Just found eggs???

[venymae]

Also, unless you have a rooster I have forgotten about, those eggs are not gonna hatch in your incubator! Birds and the bees and all that.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Here's a really cool website that compiled a bunch of different "recycled" ideas for coops! Lots of pallet and old furniture examples. The thing about DIY is you have to be creative, have patience, and put in (sometimes) more labor. We made our coop out of 90% recycled materials we pulled out of the dumpsters where they were putting in a new subdivision. A lady I got hatching eggs from had several coops she had made out of all sorts of stuff, and actually looked really neat! All I can remember now, is that she had an oven grate door on one of them

Checking out the link now, for me I have only spent money on Hardware cloth(one 3'x15' roll), screws and washers. I shouldn't have wasted money on the washers at $.10 each to secure the HC as I now prefer to use the scrap lumber I found on this property when I moved in. Hehe that crazy woman who lived here b4 me hated us for buying this place from her as she expected to list it for 3 months b4 it sold and left me a lot of valuable(to me) trash to upcycle for the coop. And all the tires everywhere will make excellent potato planters this winter.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Forgot the most important question...if a hen is seeking to raise chicks...when the eggs are first laid...does the hen stay on them all the time...I ask since we're not sure if she is trying to start a hatching....personally I don't think she would leave the eggs unattended for long periods of time (which is what she is doing), but not being sure I ask of you who would likely know the answer...Larry

Hens try to establish a cash or clutch of eggs by laying an egg every day. Then the moma hen takes to her nest and until that time and at that time only is when incubation begins.

 

[Farming Feathers]

And all the tires everywhere will make excellent potato planters this winter.

Can you tell me how the old tires make a potatoe planter....city boy and trying to find ways around the yard (have several tires dumped on property including an old camper shell for a pickup truck???
Have yet to figure where I'm going with that one.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Can you tell me how the old tires make a potatoe planter....city boy and trying to find ways around the yard (have several tires dumped on property including an old camper shell for a pickup truck???
Have yet to figure where I'm going with that one.

Certainly, traditionally when growing potatoes you continually keep burying the new growth so it goes to root and makes more potatoes. Some people just use big wire cages and alternate straw and dirt, others use the traditional furrow(think plowed fields) methods with reserve soils to bury the new growth further, some use potatoe sacks or even 5 gallon buckets. I'm just going to keep piling up tires and filling them in to maximize 360 degrees of sunlight.

Any chance that old camper shell can be re-purposed into a coop or grow out pen?

 

[AllenK RGV]

Here's a really cool website that compiled a bunch of different "recycled" ideas for coops! Lots of pallet and old furniture examples. The thing about DIY is you have to be creative, have patience, and put in (sometimes) more labor. We made our coop out of 90% recycled materials we pulled out of the dumpsters where they were putting in a new subdivision. A lady I got hatching eggs from had several coops she had made out of all sorts of stuff, and actually looked really neat! All I can remember now, is that she had an oven grate door on one of them

Checked out that link and wow what some people think is an appropriate size for chicken coops is pretty crazy but still. Some good idea to be had there as a starter.

 

[RUNuts]

Can you tell me how the old tires make a potatoe planter....city boy and trying to find ways around the yard (have several tires dumped on property including an old camper shell for a pickup truck???
Have yet to figure where I'm going with that one.

Yes, the camper shell is a good start for a roof. Old tires work for planters. Fill with dirt and top with mulch. The black rubber keeps the dirt warm up north.

 

[Farming Feathers]

The black rubber keeps the dirt warm up north.

Thank you very much didn't think of the tires natural attraction of heat...nice.

 

[Farming Feathers]

I questions... I believe chickens can lay eggs for 3 year and sure there are exceptions, but how do I know the age of my ladies and if they are below or beyond their egg laying years...I ask because the Americana in my opinion is not laying eggs and I have a photo showing Ivy (Americana) if that helps determine age???
Next question: I have done some initial coop construction (this is just a hen house and not the run which is separate area outside the coop).
We had our first storm last night which let me see where I need to weather resist the outside of the coop (see photo 4a water saturation soaks into the coop from the outside see wall behind standing 2x4). For now I put pine chips on the floor will get some hay from the feed store.
I used an existing outside shed for the coop...it provided floor, ceiling, and all sides but the font... which has double door and electrical wiring and ceiling covered bulb (see photo 5)
Because rats are here...I must use hardware cloth 1/2 to line the side walls, top and floor (entire shed is made of plywood sheet ( with 2x4 framing) The floor is especially bad...has a small space below floor and already has a hole in floor that must be fixed over (temp repair lay over sheet of plywood) I found some plywood on property left by previous owner and have a saber saw to cut wood.
Size of this shed is 9 foot square with 6.5 foot ceiling tapered to 8 feet on far end to a sheet metal roof.
When I'm finished the interior size for 8 hens should come out around 9 foot long, 6 foot wide and 6 foot tall ceiling...why...I'm going to put a small computer fan at corner end of ceiling, screen off the top flat not angled like it is now...for clarification...the ceiling is angled, but already has squared off framing...so I will use the squared off framing at 6.5 feet to run metal screening across leaving an open area that is tapered into a corner where I will put the computer fan above the screen off ceiling see photo image 2
I plan to utilize some designs that may raise a few eye brows but we must do as we logically feel is correct...I'm old so you cannot change my mind regardless of other views...just so you know
Before I speak of design let me offer my perspective on how I will raise the ladies...for better or worse. My construction: Intends to use open northern view (because that was how the shed was built and the direction it faces). Most wind and bad weather tend to come from that direction. I'm using this start with ventilation in mind and open air coop...some wind break means the ladies are providing their body heat to warm the coop along with what little heat may come from hay and chips on the flooring (bedding if that is the correct words) My shed has a double front door that will be closed in extreme conditions...otherwise it will be open.
This shed is built within the confines of a patio attached to a single bedroom part of the house..see photo 5 of how the shed is protected and how the space is utilized. Since it has a patio covered front no rain falls in that location and some wind break....If I have a BBQ the shed door is closed to avoid spoke or such entering the coop.
This entire area is surrounded by trees big ones and lot of limb branch coverage with shade...so cool in summer heat..
So the concept is founded on protected area, with open environment at front and a small forced air draw from a computer fan up in the ceiling behind a wind shielded area, but draws air from below up past the roosting birds...thru a screen to keep out unfriendlies and up into space above screened head room for chickens and out thru the forced air fan...this being one of the large 200 mm type or there about size of fan.
Until this is finished you will have to visualize how this will work space wise...though the room 9sq, sounds big I'm narrowing it down on the front side by 3 feet for storage and egg collection...this allows the nesting box to sit outside the coop interior size...so the roost space is 6 feet wide, and the roost bars (2x4 side mounted) 1st bar 2ft. inside coop placed in steps lowest near the long end is 2ft. off the ground, next spaced 2.5ft further in and 3ft. higher...this places the last step bar higher than the nest boxes will be just past center location of the coop...at that height a couple of roost bars are spaced out and apart so multiple hens can occupy the space near the ceiling 3 abreast on a totle of 3 same height bars.
Remember the lowest bar is 2ft. high so hens can walk under the bars all of them. and the feed bin is going to be just that a bin...much like a potato bin... you swing it out to put food in, then swing in to close. Water supply will be large capacity and all this below the level of the nest boxes.
I will rat proof this coop by lining the entire living space with hardware cloth 1/2 inch top, bottom and sides... tomorrow I will take photos of the run which is big 25ft.long x 30ft wide that later will be open into a channel run behind the side bedroom into a back yard that is 12ft. wide x 30ft. long...Now the fencing around the house and yards are all chain link, and one bird (Americana flies to a height 8ft off the ground minimum) so I may have to chicken wire the entire run area to my height so can work in the yard from time to time..
I'm documenting this for my reference as work has started but will take time to complete...money is my limiting factors...too little too slow
This way I have notes of what my intension of design are and later can see how close my imagination was correct and if it works out.
Hope this is not too long but felt it was important enough to write it down.....Oh in the photos the roost bar shown is just temp and trying to get the feel for height.
Larry

 

[Farming Feathers]

Memory problems...forgot to show photo 5 of covered area in patio where shed is part of the patio and side bedroom. Will later take some more photos of patio area and actual run for chickens to enjoy...just need to figure out the run cover because the Americana can fly over the chain link fence as there are trees in the run to large to cut down.