- Mar 25, 2012
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a person who is not handy, is that way because they believe they are not handy. (I think Confucius said that LOL) the best way to learn this stuff is to do it. im sure your brother would be glad to teach you why he does things the way he does. also keep in mind that when the pioneers came here, they came with what they could carry/haul in one trip.
so many farmers are intimidated by construction. it does not take any fancy knowledge, with a little ingenuity you can make almost anything. of course you do need some basic tools: a saw, and a comfortable hammer. a tape measure and square are really not needed, but they do make the job a lot easier. a very basic knowledge of geometry is needed. and a level does help. for several of our first settlers, a chicken coop was probably not much more than a few small trees used as posts with saplings and wild grapevines woven in between. pigs were kept in by driving pointed pieces of wood into the ground, a lot of times they would weave them with bark or grapevine.
also did you know that ancient Egyptians incubated eggs? they would build large oven like structures that hatched millions. the person who ran them likely lived in them. they regulated the temperature and humidity by feel. the whole chicken process does not need to be thought of like brain surgery.
as humans, especially in the modern day. we take so many easy things and complicate them all up. our computers, blackberries, cell phones, GPS, even our cars have gotten so complicated that most people have to take classes to learn how to use them. I myself do have a degree in electronics engineering and computer information systems. when I was younger I grew up on a farm. my parents had greenhouses, we processed our own meat, we heated with wood in the house and greenhouse, for fun we made apple cider some summers with an antique cider press that had been passed through the family. growing up I swore I would never farm, or work in greenhouses/gardens, and I would never heat my house with wood. I went to college, worked in electronics for a short time, and decided I hated the offices. my dad, realizing how much i hated things, gave me the family business of moving houses. i couldn't make any money at it, but i loved the feeling of being in the sun. since then i have driven trucks, worked on sawmills, had a wood shop, made the dog boxes hunters haul their dogs in, worked in a nursery (plants not babies), worked as a professional gardner, and now to chicken farming. notice how i ended up doing the things i said i wouldn't?
learning to build things for your farm is a very rewarding thing. imagine how you would feel when your friends see the coop YOU built. when they comment on how good of a job you've done.
as you start building things, if you get stuck; ask someone. they might smile as they answer your question, but they will probably never laugh at you. that's why we are all on here. we are learning from others knowledge and mistakes. anytime you need help, if i can help i will. if i cant i will do my best to help you find the info you need.
on a completely different subject. the first time i noticed my chicken's crops, i called my brother at midnight and made him come and look at my chickens. i felt so dumb when he got out of bed and drove here to tell me it was natural.
Right now my brother is showing me how to build the coop. All we have left is the roof. it has been raining the past couple of days otherwise we would be done. My dad and husband tried to help but their "help" is taking tools away from me and doing it themselves. They are sooo much alike it is crazy. So far it has only cost a whole $35 and it is a 12ft x 8ft coop. Our neighbor donated some supplies, my dad gave us some, and the walls are old fence panels. We are still trying to figure out insulation for winter time but thankfully we have awhile before that is a big issue. The only thing I bought was the 4x4s and the 2x4s I got half off because it was "cull lumber".
I may try to build a incubator down the road. Right now I may try a brinsea just because I need to focus more on my school work, have slacked off massively while incubating this last batch of eggs. Especially this past weekend when they hatched. I also found them on sale for about $145. It is the basic Eco 20 model but would work for me because I don't mind turning it by hand or adding water for humidity. It probably won't be until the end of may until I incubate again. That way I will be done with my term when mp the eggs are due to hatch.