Helpful hints for building coops

[User395221]

Oh man don't get me started on Health care workers !!

Can I just say that I think nurses are just as, if not more, important than doctors? They are the ones who are around all day and doing all the work, doctors just swan in and see you for five minutes. If anyone's going to notice that you are turning blue and things aren't going right, it's the nurses. They're fundamental in keeping you alive.
And you might not get a lot of effusive thanks from the people who are sleeping all day, but you can bet your bottom dollar they appreciate what you do, even if they haven't given any thought to it to realise just what that is.
so there!
Nurse 10/10
coop builder 25/10

 

[CapricornFarm]

Thanks, we appreciate those who appreciate us! When my husband was in ICU , he had wonderful nurses! He went back when he was better and took in gifts. And he recommended one for special commendation and she did get an award.
As for the coop, he has been helping me lately. He put the wood around the coop door to block the wide spaces that would be fine for a dog kennel but not so good for a chicken run. And he cut the holes to slide the nest boxes into in the side of the coop. He also cut the branches for perches in the run. And put up the pulley to open the sliding door for the coop from outside the run.
I dug the ditch along the last side of the run and buried the wire. Nailed the wire to the spacer to keep varmints out. Made little shelf like things over the nest boxes inside the coop to help keep the poop out. And i painted all kinds of things that needed it. Even the work bench in the workshop got a second coat. The front door to the coop got a coat. More perches got installed inside the coop.

 

[jvls1942]

good evening,
I am dealing with computer service from hell
it took almost an hour to get logged in.
today I had GS's help . he mixed 20 bags of concrete, I wheeled it, leveled it floated it, edged it and broomed it. it sure goes faster with two people ..
I have just 8 bags to mix for the last small section. that I can handle by myself. of course I wouldn't turn down any help..
I took pictures of the feeder today.
I hope I can get them to you with the computer acting up like it is..
I will do them on a separate post.
......jiminwisc.....

 

[jvls1942]

pictures,,,,,,,,I HOPE !!
.this is the bucket inside the pan.
there is a 1 1/2" spacer under the bucket.
there are four 1 1/4" holes in the bottom of the bucket.
half way between those holes are 1 1/4" noles in the side of the bucket right at the bottom.
screws from the bottom hold the pan to the wooden spacer, and screws in the bottom of the bucket into the spacer.
this feeder can be put on the floor or hung from the ceiling.
I never tried crumbles or ground feed in this particular feeder, but I had no trouble with the ground layer feed I got from the feed mill.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Do you keep a lid on top of this feeder?

 

[jvls1942]

Do you keep a lid on top of this feeder?

I did not, but you can. I kept this one inside the coop.
as you see it is how much the chickens empty it.. and I didn't notice any waste.
the feed I fed was sort of like coarse corn meal..
it bridged up in my trough feeder.
never did that in this one..
Now I have a great feeder and have no chickens..
.......jiminwisc.....

 

[CapricornFarm]

You can get chickens pretty much whenever you want, though. I am excited to see how mine turn out.

 

[jvls1942]

you can't see them, but there are screws about every foot in the center of the form board. the form board is a treated 2x4.
it will stay put by the concrete holding onto the screws.
then I will nail the wall bottom plates to the treated form board.
the board to the right is the header board used for a strike off board and then moved forward for the next pour after this pour is set.

 

[aart]

pictures,,,,,,,,I HOPE !!
.this is the bucket inside the pan.
there is a 1 1/2" spacer under the bucket.
there are four 1 1/4" holes in the bottom of the bucket.
half way between those holes are 1 1/4" noles in the side of the bucket right at the bottom.
screws from the bottom hold the pan to the wooden spacer, and screws in the bottom of the bucket into the spacer.
this feeder can be put on the floor or hung from the ceiling.
I never tried crumbles or ground feed in this particular feeder, but I had no trouble with the ground layer feed I got from the feed mill.View attachment 1128181
View attachment 1128156

Nice, thanks!
How deep is the pan?
Depth of pan is key to avoiding billing out IMO.
Mine is about 3" deep but feed comes out of 1" high(from bottom of pan) holes.

 

[jvls1942]

You can get chickens pretty much whenever you want, though. I am excited to see how mine turn out.

yes, yes I can.. but I don't want any chickens.
last winter I said that I was going to get rid of all the chickens and have none going into another winter..
I had about 40 hens and most of them were freeloaders. expensive pets to feed.
next spring I will start all over and have just one kind of chicken.
my best winter chickens ever were a flock of 13 Buff Orpingtons. that winter we had about 3 weeks in a row of minus degree temperatures and several days of minus 20F. on one of those -20F days I had 100% egg production.

the feed pan is no more than 4 inches deep. I get them at Fleet & Farm for about $3.oo. kind of a hard plastic.
they call them horse feeders, i believe.

maybe the reason there is waste is that the chickens do not like certain parts of the feed and rake them out of the way to get at what they prefer.

I tried feeding whole oats with cracked corn. the chickens completely ignored the oats. so now I spend the extra 50 cents and have it all ground fine and mixed.

......jiminwisc......