Nevadans?

[americanvalkyrie]

Quote:
We put them in at the old place too and the ground is horrid there like everywhere in the valley. We had to soak the ground first then use the stake driver but once they were in they were solid!

I agree, if you soak the ground first the metal stakes - I assume you mean T-posts, Sunny - go in much easier. With the added benefit that when the ground dries they are as good as cemented in!

I don't know what the preadator situation is where you live Elizabeth but out here we've got everything!

So I used 8 foot wooden posts sunk 2 feet into the ground. Then 2x3 welded wire 1 foot below grade to 3 feet above. Covered that with hardware cloth 1 foot below to 2 feet above. Chicken wire finishes it off from 2 feet above grade to the top, which is 6 feet above grade. Basically, it's a chicken Fort Knox! Oh, the top is also covered with chicken wire to keep the hawks and eagles out.

You can sort of see what I'm talking about in this pic.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/58980_blackamroo_small.jpg

I like the setup! I learned my lesson this year, thinking reinforced chicken wire would be ok. So far nothing has gotten in, but I dogsit a stinker of a little schnauzer who has chewed 4 holes in the wire. He's sheisty about it, too, since I work from home... he always does it when I can't catch him. So I put up some wire racks that a friend had given me... ticked him off. Those racks are going to be recycled as the main pen fencing for the new coop.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:
We put them in at the old place too and the ground is horrid there like everywhere in the valley. We had to soak the ground first then use the stake driver but once they were in they were solid!

I agree, if you soak the ground first the metal stakes - I assume you mean T-posts, Sunny - go in much easier. With the added benefit that when the ground dries they are as good as cemented in!

I don't know what the preadator situation is where you live Elizabeth but out here we've got everything!

So I used 8 foot wooden posts sunk 2 feet into the ground. Then 2x3 welded wire 1 foot below grade to 3 feet above. Covered that with hardware cloth 1 foot below to 2 feet above. Chicken wire finishes it off from 2 feet above grade to the top, which is 6 feet above grade. Basically, it's a chicken Fort Knox! Oh, the top is also covered with chicken wire to keep the hawks and eagles out.

You can sort of see what I'm talking about in this pic.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/58980_blackamroo_small.jpg

Yes! T-posts! Thank you Ron. It was bugging the heck outta me that I could not remember the name of those stupid things!

Up here the biggest issues are the night predators (coyotes, cougars etc) so the coop is super secure but the run will be more for keeping the aerial predators out. Genny has been up here for many years and tells me it's the theft of eggs from the Ravens etc. that are the biggest issues during the day. We also have snakes up here so the rabbit wire should be small enough to keep them out. My biggest problem is going to be keeping the rodents from freeloading but I think I have that figured out too. I saw an automatic chicken feeder on youtube that only lets food down when a chicken pecks at the release valve.

The rodents may still get a little nibble now and then if the chickens miss a few but they won't be able to gorge themselves.

The babies will be brooding in the garage til they are big enough to fend for themselves so their feeders will be protected as well. By the time they go outside they will be tall enough to reach a smaller version in the grow out brooder. Now if I can find a seller here in the U.S., the only ones I found on ebay were from the U.K.

Awesome fence Ron!!! Great workmanship!

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Were finally frickin done! My flamingo bathroom!

Here's some befores...

And afters. Keep in mind this was under 500 bucks so it's not anything huge but at least it's livable now.

I wish I could take better pics but the bathroom is so tiny that I have to huddle in the corner to get any pictures!

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Quote:
Sunny, how well does a hanging feeder deter rodents? We just have field mice getting in, but I'm selfish and don't want to feed them.

Aubrey, that's amazing, and you did it so fast! Beautiful.

 

[americanvalkyrie]

Quote:
You have the exact same layout as our bathroom, including the outlets and lightswitch! The only difference for us is our radiator vent is right below the lightswitch, where you have solid wall. And yes, our bathroom is just as small.

Do you have one of the old Reno Motel homes, by any chance?

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:

Wowie!!! That's awesome Aubrey! You guys did a great job! That pedestal sink is perfect in that bathroom.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:
You have the exact same layout as our bathroom, including the outlets and lightswitch! The only difference for us is our radiator vent is right below the lightswitch, where you have solid wall. And yes, our bathroom is just as small.

Do you have one of the old Reno Motel homes, by any chance?

LOL!!! I guess tiny is better anyway because there is less to clean, haha.

I do not know what the old motel homes are? Our house was built in 1953 and i think the story goes that back in that time people used to come to reno to get divorced so they built these track homes with two bedroom so divorcees could still live under the same roof or something. not 100% on that but the people who live across the street from us have the exact same layout

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Quote:

Wowie!!! That's awesome Aubrey! You guys did a great job! That pedestal sink is perfect in that bathroom.

Thanks! i love pedistal sinks and figured that since there is not much floor space we could just utilize the walls for storage instead since it already feels tight anyway

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:
Sunny, how well does a hanging feeder deter rodents? We just have field mice getting in, but I'm selfish and don't want to feed them...

Well I haven't used one before but I hear they are great! The trigger only releases a small amount each time a chicken pecks at it so there isn't a bunch in the bowl or pan sitting there up for grabs. I've got to keep looking til I find a supplier here or at least somewhere in North America. IDK I might give in and order one from the UK. Just haven't done that before so I'm anxious about it.

 

[SunnyDawn]

Quote:

Wowie!!! That's awesome Aubrey! You guys did a great job! That pedestal sink is perfect in that bathroom.

Thanks! i love pedistal sinks and figured that since there is not much floor space we could just utilize the walls for storage instead since it already feels tight anyway

Great solution and now you don't have to bend over every time you need something.

It looks soooo much better! Even if the sink cab had been brand new it still would have looked odd. It made that bathroon seem even smaller, the way it was wedged in there.