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

[Leahs Mom]

Believe it or not you can do this in most climates. I am also working on huddle covers for the favorite perches. They will be Ply wood box arrangements basically designed to fold down over the perch to keep in their own body heat. I can also do this with PVC frames and tarp material stretched over them.... easy peasy for me I could make them sitting at the work bench inside the coop....

This coop will have two solid sides and two wire sides The wire sides can be covered with tarp in the Windy Cold winter.... Or removable plywood. it just takes some thinking about how to do it...

I do have an advantage in that its very dry here... the perk rate is measured in seconds not hours. So I can virtually dump a full water bucket on the ground hand it will be soaked in in about 30 seconds and the surface will be dry in about two or three minutes. Therefore I am totally unconcerned about water getting into the coop.

deb

So here is my situation.

I want to add a "winter feed area" to what I have. I'm thinking of trying to totally enclose part of the dog kennel run just outside the pop door where the feed and water can be during the winter. Last winter the older birds wouldn't let the younger ones come into the pop door during the day in the extreme cold. There wasn't enough cover outside for them so sometimes I left the pop door closed. That as NOT good for them to be inside as they were in too close of quarters. This winter started some very bad habits for them.

Anyhow, I was thinking of trying to figure out a "removable" shelter outside with a slanted roof that can hold up to snow and give them more room that is covered in the extreme cold. I guess I could just do removable plywood sheets.

I currently have a shade cloth cover out there which I had to knock the snow off of every time it snowed. I like the filter of the shade cloth and that it doesn't hold water like a tarp for the summer, but it's too much maintenance during the winter. So that will have to be replaced with a permanent roofing material that can stay up winter and summer.

This is what is currently out there (the shade cover was cut from an old pool cover). I really want to totally enclose that area that is under the shade cover so they have more space and a place for the water/feed.







Put up clear shower curtains last winter for a wind break in the winter which worked pretty well. But not well enough.

 

[ChickCrazed]

So here is my situation.

I want to add a "winter feed area" to what I have. I'm thinking of trying to totally enclose part of the dog kennel run just outside the pop door where the feed and water can be during the winter. Last winter the older birds wouldn't let the younger ones come into the pop door during the day in the extreme cold. There wasn't enough cover outside for them so sometimes I left the pop door closed. That as NOT good for them to be inside as they were in too close of quarters. This winter started some very bad habits for them.

Anyhow, I was thinking of trying to figure out a "removable" shelter outside with a slanted roof that can hold up to snow and give them more room that is covered in the extreme cold. I guess I could just do removable plywood sheets.

I currently have a shade cloth cover out there which I had to knock the snow off of every time it snowed. I like the filter of the shade cloth and that it doesn't hold water like a tarp for the summer, but it's too much maintenance during the winter. So that will have to be replaced with a permanent roofing material that can stay up winter and summer.

This is what is currently out there (the shade cover was cut from an old pool cover). I really want to totally enclose that area that is under the shade cover so they have more space and a place for the water/feed.







Put up clear shower curtains last winter for a wind break in the winter which worked pretty well. But not well enough.

Yes, I am interested in all this as well. I tried tarps and shower cloths last winter and both got torn to shreds (I live in a VERY windy, open area). The tarps also made my run too dark once I had them on all sides and they had no interest in going out of my coop. I don't currently have any sort of a cover on my run (other than wire) and would like mine to have an outside shelter area too.

 

[perchie.girl]

@Leahs Mom

You could do a feed station built on a childrens wagon.... Narrow enough to get in and out the chicken run door. then have one side open up for a "dining area".... LOL. Or make one out of cinder blocks that gets the chickens up as high as the food.

Kind of like a "transformer" deal ...

Definately think about doing the temporary ply wood thing. Drill half inch diameter holes in your plywood panels and use zip ties to fix them to the chainlink. You can get the plywood cut to size at Home depot. If you want to.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Yes, I am interested in all this as well. I tried tarps and shower cloths last winter and both got torn to shreds (I live in a VERY windy, open area). The tarps also made my run too dark once I had them on all sides and they had no interest in going out of my coop. I don't currently have any sort of a cover on my run (other than wire) and would like mine to have an outside shelter area too.

IN high wind areas you can build a temporary or perminant wind break on the side of the run that receives the prevailing winter winds. A short wall of Straw bales sitting a couple of feet away from the fence (this keeps a dog from climbing the bales and hopping into the run...) Or an actual fence made of solid materials

I know you have seen snow fences.... Same deal only you are redirecting the wind. Also building a solid perminent roof over part of the run would help alot.

deb

 

[kimmerjo]

OK I need help with brooder size.... You take the width x length= the sq ft...?? Then divide the number of chicks?? And that equals the amount of space each chick will have??? So... If I build a 4'x4'=16sqft ÷ 19 = 0.8 ??? I think my brain just died... Help

 

[perchie.girl]

OK here is another solution to winter wind, feeding stations, and such. I used to build my goats a winter igloo out of straw bales. Not only did they use it to keep warm they also had a blast jumping all over it. And nibbling on it. After winter the straw was spread out in their yard

Something like that could be done for chickens as well.

deb

 

[ChickCrazed]

IN high wind areas you can build a temporary or perminant wind break on the side of the run that receives the prevailing winter winds. A short wall of Straw bales sitting a couple of feet away from the fence (this keeps a dog from climbing the bales and hopping into the run...) Or an actual fence made of solid materials

I know you have seen snow fences.... Same deal only you are redirecting the wind. Also building a solid perminent roof over part of the run would help alot.

deb

The straw bales is a good idea, I could at least get two of the sides done that way and it would let in light at the top. As far as putting a solid roof, I would love to but we made a serious mistake when we built the coop, I was dealing with a tall and overly opinionated business partner at the time and she insisted it be as tall as possible, which means that it doesn't slope away from the building and may even slope towards it, so putting a roof on top would dump all the water into the building and pop door. I haven't figured out how to get around that.

 

[Pecanny]

Quote:
Easier formula>>> If you think you have too many chickens for comfort and healthy growth in a single pen, you probably do. If it looks to be about right, it probably is about right.

 

[perchie.girl]

OK I need help with brooder size.... You take the width x length= the sq ft...?? Then divide the number of chicks?? And that equals the amount of space each chick will have??? So... If I build a 4'x4'=16sqft ÷ 19 = 0.8 ??? I think my brain just died... Help

You dont need as much space for brooding as full grown chickens do... If the 19 is chicks then That last figure is .8 square feet.... which is pretty close to a square foot per chick.... or about 9.6 square inches.

deb

 

[kimmerjo]

I'm just trying to find out how big I need to build a brooder? I'm getting 19 chicks and would like to build one large enough for them to stay in until they are 4 weeks old.

Quote:
Easier formula>>> If you think you have too many chickens for comfort and healthy growth in a single pen, you probably do. If it looks to be about right, it probably is about right.