our coop & run in North Texas

[electrycmonk]

What rail?
I'm behind here, but are these just bitty chicks?

I'm so sorry @aart for delay. I didn't get the update. My use of the word "rail" is regarding the 2x4x8 used in the flat mode as thee only roosting rail above the PZD sand.

Well after several weeks only 2-4 of them would use the 2x4 OR the 1" Dowling rod mounted directly into the 2x4 flat & wide.

So a few days ago I swapped for a single 1" Dowling rod and most of them are now using the rod with a few stragglers sitting at the top of the ladder. I'll get a pic or two over the next few days to show ya.

 

[electrycmonk]

Just finished prepping the coop for the tagteam silkies to hatchout their group of eggs.

heres that link for posterity:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkies-tag-teaming-the-2-batches-of-eggs.1379282/

As an added update regarding the Roosting rail.... 1) here is the new configuration for the ladder and I've also made the PDZ leveling board with two screws just like @aart did.... its atually very Zen-like using that board after cleaning the piles.
2) the overwhelming majority are now using the rail. a few like to use the bag of pine shaving above the silkie roo as an "indian bed" (shakes head) I guess I will have to make a "indian bed after all".
Here is the reconfigured roosting rail area:

here is the NE corner where the 2nd batch of Silkies will hatch out soon enough:

and heres a close up of the multi-level crate:


I'm gonna try to find the pics I just posted for the silkie thread and bring them to this thread as well... don't need to repeat load those two pictures....

 

[electrycmonk]

so here is a near normal night now for the crew on the dowling rail....
(no flash)



(with flash)

 

[electrycmonk]

i've transitioned the Roo's around for temporary lodging in a way for me to get the run expaned out better and then this will, i hope.... let the experiment be successful with introducing a few of the Roo's back into the main flock in a week or so.....i have a few things to get done first.

 

[electrycmonk]

6-24-20 realization stage.... Having built the coop & run a but larger then planned to give them a little extra 'elbow room' has now become a borderline "just enough" as the silkie hatchlings now have our chicken math about to see a sizable increase in the coming months.....

I need to get some more coop space for the silkie batch to grow into this fall. Glad I have the land/fence area for ease of expansion.

 

[electrycmonk]

A while back we started to renovate our lake house. Went to donate the original tub and a few other things to our local Habitat for Humanity but, they don't take tubs anymore..... So I had the next best solution. Sand bathtub for the chickens.... All the wood was scraps from leftover when building the coop or from the neighbors recent garage build.
Finally finished it this weekend.

 

[CindyinSD]

You all got some lucky little peepers!

 

[aart]

Sand bathtub for the chickens

That's great!
.....and the half barrel is...??
Have they used either of them?

 

[electrycmonk]

The 1/2 barrel is the first sand bath I made them in February. And they use the heck outta-it. It needs more sand mix.

It got push over next to tub for readjustment to the floorspace of the run.

I'm planning to set it elsewhere after a while.

 

[electrycmonk]

So back in June 17th I finally got to finish making the cleanout doors on the North face of the coop. The Kiddos are helping me tagteam the DLM outta the coop. I shovel into the bucket & the other kiddo drives the C.U.T. and dumps in the new compost bin.




(Bohdi our 'supervisor Sheepie)

1st major reorganizing of the run....
And (grumbles) just like my update posts to the silkie thread I have short-cut linked in this thread a few posts back.... The pictures would get cancelled by the BYC side... Many, many times...... And here we go again..... Today's pics as I've cleaned up are not loading here......

This NW corner will become the silkies area until I get a larger zone - adjacent to the main coop/run - for them to have all their own.




This last pic is an old solar tarp that we've had for over 10 years. I don't recall where it came from either. But... It makes a near perfect shade screen for the sunset hours of the day.


And it won't let me load these two other pics for the rest of the runs foot print as of now.... Or the shot of the 1st batch of silkies chicks back in the mini coop+run area....