Hello from Michigan!

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DesigningLife

DesigningLife

In the Brooder
6 Years
Sep 29, 2013
23
5
26
Michigan
What an AWESOME resource BYC is!! I've been reading here for a few days as I "construct" (using that term loosely here, lol) my first portable (okay, not actually very portable) chicken coop without any clue what I'm doing, and very little "building knowledge"...still, I'm kind of proud of what I've designed and created.
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I may throw in a pic if I can - of what I have so far. It is almost all finished.

Anyway, my name is Polly, I'm a 46 year old Mom of 3, Grandma to 3 (almost 4) awesome grand kids, and I will be getting a few grown (probably 4) laying hens from my sister in a few days. She teases me that I'm going a bit overboard with worrying about their "accommodations", so I told her to expect to visit me next summer and see the hens lounging in lawn chairs with embroidered pool towels near to the "water supply". They will be wearing dark sunglasses with the latest issue of "Cosmipolihen" on a nearby table next to their little umbrella drinks! ha

I live in lower Michigan and I'm very interested in self-sufficiency, healthier and more frugal country living, pagan ways, etc. I have a few blogs and forums of my own, and enjoy "designing life" on my terms.
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Some of my hobbies include crafts of many kinds, studying and using wild herbs, writing, gardening, re-purposing things, photography, etc, etc.

I've raised young laying hens once before and also a group of "meat chickens" (NEVER again for the latter - it sickens me how these birds are bred to put on so much weight so fast that can't even "walk")...anyway, holler at me if you feel inclined. I have lots to learn, always, and like to help out others when I can.

Thanks for this great resource and kudos to the members here! I've read descriptions and seen photos of some pretty elaborate set-ups! I think I'd like to have a few of you build a house for ME, lol!
 
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Welcome! Glad you joined us. I never built anything and I managed to build two coops from plans, my husband was not a chicken farmer, but he is sweet on me so he used his "A scout is thrifty" philosophy and built two more coops that cost us nothing but the plans (his turned out better) and he got very clever and found fencing people were tossing out and built me a run! In fact, whether it is asking bakeries for frosting buckets or asking for pallets he makes and builds me the most innovative feeders and stuff.

So you are in the right place!

Caroline from Florida
 
Thank you for all the warm welcomes!
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I had borrowed ideas from several different photos online and drew up my own plans. Tried to keep it is as "cheap" as possible since I have a low fixed income. I still need to put a few shingles on the nest box roof (half of lid flips up to access eggs), and put a couple fasteners to keep that "flippy lid" shut securely. My sister is bringing me some hens and a couple Guinea keets in a few days. Yay!

I used a few scraps here and there (fence panel boards, scraps of pond liner for the floor and over the roofs, etc) and made the measurements so that I could utilize the standard board lengths and widths of wood for sale without having to waste much at all. The "house" is 2 feet by 4 feet and the run is 4 feet by 8 feet. Only ended up with two blisters (from screwing in the hardware) and whacked my thumb once, lol. The only tools I had were a circular saw, screwdriver, tape measure, and hammer.

I tried also uploading pics of how the nest boxes are fashioned inside and the "pop door" in the back that slides up and down to let them into the pen without having to open the door to do it. The top of run is covered in green vinyl-coated wire along with the sides but bottom is open to the ground...the idea was to move it around (yeah right! Great idea but a tad bit heavy lol) to new spots (like a tractor sort of) so they can forage and get the bugs, grubs without demolishing one spot too much. For the winter, it is located here in my driveway for added "shelter" from the wind for them and also easier for me to take care of during the cold months coming. They will eventually free range during the day.

 
Forgot to mention...the nest boxes add another foot of "floor space" (so it is essentially 3' x 4' ) and I have one roosting bar installed inside. Total cost, including the bargain "oops" paint my son found for only ONE dollar at Menard's (usually $16 for half gallon of that kind), hardware, new blades for the saw, came to less than $150.

Here are the other two photos I couldn't upload (had to resize them first).

Nest box set up - before back wall is put on and then sliding door system.

 
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