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

[Penny Hen]

I have be refitting two out buildings this fall: first my sheep shed and my chicken coop. I'll have to get the chicken coop pictures tomorrow but her are the ones of my sheep shed. I have designed this so that the back wall of the shed is a hay bunker. I have grown weary of hungry sheep nearly knocking me down in the mud or bolting through the gate when I feed them in the winter. The fence comes off the corners of the back wall and forms the pen.

This is the north wall that is tarped at the moment. I will finish it after getting the chicken coop completed. You can see the hay bunker on the right and the other wall is made of recycled privacy fence section.

This is the east wall and door. This diagonal design came from a need to correct the downhill pull of gravity. But I have really like the aesthetics of it. All of this is recycled material. Some of the lumber was from an old deck/ramp. Some of the lumber was from an old falling down shed. The roof tins also from that shed.

Here is the hay bunker. The wall is a half of a cattle panel and the tilted piece is part of an old bunk bed. Right now I have it tied with orange twine to see if the system works. So far so good. If it keeps working I will find something more permanent to replace the twine with. Every thing in blue was painted with Ford Blue Equipment paint. Everything painted white is whitewash.

This is the southeastern view and you can see the front of the fence section.

Southern view of the bunker. I will be able to walk right up and fill it up and not be shoved by sheep! Yeah!

In the spring I will replace the roof and have a gutter on the back of it to fill a rain barrel.

 

[perchie.girl]

I have be refitting two out buildings this fall: first my sheep shed and my chicken coop. I'll have to get the chicken coop pictures tomorrow but her are the ones of my sheep shed. I have designed this so that the back wall of the shed is a hay bunker. I have grown weary of hungry sheep nearly knocking me down in the mud or bolting through the gate when I feed them in the winter. The fence comes off the corners of the back wall and forms the pen.

This is the north wall that is tarped at the moment. I will finish it after getting the chicken coop completed. You can see the hay bunker on the right and the other wall is made of recycled privacy fence section.

This is the east wall and door. This diagonal design came from a need to correct the downhill pull of gravity. But I have really like the aesthetics of it. All of this is recycled material. Some of the lumber was from an old deck/ramp. Some of the lumber was from an old falling down shed. The roof tins also from that shed.

Here is the hay bunker. The wall is a half of a cattle panel and the tilted piece is part of an old bunk bed. Right now I have it tied with orange twine to see if the system works. So far so good. If it keeps working I will find something more permanent to replace the twine with. Every thing in blue was painted with Ford Blue Equipment paint. Everything painted white is whitewash.

This is the southeastern view and you can see the front of the fence section.

Southern view of the bunker. I will be able to walk right up and fill it up and not be shoved by sheep! Yeah!

In the spring I will replace the roof and have a gutter on the back of it to fill a rain barrel.

Awesome idea... I have a similar idea for feeding goats but I do a whole bale at a time. our bales are Three strand and weigh about 125 puunds. I want to stage the hay so the when its time to feed I can just slide the bale off a shelf that holds three bales that I can off load from the pickup truck. one bale is good for ten days for four nigerian dwarfs. So three bales per month No lifting No trundling down to the shed with a wagon.

deb

 

[attimus]

Awesome idea...  I have a similar idea for feeding goats  but  I do a whole bale at a time. our bales are Three strand and weigh about 125 puunds.  I want to stage the hay so the when its time to feed I can just slide the bale off a shelf that holds three bales that I can off load from the pickup truck.     one bale is good for ten days for four nigerian dwarfs.  So three bales per month No lifting No trundling down to the shed with a wagon. 

deb

Think I'm going to steal this idea when it comes time for me to get goats. I think I've got a pretty good visual. How high off the ground is the shelf?

Attimus

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
about the hieght of the pickup truck bed. I havent built it yet. but I have these kinds of doors for the animal enclosure. Dang I cant find a photo. but here is a sketch I drew.



Ok what I want to do is use this foot print with goats. REINFORCED of course. With another of those gate panels for entry and exit for the goats and so they can be locked up at night. But the one with the door you see can open either way. I want to rotate the panel so the door is at the top. door removed.

Now I can push feed in through the door into a feed space blocked comjpletely by cattle panel. This will keep the goats contained Feed contained and I keep my sanity..... The cattle panel will protect the hay from them standing on top of it.

The hay bales are 22 x 15 x 44. Id make the space just big enough to lay the bale on its narrowest side or 22 inches deep. So even the small guys can get to it.

The enclosure should be large enough for four Nigerians or Pygmys. I want to build a shelf for them to get up on for sleeping. too.

Dang I need to draw this.

deb

 

[Wissa38]

My wife made our automatic chicken door out of a car antennae and a piece of plexi. Best thing ever.

 

[perchie.girl]

My wife made our automatic chicken door out of a car antennae and a piece of plexi. Best thing ever.

Awesome we need pix please....

FWIW I have seen different versions.... Always great to see someone work it out their way...

deb

 

[Cluckies]

My wife made our automatic chicken door out of a car antennae and a piece of plexi. Best thing ever.

Is it like this DIY automatic chicken coop door for $5.00?

 

[Beekissed]

Heard about an old farmer that made an automatic door with a wind up alarm clock. When he collected his eggs he'd wind the clock, already had it set for a certain time of the morning...when the alarm went off, a piece of twine wound around the key as it turned and lifted the pop door as it did so.

 

[bruceha2000]

Heard about an old farmer that made an automatic door with a wind up alarm clock. When he collected his eggs he'd wind the clock, already had it set for a certain time of the morning...when the alarm went off, a piece of twine wound around the key as it turned and lifted the pop door as it did so.

According to my father in law, his older brother did the same thing back in the late 20's. I think he took the bells off. I suspect that sort of system has to be pretty carefully built to have very little drag on the door as it rises.

 

[Cluckies]

Heard about an old farmer that made an automatic door with a wind up alarm clock. When he collected his eggs he'd wind the clock, already had it set for a certain time of the morning...when the alarm went off, a piece of twine wound around the key as it turned and lifted the pop door as it did so.

Neat!