DIY Thread - Let's see your "Inventions".

[Blooie]

I love this Thread! My husband builds all kinds of stuff for me and I feel very lucky to be married to such a smart guy

I have these poop troughs in 2 of my bigger coops. They work so well and keep my coops clean for a long time. They have doors that I just park a wheelbarrow under outside the coop and push the poo out.

Some nesting boxes he made me for my BLRW coop

Some awesome feeders that hold 80 pounds of feed so I don't have to feed more then once a week. And the small one is for grit and oyster shell. I have a bunch of these type if feeders in all my coops


Heres the big one full of feed. I purchase locally made feed that comes in 80 pound bags so thats why he makes them this size, he even makes the bottom tapered so that the feed slides up.


Here he is making me another BIG coop a few summers ago.

Heres a latch that he made for my coop doors on my smaller breeder coop condo. Its hammered copper pipe that he brought home (free) and a BIG huge screw he also uses at work, and he ended up getting ride of the white pull handle an making a copper one to match. I should take a photo of the finished product its really nice looking! Almost a little to nice for chickens!!


Heres a chick brooder he made for me


And he put it on wheels so its easy to move.. I now hatch to many chicks for it so hes made me a bunch of different brooders using rabbit cages.




Theres so much more that hes made around here. He loves to make things for free and out of crazy stuff or build me something when we can't afford to buy it.

Wanting the best for our girls when they finally get to live outside, and we were wondering what your brilliant hubby used in the troughs under the roosts.

 

[Duramaxgirl]

Wanting the best for our girls when they finally get to live outside, and we were wondering what your brilliant hubby used in the troughs under the roosts.

He used to build pole buildings for a living and so its just wall metal that he fit in there he cut it to fit out the door and put wood around any sharp edges. I've never had a chicken get cut on it!

 

[LindaB220]

I'm heading out the door right now to pick up some feather dusters for my little chickies! Brilliant! Cheap and Cheerful!! Thanks for this idea, Kassaundra!

Hey Blooie

Just got 10 ordered last night from Amazon. Great minds, etc. My chicks are coming March 27 and can't wait.

 

[Blooie]

Thanks, Kassaundra! This idea will definitely be incorporated! (I am sooo proud of me - I resisted the impulse to turn the word "incorporated" into a bad chicken pun!) And LindaB, I never thought of ordering feather dusters through Amazon.....where have I been? LOL

 

[DMRippy]

Thanks, Kassaundra! This idea will definitely be incorporated! (I am sooo proud of me - I resisted the impulse to turn the word "incorporated" into a bad chicken pun!) And LindaB, I never thought of ordering feather dusters through Amazon.....where have I been? LOL

Me either. I would get them from Deals or the Dollar Tree. No shipping. I don't order much online. I like to go to the store and see what I am getting.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: I personally wouldn't worry about it. Funny too.... A penny costs more to make than its worth.

deb

 

[chickadee43773]

I made little roosts for my babies. I used reeds growing in my back yard and pieces of 2 x4 and U nails to make this! Works really good too!

I need to make something like this for my babies! Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[rojororeo]

So I just made a suet feeder out of some old hardware cloth/wire, to go with my homemade suet I have been slowly making. Only thing- the suet block won't cut! It just sorta shaves... anyone that makes these have that issue? Did I put too many seeds? I am gonna go at it with the electric knife later and see how that works..

 

[rojororeo]

So here is a photo of my lovely homemade suet holder, and a chunk of suet in it being enjoyed..

Now if only I could get the cats to leave my dang chickens and their treats alone! She is one of 4 that are our wonderful mousers... and they better be, for all the chicken food and treat they get busted for! There are many cat slap-boxing-- chicken pecking tiffs among them all....

 

[Blooie]

So this isn't really an "invention", it's more of an idea born out of desperation! You see, I had initial visions of sweet little chicks running to greet me when I came into the room where the brooder is located. I'd talk softly to them, they'd make that sweet little "churtle" sound (technical term I made up!) back at me, and we'd all live in peace and harmony - like a Coca Cola commercial with chickens. But then several chicks had "Pasty Butt", which meant catching them and washing and oiling their little hineys. Suddenly the little churtles became squawks of panic, and the only running being done was to get as far away from me as they could. This made it so much fun to try to catch them so I could do my daily cleaning of the brooder. <sigh>

But this morning I noticed that when they ran they all ended up in the same corner. So I put several layers of paper towels in the bottom of a small, clear Sterilite container, then laid it on it's side in that safety corner. I left the room and let them settle down for a bit. When I went back in there and crouched by the brooder they all panicked, ran into the Sterilite in the corner, and then I just gently lifted it up, turned to to the correct way, and PRESTO - I had most of my chicks in the holding container without chasing them around the brooder and scaring them even more! (Well Pearl and Charlotte didn't go in so I had to catch them, but they're the only ones who don't seem to mind me picking them up to begin with!) When the brooder was clean, the feeder and waterer refilled, their little perches cleaned up and a little grit and chopped Kale put in there, I did the process in reverse. I was so proud of me!!