You can say.......I don't think I should comment on this one. You've left yourself wide open there, Shad!
Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock
- Thread starter BY Bob
- Start date
Please people if you read it, rate it! Otherwise it just sinks into the morass. It's well worth the couple of seconds it takes to click the rate it button. It's at the top of the article page.
Coop & run pictures...suggestions welcome
I have the Omlet Cube with the 9-foot run. It's a double-wall plastic coop. I tractored it around August to November through our wooded/grassy areas, it has worked pretty well, though the welded wire skirt makes it hard to move through tall field hay and I think the wheels are too small. I had regular hardware cloth on one side, decided I really wanted to see through it and now have black vinyl-coated HC on all sides. The tarp on it now is not great because it arrived packed all crinkly and wouldn't flatten out so it not easy to see through (it's not Omlet's tarp). For summer I pulled it to the ground on the weather side and up about 6 inches on the lee side for rain, and pinned it all up by bungee'ing (is that a word?) the sides together in fair weather. There were no wind breaks under the coop itself but for winter I made zip-tied shower curtain/duct tape panels.
To attach to the 6x9 ft walk-in run I removed the coop run end stable doors panel and attached with reusable zip ties to the run. Then I realized I had enough extra HC to add a 2-foot x 3+ foot tall tunnel between the run and the coop run with a 12-inch skirt on both sides, so I stuck it in there. I don't have a tarp or shower curtain yet that really neatly covers that section, it is cobbed all together but is so far working well to shed water. I am making hardware cloth 3"x3" panels for all lower sides of the walk-in run.
BTW the chickens find the reinforced fibers tarp (very white-looking tarp here) REALLY GREAT for scratching. I am guessing first it's the fiber thread seen embedded in there, and then the ribbed texture. It makes a wonderful noise one can hear from quite a distance. Toes on tarp: Zzziiipp! ZZZiiiipppp! ZZZzzzzziiipppp! It seems, from chick to pullet so far, they spend extra time on something that sounds good when scratched. Is that true for you all? Wood chips on paper? Scratch & toss. Delightful!
The above photo you can see the southern wall that I left the top part uncovered for ventilation of the walk-in run. This run has no overhangs, which is a downside. I might construct something, like attach a flexible but stiff plastic sheet to the top edge there to act as an overhang(?) On the far left there the People stable doors are open.
Most of the wicked weather comes from the north (far end) and the west (left side). We tried to place it using the garage/barn as a windbreak, which partially works. It can't be closer to the barn because of snow shedding off that roof and needed side access on the east. Unfortunately the hill on the east side also funnels whatever makes it around the barn from the north, veering off the hill directly around to the run. Thus the evening cartwheel event. I can't place it closer to the house, and I want to run electric to it for the water heater. So it is here for now.
Here it is from the barn side looking southwest.
This is where I concentrated the cinder blocks and hold-downs. The 3x3 end "box" is made from extra run panels and the coop run's stable doors panel. It was an afterthought that lengthens the whole run to 21 feet. I don't yet have enough plastic to cover the closest side or corner very well, so it is probably too drafty right there and I am trying to cover it with boards. Also I am going to make a curved wire top over it b/c the flat top sags with snow or rain puddles. All sides have a 10" welded wire skirt.
The chickens love having two entrances & exits for their chicken races around the structure. They also like to run inside from one end to the other and do flying chest bump leaps in the tall run.
Here's a view from inside. Three chickens to boot, to pay the Chicken Pic Tax! Or maybe that's not necessary since this is an actual post on a Chicken Topic? I need to raise the swing perches since I raised the floor with woodland litter. I don't know if they still need the retaining bungees. They REALLY like the short 4"-5" thick log to perch on in the walk-in run, but it only holds two chickens so I am looking for a longer one to replace it. They also have a rotten log/stump along that wall they climb on and peck. There's about five unoccupied feet between the green feeder and the wall behind where I was standing to take the picture. Most of the time they like to scratch in the middle area. they will also stand there and preen.
They tend to take sitting rests as a group on the litter below the swings. It is the most familiar area from when they were 8-week-olds getting tractored around, and possibly now the most draft-free. Also there is really good cover close by (a shade tarp over the coop entrance, and of course under the coop). Before I had the tarps up they retreated to the coop when it got pretty cold & windy, with one near the entrance keeping watch. It was like their "huddle box".
Would they like a shaded/covered spot in the walk-in run area, or at least some sides not clear? The roof tarp is reinforced so looks fairly opaque white. Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Thanks for reading!
I have the Omlet Cube with the 9-foot run. It's a double-wall plastic coop. I tractored it around August to November through our wooded/grassy areas, it has worked pretty well, though the welded wire skirt makes it hard to move through tall field hay and I think the wheels are too small. I had regular hardware cloth on one side, decided I really wanted to see through it and now have black vinyl-coated HC on all sides. The tarp on it now is not great because it arrived packed all crinkly and wouldn't flatten out so it not easy to see through (it's not Omlet's tarp). For summer I pulled it to the ground on the weather side and up about 6 inches on the lee side for rain, and pinned it all up by bungee'ing (is that a word?) the sides together in fair weather. There were no wind breaks under the coop itself but for winter I made zip-tied shower curtain/duct tape panels.
To attach to the 6x9 ft walk-in run I removed the coop run end stable doors panel and attached with reusable zip ties to the run. Then I realized I had enough extra HC to add a 2-foot x 3+ foot tall tunnel between the run and the coop run with a 12-inch skirt on both sides, so I stuck it in there. I don't have a tarp or shower curtain yet that really neatly covers that section, it is cobbed all together but is so far working well to shed water. I am making hardware cloth 3"x3" panels for all lower sides of the walk-in run.
BTW the chickens find the reinforced fibers tarp (very white-looking tarp here) REALLY GREAT for scratching. I am guessing first it's the fiber thread seen embedded in there, and then the ribbed texture. It makes a wonderful noise one can hear from quite a distance. Toes on tarp: Zzziiipp! ZZZiiiipppp! ZZZzzzzziiipppp! It seems, from chick to pullet so far, they spend extra time on something that sounds good when scratched. Is that true for you all? Wood chips on paper? Scratch & toss. Delightful!
The above photo you can see the southern wall that I left the top part uncovered for ventilation of the walk-in run. This run has no overhangs, which is a downside. I might construct something, like attach a flexible but stiff plastic sheet to the top edge there to act as an overhang(?) On the far left there the People stable doors are open.
Most of the wicked weather comes from the north (far end) and the west (left side). We tried to place it using the garage/barn as a windbreak, which partially works. It can't be closer to the barn because of snow shedding off that roof and needed side access on the east. Unfortunately the hill on the east side also funnels whatever makes it around the barn from the north, veering off the hill directly around to the run. Thus the evening cartwheel event. I can't place it closer to the house, and I want to run electric to it for the water heater. So it is here for now.
Here it is from the barn side looking southwest.
This is where I concentrated the cinder blocks and hold-downs. The 3x3 end "box" is made from extra run panels and the coop run's stable doors panel. It was an afterthought that lengthens the whole run to 21 feet. I don't yet have enough plastic to cover the closest side or corner very well, so it is probably too drafty right there and I am trying to cover it with boards. Also I am going to make a curved wire top over it b/c the flat top sags with snow or rain puddles. All sides have a 10" welded wire skirt.
The chickens love having two entrances & exits for their chicken races around the structure. They also like to run inside from one end to the other and do flying chest bump leaps in the tall run.
Here's a view from inside. Three chickens to boot, to pay the Chicken Pic Tax! Or maybe that's not necessary since this is an actual post on a Chicken Topic? I need to raise the swing perches since I raised the floor with woodland litter. I don't know if they still need the retaining bungees. They REALLY like the short 4"-5" thick log to perch on in the walk-in run, but it only holds two chickens so I am looking for a longer one to replace it. They also have a rotten log/stump along that wall they climb on and peck. There's about five unoccupied feet between the green feeder and the wall behind where I was standing to take the picture. Most of the time they like to scratch in the middle area. they will also stand there and preen.
They tend to take sitting rests as a group on the litter below the swings. It is the most familiar area from when they were 8-week-olds getting tractored around, and possibly now the most draft-free. Also there is really good cover close by (a shade tarp over the coop entrance, and of course under the coop). Before I had the tarps up they retreated to the coop when it got pretty cold & windy, with one near the entrance keeping watch. It was like their "huddle box".
Would they like a shaded/covered spot in the walk-in run area, or at least some sides not clear? The roof tarp is reinforced so looks fairly opaque white. Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Thanks for reading!
I think you can bookmark so you can find things later if it helps.
- Thread starter
- #23,345
SNOW!
We got our first snow of the year today. It finally made it the rest of the way from @CrazyChookChookLady the rest of the way to me. Here is the flock's reaction.
Once they made it to safety it really picked up.
We got our first snow of the year today. It finally made it the rest of the way from @CrazyChookChookLady the rest of the way to me. Here is the flock's reaction.
Once they made it to safety it really picked up.
I have only a few suggestions/cautions mostly around the tarps, especially the white mesh reinforced clear one. Watch for flying runs... if the wind can pick it up, the runs can turn into giant kites. The clear mesh tarp is very solid and quite good at this. My tractors weigh around 300-400 lbs and a 10x12’ tarp just on the run roof was able to lift it in (extreme 90km+/hr) high winds. One other thing to be very careful of is tarps wearing and fraying. Due to the “flight issue” I slashed and overlapped my tarps which increased fraying, though you can easily get iy with just rubbing as well (I have wooden frames so this expedited the process too). Chickens can eat the frayed tarp stringy bits which can cause severely impacted crops (I was unable to cure this as it was just too impacted. I couldn’t bring myself to attempt crop surgery on a conscious bird. I don’t have a vet, a helper, or the experience to do it successfully alone IMO). Just things to be aware of and watch for. Otherwise it looks pretty good. I’m not sure what the weather is like in your area, but you may also want to have a good backup plan incase things get too severe. I put my hospital tractor inside a barn last year for a bit, due to severe weather. A plan b is always handy!
Nope! You can have all my s*** this year... I got more than enough of that last year!Aaaaahhhhh!! Oh my ga!!! Yall are SO lucky!!!! I’m so jelly!!!❤❤❤
Cold wet nasty stuff...
Agreed, I can't stand the stuff!Nope! You can have all my s*** this year... I got more than enough of that last year!
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