Maine

[lazy gardener]

Ash: re the friend who lost his flock to a fox... unless the fox has been dispatched (I doubt that the rooster was that good) or he has plans to safeguard his flock against further predation, I'm guessing that any further lawn ornaments will become fox snacks. Has the fox been killed?

Chambertin: How big a coop are you wanting to build? What kind of skill and equipment do you have for a building project? Is there a habitat for humanity store near you? What about contacting local home improvement companies. Before they can improve, they often have to destroy, which may result in some nice opportunities for you. How about packing crates? Snow blower season is right around the corner. I'm guessing that any companies that sell that type of equipment would receive it in a crate. You might want to check out "cattle panel" coops and green houses.

 

[Chambertin]

Chambertin:  How big a coop are you wanting to build?  What kind of skill and equipment do you have for a building project?  Is there a habitat for humanity store near you?  What about contacting local home improvement companies.  Before they can improve, they often have to destroy, which may result in some nice opportunities for you.  How about packing crates?  Snow blower season is right around the corner.  I'm guessing that any companies that sell that type of equipment would receive it in a crate.  You might want to check out "cattle panel" coops and green houses.

Really good ideas, the coop would be relitivly small. Probably 4x4 or so and height will depend on the cost of material.
Need to house about 6-10 girls and then will have a run for them to play in.

My building skills are not perfect but this wont be my first coop or woodshop project. Built one coop (in concrete) and a couple doors for my old house, helped a friend build a house, but I have never messed with any roofing before. (other than changing shingles)

I'll be doing some phone calls come Monday to see what's out there. I really like checking with the big box companies for crate leftovers. Never would have thought of that on my own. Thanks!

 

[lazy gardener]

I wish you the best of luck in getting your coop put together. IMO, half of the fun is the planning and scavenging for materials. Don't forget to check the lumber yard for culled lumber, and you might check on the local dump, or even cruise around on trash day to see what goodies folks are disposing of. My hubby is totally embarrassed by my scavenging nature, but at least I'm easily amused!!!! Be sure to post some pics. I did see your China roof top coop.

 

[buckabucka]

The bachelors are in the freezer! After DH left with them, I began cleaning out their many pens. I always seem to be scrounging for those black rubber dishes. Now I have 4 extra small ones, 4 medium size, and a large. It is nice and quiet, although I am keeping 3 roosters with their flocks here. 11 is just too many roosters in so many ways. I have an odd set up. One rooster has 10 hens, one has 12, and the other has 32! I'm just pretending I never set that 50 chicken limit.

I found one of my pretty blue Marans dead in the nest box yesterday morning. She was fine the night before, but I know this happens sometimes. Too bad she was in the smallest flock.

 

[lazy gardener]

I wish you the best of luck in getting your coop put together. IMO, half of the fun is the planning and scavenging for materials. Don't forget to check the lumber yard for culled lumber, and you might check on the local dump, or even cruise around on trash day to see what goodies folks are disposing of. My hubby is totally embarrassed by my scavenging nature, but at least I'm easily amused!!!! Be sure to post some pics. I did see your China roof top coop.

 

[Chambertin]

Haha! The Japanese really do make everything and anything cute.

 

[ashandvine]

I don't know how cute I think that is-- maybe a little psychotic, but I have to say that amigarumi and ko shamo are pretty awesome

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I have a new respect for hornets. Forgive me for an off chicken topic... but knowing that there are similar interests among chicken keepers, I'm hoping that someone might appreciate this verbal snap-shot kind of gross but interesting: Yesterday, I was watching a black hornet... the big MEAN kind with white stripes around it's lower body. He was hovering around in the chicken run, and I was contemplating waiting for him to land so I could stomp on him. He dove down into the grass and rummaged around there for a minute, then crawled back up onto a clover leaf with a housefly in his grip. I then watched while he nibbled on the fly for a bit, then flew up onto my chicken tree tee-pee with fly still in his grip. He proceeded to nibble on the fly, while rotating it in his jaws until the fly was nibbled into a nice round pellet size... Then he/SHE flew off with the fly pellet, which I presume was the perfect size and shape to stuff into a cell to feed a developing grub.

I still don't like them but that must have been neat to watch.

Always good to support local, feels better too. (And believe me the people at the top of the food chain in China dont need any more of our money)

A while back people mentioned a couple resources to find discount or recycled building supplies.
I checked out the HUD department in my local town and came up short.
Anyone else have any ideas where a good place to look would be? So far haven't found anyplace to buy recycled or spare building materials in Michigan.

Try your local freecycle or craigslist, first. Offer to come and pick it up, and do it in proper English. Next, call up your local lumber yards and ask if they have short pieces, cut pieces, etc, that you could get at a discount or opened packages of shingles, etc. Paint stores often have "bad" paint that was mixed wrong at very cheap prices.

 

[quailtrail]

Added 2 more to the flock. All 4 are from the same hatch My 10yo was with me and got to pick them out. They were the 2 I originally wantes but she sent me with specific instructions for brown girls last time lol!One is an olive egger and the other they are not sure as the legs are a mix of white and slate, is bearded so we will see what color they lay.

 

[mlowen]

First Egg! One of my White Leghorns--Charity--how apropos.