MJ's little flock

[BY Bob]

Very little. It's a slow-moving thread.

I have to laugh at this. I remember a couple of years ago when mine moved at this pace.

 

[BY Bob]

The other part of the dream is to harvest the poops in a systematic way to improve the soil.

I have a vague notion of getting one of these and keeping it in the run. Then once a week I can toss the sand and poops from the raised floor into it and prepare fresh sand for the floor.

Preparing fresh sand means sifting out the various bits of gravel and organic waste and spreading the sand on the floor (years ago Dad made a huge but still wieldy sieve for this purpose), and then separating the gravel from the organic in a big bucket, scooping out the floating organic waste and adding it to the compost bin. Sieving the gravel from the water, disposing of the gravel and using the water on whatever plants I put in the fun run (probably cuttings of dad's plantings and some plumbago). I think I can get this down to a 10 minute weekly routine if I keep the compost bin, the tools, and the end of a hose in the run.

It'll provide compost for the garden as well as remove sharp bits of gravel and organic matter from the run

This sounds like a great plan. I am very much looking forward to seeing this all in operation!

 

[BY Bob]

Interesting idea. You can let the poop rot down without assistance just heaping it in a corner of the yard.
From a safety point of view you really only need to worry if you are growing food. Personally I just let mine age a bit so it doesn't scorch plant roots but I don't bother with formally composting. It breaks down a lot in my run and then in the Fall I spread it over beds so it ages over the winter.
I am sure there will be lots of folk who say what I do is wrong for some reason but it works fine and is very low effort!

That's what I do. Once the frost ends the garden all coop clean out, straw and all goes directly onto the garden so it can age over the winter. In the summer coop clean out goes into a wood frame where it gets ready to be added to the garden in the following spring.

All that straw and poo makes amazing tomatoes and cucumbers.

 

[BY Bob]

Here are today's photos.

All the kit

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All set

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I put cup hooks in the joists so food and water can be hung from them. It was a simple matter of measuring, marking, drilling and winding in by hand. X6

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Then I attached all the brackets. Clamp and screw x6.

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The boss came by to check my progress but didn't stay long. She was intent on taking a bath.

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Then I fitted the first joist.

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The other two followed.

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And here's the water hanging from its new hook.

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Again, it looks like 15 minutes work, but it was 2 hours for me because I work slowly and do a lot of double checking.

This is going very well! Great work!

 

[BY Bob]

Dinner time!

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Come to think of it, I like this photo because it shows the difference in their size.

I like it because of the 2 beautiful ladies in it!

 

[BY Bob]

Here's Ivy

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Ivy

 

[MaryJanet]

I have to laugh at this. I remember a couple of years ago when mine moved at this pace.

Don't say that Bob. If this thread took off like your's did, I'd have to abandon it or be discouraging, and I don't want to do either.

 

[BY Bob]

Don't say that Bob. If this thread took off like your's did, I'd have to abandon it or be discouraging, and I don't want to do either.

I was not wishing that on you. Just remembering the humble beginnings of mine wistfully.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Is that typical Aussie ironic naming or was it supposed to be literal? I never know with you all.

The locals tell me that it is usually sunny.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Nice! I love watching builds happen.

Me too!

Me three!