Homesteaders

[Raech]

I saw a door/nest box where it was all one, the nest box swings open and you can reach them all from the front. If I can figure out how to do one like that I will, I don't mind having an extra set of shoes just for chores, I already have one set for working in, and then a pair of boots for everyday running around. I just can't wait to move again!!

 

[rancher hicks]

I saw a door/nest box where it was all one, the nest box swings open and you can reach them all from the front. If I can figure out how to do one like that I will, I don't mind having an extra set of shoes just for chores, I already have one set for working in, and then a pair of boots for everyday running around. I just can't wait to move again!!

Do you mean something like this?
It's inside a covered run. The lid lifts and there are three boxes. These work really well. Though entering the coop is important at least to check to see everyone's okay. Unless you have just a few and can tell all your birds apart and count heads in the morning.

 

[Raech]

So take your nest box that you showed rancher, add a big clean out door on the wall, and the wall/nestbox all swung out to the lid on the nest box didn't lift because access was from the front where the chickens entered the nest box. I will see if I can find the picture it was on BYC in the coop area.

 

[combatfuzzball]

Just bought a small .56 acres with a house and garage last fall. I was big into gardening in the trailer park I was living. I only had a 15 X 30 garden and a 4 X 12 tomato plot and grew an amazing amount of fresh foods. I got into canning mostly to can all the vegetables I was growing and couldn't eat immediately or give away. This year is going to be starting out a brand new garden so it's going to take some work to get it producing well. On the bright side I have 8 baby chicks I am raising with a brand new coop I have yet to put together.
Getting to start this out with a brand new wife and a baby daughter. Not going to be able to raise meat animals since the wife will most likely turn them into pets. However chickens for eggs and fresh veggies is a good place to start.

 

[CLSranch]

Just bought a small .56 acres with a house and garage last fall. I was big into gardening in the trailer park I was living. I only had a 15 X 30 garden and a 4 X 12 tomato plot and grew an amazing amount of fresh foods. I got into canning mostly to can all the vegetables I was growing and couldn't eat immediately or give away. This year is going to be starting out a brand new garden so it's going to take some work to get it producing well. On the bright side I have 8 baby chicks I am raising with a brand new coop I have yet to put together.
Getting to start this out with a brand new wife and a baby daughter. Not going to be able to raise meat animals since the wife will most likely turn them into pets. However chickens for eggs and fresh veggies is a good place to start.

Congrats. Ya gotta start somewhere.

 

[rancher hicks]

Just bought a small .56 acres with a house and garage last fall. I was big into gardening in the trailer park I was living. I only had a 15 X 30 garden and a 4 X 12 tomato plot and grew an amazing amount of fresh foods. I got into canning mostly to can all the vegetables I was growing and couldn't eat immediately or give away. This year is going to be starting out a brand new garden so it's going to take some work to get it producing well. On the bright side I have 8 baby chicks I am raising with a brand new coop I have yet to put together.
Getting to start this out with a brand new wife and a baby daughter. Not going to be able to raise meat animals since the wife will most likely turn them into pets. However chickens for eggs and fresh veggies is a good place to start.

Your are right they are a good place to start. Can I suggest using pots to start your vegetable garden endeavor? I got Egg plant in pots. Too there are many "free" containers out there to use for planting other vegetables. Then once you get your larger garden going you can discard or recycle containers you have used. I dump all my "used" store bought garden soil into the compost pile and recycle it.

I'm sure you will do well,

 

[lazy gardener]

Just bought a small .56 acres with a house and garage last fall. I was big into gardening in the trailer park I was living. I only had a 15 X 30 garden and a 4 X 12 tomato plot and grew an amazing amount of fresh foods. I got into canning mostly to can all the vegetables I was growing and couldn't eat immediately or give away. This year is going to be starting out a brand new garden so it's going to take some work to get it producing well. On the bright side I have 8 baby chicks I am raising with a brand new coop I have yet to put together.
Getting to start this out with a brand new wife and a baby daughter. Not going to be able to raise meat animals since the wife will most likely turn them into pets. However chickens for eggs and fresh veggies is a good place to start.

Welcome to BYC. Have you visited the Maine thread? Where you are just getting started with your gardening, you might consider hay bale gardening. That will get you going while you build your garden soil. Other things to consider: lasagna gardening, Back to Eden gardening method. For your coop and run: deep litter. Let those birds make some awesome compost for you. That will also save cost as you can use natural materials for bedding in the coop instead of buying shavings.

For your chicks, have you looked at fermented feed?

 

[Raech]

So happy with my family right now. We got some buffalo from a friend, just bought half a steer from family and have a pig ready for butcher here pretty quick. Our freezers are full and the garden is going to be growing soon. I love spring in the Valley, my garden can be planted earlier than the rest of the surrounding area. Dad went back to work last week so I have his cow dog, Dog, and thankfully he gets along very well with my dog. The only downside is he tries to eat my rabbits so I have to watch him when I take him out to go potty. Planted peas in the garden this last week and bought some cabbage that I will be giving to a friend since she doesn't have a garden. Now to get tomatoes and peppers, I wanted to start from seeds but my cat decided the starts were looking good enough to eat, so he ate them all. Soon as I get money saved up I will be starting my chicken coop and pig pen, decided once I get my chickens we are going to get a couple of pigs for freezer camp. We should be able to get steers next year soon as we get the front fences replaced. Lots to do and even more to be done so my family can move onto the property. But first we get to play lumberjacks and trim trees and take out a couple. Dad is actually going to have a company come in and remove two trees that are really big and one is really brushy, I guess Dad doesn't want to deal with them. Normally we do our own trees, so it will be different to have a company come in and take care of it. Dad should be back in this week sometime, hopefully, but until then I am watching the house and feeding the horses. Went to give them more hay on Saturday and they hadn't even touched their hay that Dad had given them before he left town. Guess they are eating the baby alfalfa and fresh grass and just don't want to touch their hay. Which is ok with me I guess, means I don't have to heave heavy bales of hay.

 

[lcertuche]

Lazy gardener is so right about letting the chickens do the work. The best garden I ever had was when I let my birds run in the garden all winter.

 

[combatfuzzball]

Lazy gardener is so right about letting the chickens do the work. The best garden I ever had was when I let my birds run in the garden all winter.

I'll probably do the same early next spring before planting. Doesn't do much here in winter when there are feet of snow but late fall and early spring should be great. Also going to build up litter in the coop once I get it built. Use that in the garden next spring. I've not used fermented feed. I have started feeding my older EE chicks a little bit of green veggies for treats. Also just bought a set of 6 Australorps bringing me up to 14 chicks for now.I do want to know more about Fermented feed for the chicks. Also yeah I'm in the Maine Thread as well.