Mark, don't you just love it when you find a deal? From the picture it appears that you are planning to use the ladder as a roost. I'd like to offer a suggestion that will save you lots of work. In my coop I have three 2x4 on the flat all at the same height, about 4'. I suspended shallow trays 6" beneath them. I have a small ladder that leans up to one of the roost boards the the birds use to get to the roost boards. Once a week I move the ladder and scrape all the droppings from the tray into a bucket. I'd bet that 85% of the droppings in the coop wind up on the trays. I reduced cleaning the coop floor from every 2 weeks to every 2 months.
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I must need to start drinking caffine again as this morning I am not sure I am picturing this right. I am going to have someone else read this to see if I can do that too LOL. Anything to cut down on my work. LOL
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I must need to start drinking caffine again as this morning I am not sure I am picturing this right. I am going to have someone else read this to see if I can do that too LOL. Anything to cut down on my work. LOL
I just went out and took a picture so maybe this will help.
I built them out of a plastic paneling called RFP that is available at Home Depot. I suspended them beneath the roost with small chain so they are easy to take down as are the roosts which are removeable to make it easier to clean the coop floor.
Coops are all clean. I still cannot believe we have 43 adult birds and 55 chicks. I need to get my dad's old shed moved down here from his place down the road so we will have room for them all! Won't be long and the stock tank won't hold the chicks.
Raked the stawberry patch out of the oak leafs. They don't do well if the leafs stay there through the season.
Continued raking around our really big and old oak tree and we have lots of bark and little branches to pick up. Seems to me like more than past years. I think my arms are about to fall off! I need to go and finish, we just took a break to eat some pizza.
Interesting thing happened this afternoon- a dog showed up that we didn't know from the other side of the rail road tracks. seemed nice, but was non responsive to any commands. Rachel ran and caught it before it got to the chickens that were free ranging. I took it with a leash back across the tracks and went to the one house we know and he said it was the neighbors 2 doors down. So I see that there are 3 kids playing in the fenced in back yard with 2 other dogs that weren't happy to see me. I asked twice for them to go and get mom or dad (said they weren't there)or an adult. No adult ever came out, even though I could hear them. Just very odd I thought.
Today is hubbys 41st birthday. He is sick with a horrible cold. Poor baby
not much going on here today. We were supposed to work on the coop. oh well. The babies are 5 weeks today. We have three weeks to get the addition done, and we haven't even started it.
Why would you want to start anything before the last minute? The sense of accomplishment is much greater when under pressure. I didn't start building a chicken coop until Hope got tired of having chickens in the house.
I made that egg custard rice pudding again for dessert. Any of you who haven't tried that are missing some seriously "good eats".
I think I am finally done with spring cleaning the house [I think]
Windows washed, floors mopped, carpet shampooed etc....... Now I am plum wore out
Next is yard work. I need to haul brush from the tree DH took down by the chicken coop and also do some raking, put a fence up and be ready for when DH is ready to work on the new coop. Where are the kids when you need them?
to the new members! Don't forget to check out the link in mine or Opa's siggy's about the upcoming chickenstock.
Actually I keep telling my husband we need to get the trap back out.
Started a little cloudy with sprinkles, but turned beautiful. I feel like I got tons done. House is clean, got some flower beds cleaned out and fence put back up around them, laundry washed and hung out to dry, and ended it with a campfire and watching to boys shoot their bows. And the young chickens got to go out into the little run attached to their coop. They loved it, scratching around in the leaves and watching all the big chickens free ranging.