere in my stuff if you want to try again with the right size hole. Let me know and I'll look it up.
I wanted to try those but they are made out of the US. Did they ship to US? I couldn't find a US distributor.
Yes they do ship.... buying off ebay, Shipping shouldnt be too bad either because they are light and very small. I am still searching for the manufacturer.... The only issue I see with using these is the cups them selves need to be set level. as with any float waterer.
Thats cool! I never noticed that one. I made a similar chick feeder, but put the wood end caps onto PVC blank caps, then I can turn the centre part to suit the height of the chicks.
This isn't really an invention so much as just the repurposing of old (very old) materials.
While building a henhouse... all from old boards (saved from the house and barn renovation) I desired to have a three compartment nesting box. While looking around the barn for a boxlike form to begin as the nucleus of the project, my eyes fell upon the old antique chest that had been under a pile of odds & ends when we purchased the property.
An antique, the exterior painting bears the date 1847. One hinge was missing (from being rusted away), one hinge was almost equally as bad though it still held the top and bottom together and there was absolutely no bottom remaining. Additionally, though the locking mechanism was still intact there is no key nor knowledge if the lock still functions. An "AHA" moment and a good deal of construction was saved (maybe, but probably not...
).
So I cleaned it up, painted on a water base sealer and then added a solid floor from tongue and groove flooring scraps. A little calculating and I figured I could cut the arched lid in half (lengthwise), add a backing board on which to install new hinges, while adding boards to top off the other half of the chest and it should function as required. The size of the chest gave me three nesting boxes 12" x 12" (30cm x 30cm) and a partition to store extra goodies in. I opted to make one nest box a little larger as our rooster oftentimes likes to sit next to one of the hens when she is focused on doing her business. Moral support I guess....
So here is how the chest appears... now as an antique nesting box, from outside the henhouse. This construction was on the interior of the barn so required some additional lighting (flash) for photographing. The chest will continue to age well as it is protected from the elements with this interior setting.
Also please note the four whitewashed antique boards forming the wall that the chest adjoins. These boards were all an incredible 18" (45cm) in width x 8 feet (2.4 meter) long x 1-1/2" (3.5mm) thick solid fir from about 100 years ago. All taken from the ceiling of what was the potato storage room... now my ceramic studio. Not bad material to make an antique henhouse from...
The two exterior walls were completely clad with these.
Additional note: The henhouse is built upon one layer of old hay bales for floor insulation. Those in turn are separated from the soil with a sheet of construction moisture barrier, so should not rot or cause problems during my remaining lifetime...
The floor of the henhouse was built from two old wooden bed platforms (from the house at purchase), covered with linoleum (or some kind of vinyl flooring sheet) with a good layer of easy cleaning sand (from the beach just a few miles west of us).
The following two shots show how I cut the top so that it is hinged back for access to the nests and the small storage unit.
Then on the interior of the house three portals are cut into the back wall of the chest as entryways for the individual nests. A perch of elm is carved (from one of the nine large dead and dried elm trees left on the property) for easier entry/access.
The eggs in the two left boxes are also carved from some of the spalted elm scrap.
And at last the hens are happy...
the rooster is happy with his adjoining waiting room...
@ blakeh1, Your coop is wonderful! All the pallets I've gotten are old and not so pretty. I need to do some building before Spring when the weather warms up a bit. I'm jealous of your work and your tools! Thanks for posting your photos!
I started using shredded junk mail and paper to "top off" my shredded wood chip litter. I think it works just fine for my little coop. I guess it's not much of an invention - but I think it's good for recycling.
Wow! Great job!! After our coop was "finished", I decided I had to have an exterior nest box. Once winter hit, I've had to staple heavy plastic around its exterior, rendering it unusable
. Soooo many leaks & gaps = drafts & cold! Now I'm looking at the chests that came with our old house with new eyes
Wow! Great job!! After our coop was "finished", I decided I had to have an exterior nest box. Once winter hit, I've had to staple heavy plastic around its exterior, rendering it unusable . Soooo many leaks & gaps = drafts & cold! Now I'm looking at the chests that came with our old house with new eyes ...for the next coop...chicken math, you know! e
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I have an external nesting box. I haven't had any problems with it.
I shouldn't have said it's unusable. The nests are still used (kinda...1 egg a day if we're lucky with our 4 layers now that it's gotten cold). Just can't access the nests from the exterior. Not a biggie, but it definitely needs some work. I've never built a thing~ lucky to have hubby who builds what I want. But this was a different summer for us and the coop was a welcome distraction. For my bd last month, he gave me an entire set of cordless tools, so I'm learning!!
Made huge progress a few days ago with weatherstripping & staplegun!
. Soooo many leaks & gaps = drafts & cold! Now I'm looking at the chests that came with our old house with new eyes
...for the next coop...chicken math, you know! 
e 
