INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[danand]

Old salt- I meant to mention earlier how great Weed Wacker looks!!!

Backyard- I have a small truck and get sand at a quarry. But if you have a car or van you can take buckets and load them yourself and they will weigh you in and out just like a truck full!! I will mention that it takes quite a bit. So if you could borrow a truck would be easier. I'm sure there are quarries around Indy. Also I used to get buckets of sand at a cement mixer company. They let me have it for free, if it was over their barricades, so if you have one near you try that. Also I got 1000 pounds for about $7!!! So if you have to use the car method it may take multiple trips.

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Old Salt~ Your photos are excellent. You live an enchanting life; I think you've reached nirvana.
Btw, what is up (or down) with you always suggesting throwing dead animals over a bridge? I hope you don't mean into water where a decomposing body would further pollute drinking water for creatures and possibly people. Yuck.

I learned it decades ago. Predators/scavengers don't like to cross the road. They prefer to cross under a bridge. Hence, a lot of traffic. If you toss a carcass on the grass near the water, they will find it and clean it up. This allows you to avoid irritating the garbage men with a stinking corpse in their truck. They don't much like that.

John

 

[racinchickins]

TSC sells it too but not the best prices.
Which door did you decide on. I keep dreaming of the auto door, but so far I can't decide if I want a timer or a dawn to dusk kind. Then there is the cost and how should it be powered.

I got it from here: http://adorstore.com/ it has a light sensor, so is dawn to dusk. It is powered by cheap lantern battery from Walmart/Target. They say the battery should last for years.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Pip - coop looks fantastic, rather envious as it happens.
Too fast - quit giving Pip grief for the painting! The chickens don't care darn it. I on the other hand.. Some of the drips are causing me a tick... Haha. Should I ever be Pips way I will pop in and straighten that up.

[COLOR=800000]I have to admit that although pipd's coop is amazing, I have that artistic eye, too, that wants to fix the drips. [/COLOR]

Good god, people, it's a chicken coop!

 

[bradselig]

Good god, people, it's a chicken coop!

Hahaha!

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Wormy broccoli plant before.


During:


After.

 

[Old Salt 1945]

A couple of days ago, I put out a Japanese beetle trap. I cut off the bottom of the bag so they would drop to the ground for the chickens/ducks/guineas to eat.

Drat the luck! This appears to be a slow year for the beetles. Nothing yet.



John

 

[Old Salt 1945]

Good god, people, it's a chicken coop!

I was impressed that you painted it.

All who are bothered by any imperfections are hereby invited to Pip's to make corrections as they see fit. Dress appropriately and bring your own artist's brushes. Pip will supply the paint. It is suggested that you BYO any Oops! paint remover that you feel you may need.

John

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Actually, the hens have been scratching and dusting in the back-filled dirt around the addition so much, the dripping paint on the outside has pretty much been covered by dirt, just as I suspected it would be. But if it bothers y'all so much, by all means. I have most of a can of paint left.

 

[Old Salt 1945]

I have an automatic door.

http://www.add-a-motor.com/Model D20 Motor for Chicken Coop Doors.htm

It is $100 plus you need a timer or dawn/dusk controller. You also have to make your own vertically sliding door. You have to make your time vs. money calculation.

I have no complaints so far. I think I got it in May or June.


There is a 100# test fishing line that goes from the motor down to the door.
When the timer turns on, it raises. When the timer turns off, it resets. When the timer turns on, it lowers. When the timer turns off, it resets.

I have mine set to turn on at 7:00 am and off at 7:05.
At 9:15 it turns on and at 9:20 it turns off.

With a timer, I have to change the on/off times throughout the year.

There was some training involved. About a dozen times, I had to go out, block the door open, and chase all the birds into the coop until they got the idea that they were supposed to go inside at night.

Morning is no problem. When the door goes up, it looks like the barn is vomiting poultry. There is a mad rush out the door.

John