Egg Shaped Nesting Boxes

[firerunner]

Hi Everyone!!!

So we have 10, four week old chicks that are living in my house. chicken coop is well underway (pics to come later), and then we will build them their run..but

Hubby and I are sorta creative. ( we built a winnie the pooh corner, outside, with eeyor, pooh, piglet ect..all out of fiber glass and we also built a 5000 gallon enclosed koi pond with a 7 foot waterfall (waterfall made from tuffa) ect..so a little creative.

so now...me and my bright ideas..

I want to build nesting boxes, that are shaped like EGGS of course!!!

The shape..we started with balloons and paper maches..really.. BIG balloons looks like I have giant eggs on my table..

but my question is

at this point we are trying to decide whether to just use a paper mache (heavy coated like 10 layers with paint and urethane to protect it)

OR

take our paper mache eggs and apply a few THIN coats of portland cement to the inside and out, then again paint them eggshell white and brown and then urethane them.


If we go with the paper mache..will the chickens eat it???


and if we go with the cement can anyone forsee a problem with that???

I did think about fiber glassing the eggs..but OMG fiber glass sucks,..



so suggestions?

thanks!!

 

[aart]

Hmmmm.... can't wait to see them!!.....

......If the urethane can truly protect them from moisture and any cleanup water so the paper won't break down, it would probably be better than the cement (are you going to do neat paste, just cement and water?) cement which could get very heavy unless you use additives to strengthen a thin coat along with mesh to make sure it doesn't crack....


......you don't list where you are located, climate could affect each of the materials....I'm babbling, I have some experience with concrete sculpture and wondering what your mix will be as porousness could be a deciding factor...neat paste is very dense and smooth, if you use some sand it can get porous.....


....so obviously I'm not much help but maybe some food for thought...but mostly I can't wait to see them and how you incorporate them into the coop...will they be exposed to the outside elements or totally enclosed in the coop???.....

...of course you know that a smoothly finished fiberglass would be best for all considerations, maybe install them so they can be changed out if the fist construction doesn't work out.

Good Luck and Have Fun(I'm sure you are)

 

[chfite]

Either way, the protection for the substrate is the key. If the paint fails on the paper mache, the chickens will start pecking at it. I wouldn't put that many coats of paint on the paper. It likely won't cure properly. Using latex paint, I would apply a primer coat, then two finish coats. High gloss for ease of cleaning. Latex takes about 7 days to cure properly.

I have painted baby furniture: high chairs and such, as well as chairs and tables for young children. These latex finishes have held up admirably for years. Primer and two finish coats.

If you use portland cement to cover the substrate, you will need to wait about 30 days for the curing, then clean it with something to neutralize it, then masonry compatible primer, then finish coats.

If you were decorative with the paper product you use, modge podge or whatever the decoupage liquid is, might be waterproof and an option for finishing the paper.

You could coat completed paper artwork with shellac. It goes on with a slight amber tint, dries fast, subsequent coats burn into previous coats, easy to renew, safe to eat.

The nest needs to be large enough for the hens to lay inside. At least as large as a dinner plate.

So long as the finish is uniform in color, the chickens should not peck at it.

Chris

 

[aart]

........if you use portland cement to cover the substrate, you will need to wait about 30 days for the curing, then clean it with something to neutralize it, then masonry compatible primer, then finish coats........

...and it needs to stay moist for the curing period, usually 14 days is adequate for non structural concrete, a bit of scrubbing/rinsing then drying and it will take paint just fine.

 

[firerunner]

Hi and thanks for the input

Just to clarify I am NOT painting it with 10 layers of a
paint lol..

I* am thinking 10 layers of the paper mache if i go that way

and i showed this to hubby also..he is familiar with cement (im not) so this will be his call..i will post pics of the finished product (iuf we get that far!!)

 

[4 the Birds]

Chickens like to peck. I would check your nest box material with several pokes with a screwdriver or pick axe. A wood nest box would be much less trouble. Good Luck!

 

[firerunner]

Chickens like to peck. I would check your nest box material with several pokes with a screwdriver or pick axe. A wood nest box would be much less trouble. Good Luck!

Yes a wood nest box would be much less trouble but then I would be normal..

 

[aart]

Would love to see your pond and fish, another hobby of mine. Could you post or message a link if you have any pics online somewhere?

 

[firerunner]

The Building of Pooh Corner bench is made from cement tigger, eeyore ect,,made from chicken wire and fiberglass ( i do have a pooh but he is not in this pic our wandering the woods I would assume)






hangs in the driveway




made from rebar and fiber glass is outside the fish house door




the fish house the new chicken coop is going back behind it a bit..







our mail box made from pressure treated plywood






the waterfall is made from tuffa







fish house deco

********************************************************

so a few things we have done, the fish pond is 5000 gallons, Madam butterfyl is our largest koi at 26 inches. It also has two turtle ponds with 11 turtles in it (we are a licensed wildlife rehabber so animal count varies greatly), couple of dogs, couple of cats, a 200 gallon reef tank, and now ten chicks, these are pretty much our permanent residents. Recently a hawk (successfully released) squirrles, raccoons etc...

The chicken coop is 8 by 8, four windows, two doors, both doors open all the way or half way (like a hose stall) it is white with red trim, and we are in the process of building it now, shingled roof with vent, we are doing eggs as nesting boxes... they actually look good I am hoping to have my first *egg* done this week. If we like it..if we think it is safe for the hens..then I will go and make 9 more...we havent started their run yet..so for now they will go in the coop..and reside there until the run is complete



The chicks currently reside in a pen in my florida room, pen is 4 by 10..but OYE even though i clean it each week..they stink up everything..time to get them out..they are four weeks old..

 

[mikeharold]

I would love to see you reef tank! I used to have an 80gal. setup with 3 clams, TONS of xenia, maze coral, acaraporas, pocillapora, one of the prettiest coral beuties I had seen, a gorgeous purple tang, mandarin gobbie, and some other misc corals. It had a homemade sump with live rock, sand, and macro algae for filtration. It was my pride and joy(and obsession) for many years. I finally just couldn't afford to replace the lights and it got to be a little too much with everything else going on so I made the tough decision to break it down for the better of the inhabitants. Still burns in the back of my head though! I always wanted to do a 200gal built into the wall with a nice picture frame as a surround, like a living picture!

Oh, love your waterfall and pond setup too, something else I really like. Don't have one currently, but would love to do a nice sized pond down the road. For now just a nice little reciculating waterfall out in the patio area. Can't wait to see the progress on the coop, something tells me it's going to be a cool setup. Keep us posted.