- Jun 18, 2014
- 14
- 0
- 24
I love seeing how others are saving on things they need for their "farms". I have 2 1/3 acres with 18 chickens-2 are roosters, 4 ducks, 2 kittens, 2 little dogs and us two great grandparents, and a lot of want to.
My chicken coop was a lean/to on the end of my storage shed made from 6 foot tall plywood cabinet doors being given away after a garage remodel. (thanks craigslist) The pen was a rough roll of 48 inch chicken wire that I drove all of 4 miles to get. (again thanks craigslist) We did buy most of the 2x4s used to put it all together. The nests are the remains of 2 end tables reconfigured for the girls. The roof is a scrap of metal roofing left from a friends home.
The duck pen shares a side with the chicken pen and a garden fence so we just had a few feet to fill in and a gate to make with scraps from the chicken pen. A child's wading pool was a gift from someone that was moving and sold me a hen for the grand sum of $9.....the rooster was free. I gave him to my son. A shipping crate 3 feet by 4 feet by 5 feet long was hauled home....another $20 craigslist find. It makes a fine shelter for the ducks with an entrance cut in the side and the lid hinged so I can open it to check on the ducks and clean as needed. They are also enjoying the shade of a large old juniper bush in their pen.
I was given 7 does and a buck rabbit. Craigslisters sold me 2 rabbit hutches $70, and have given me 3 good sized cages, 3 food containers,1 water bottle, 3 chicken feeders, 2 chicken waterers, and I found one large cage on the side of the road with a water bottle and a feeder in it.
I hauled off "someones junk" for 3 different families remodeling, moving, and yard cleaning. From that I have a pile of odd sizes of chicken wire and hardware cloth, 10 t posts, used lumber and plywood pieces, 20, 8' sheets of ugated clear plastic; 12, patio sliding double pane glass doors; a 36x36 window with a screen in it and a metalic flexable roll of material I'll use for weather screening and wind break for the rabbits. It looks like all I'll need is a bit more lumber to have a great greenhouse with an area for the rabbits across the back end of it. Part of the hardware cloth has already become mole/gopher proof planting baskets for fruit trees, hops, grapes, and raspberries.
I spent a grand total of $119 for chickens and ducks and another $55 for 2x4s, nails, hinges, and hook and eye sets .
We're averaging 3 chicken eggs and a duck egg daily and 10 of the hens won't be old enough to lay for a few more weeks.
You couldn't put a price on the joy I get when the roosters start crowing softly (really they do) and then I walk out to feed and the hens are clucking, the ducks quacking, and one rabbits even coos to me every day when I get near.
Tomorrow I'll pick up a 4'3" x 6'1" odd shaped pond that is 18 inches deep. A $20 Craigslist find. Not sure yet what will live in it but I'm going to start some watercress in it for sure.
The tomatoes are setting and greens are growing well and herbs doing nicely but other things were late getting in because of a late winter and now a hot dry summer so that's about it for this season. I'm looking forward to the greenhouse and less bondage to unpredictable weather.
Dang if the 2 kittens and 2 dogs aren't learning to put up with each other too. Perhaps a bit grudgingly yet.
Thinking about naming this place "Elbo Greese Farm". Seems I have more of that than good sense or money these days.
My chicken coop was a lean/to on the end of my storage shed made from 6 foot tall plywood cabinet doors being given away after a garage remodel. (thanks craigslist) The pen was a rough roll of 48 inch chicken wire that I drove all of 4 miles to get. (again thanks craigslist) We did buy most of the 2x4s used to put it all together. The nests are the remains of 2 end tables reconfigured for the girls. The roof is a scrap of metal roofing left from a friends home.
The duck pen shares a side with the chicken pen and a garden fence so we just had a few feet to fill in and a gate to make with scraps from the chicken pen. A child's wading pool was a gift from someone that was moving and sold me a hen for the grand sum of $9.....the rooster was free. I gave him to my son. A shipping crate 3 feet by 4 feet by 5 feet long was hauled home....another $20 craigslist find. It makes a fine shelter for the ducks with an entrance cut in the side and the lid hinged so I can open it to check on the ducks and clean as needed. They are also enjoying the shade of a large old juniper bush in their pen.
I was given 7 does and a buck rabbit. Craigslisters sold me 2 rabbit hutches $70, and have given me 3 good sized cages, 3 food containers,1 water bottle, 3 chicken feeders, 2 chicken waterers, and I found one large cage on the side of the road with a water bottle and a feeder in it.
I hauled off "someones junk" for 3 different families remodeling, moving, and yard cleaning. From that I have a pile of odd sizes of chicken wire and hardware cloth, 10 t posts, used lumber and plywood pieces, 20, 8' sheets of ugated clear plastic; 12, patio sliding double pane glass doors; a 36x36 window with a screen in it and a metalic flexable roll of material I'll use for weather screening and wind break for the rabbits. It looks like all I'll need is a bit more lumber to have a great greenhouse with an area for the rabbits across the back end of it. Part of the hardware cloth has already become mole/gopher proof planting baskets for fruit trees, hops, grapes, and raspberries.
I spent a grand total of $119 for chickens and ducks and another $55 for 2x4s, nails, hinges, and hook and eye sets .
We're averaging 3 chicken eggs and a duck egg daily and 10 of the hens won't be old enough to lay for a few more weeks.
You couldn't put a price on the joy I get when the roosters start crowing softly (really they do) and then I walk out to feed and the hens are clucking, the ducks quacking, and one rabbits even coos to me every day when I get near.
Tomorrow I'll pick up a 4'3" x 6'1" odd shaped pond that is 18 inches deep. A $20 Craigslist find. Not sure yet what will live in it but I'm going to start some watercress in it for sure.
The tomatoes are setting and greens are growing well and herbs doing nicely but other things were late getting in because of a late winter and now a hot dry summer so that's about it for this season. I'm looking forward to the greenhouse and less bondage to unpredictable weather.
Dang if the 2 kittens and 2 dogs aren't learning to put up with each other too. Perhaps a bit grudgingly yet.
Thinking about naming this place "Elbo Greese Farm". Seems I have more of that than good sense or money these days.
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and Welcome To BYC! Wonderful introduction, sounds like you are a master at re-purposing things! Good luck with your flock and your other projects.
