Ahhhhhh...... Kiwi...... Didn't I see and hear that name a few years back during the America's Cup race..... Seems you folks had "The Cup" for a few years..
post your chicken coop pictures here!
- Thread starter chickenlover237
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Ahhhhhh...... Kiwi...... Didn't I see and hear that name a few years back during the America's Cup race..... Seems you folks had "The Cup" for a few years..
That really is a good idea. I wondered why some people put 2x4's in their coops. The coops I bought had the dowels, so that's what I thought they would need. I think I'll replace the dowel even though they have done fine with it.WOW!! I think you did a fabulous job! I especially like those four columns on each of your corners...makes it look "elegant" like a mini plantation house!! And since you live in such a warm and humid part of the country I think your girls will be so happy with their new digs! I did notice two things you might want to change.... 1. Those roost bars...you should probably use a 2 x 4 laying flat instead of those round dowels. Why? Chickens like to "sit" on their feet when they roost. Chickens aren't like parakeets/parrots...they don't "curl" their toes to roost. They like to sit on their feet, plus when it does get chilly it will help keep their feet warm. 2. I see you're using a poop tarp with your nesting boxes directly underneath. You could solve that problem (and make your life soooo much easier) if you replace that tarp-sling with what they call a "poop tray" under their roosts....here's an example of mine:The bottom "tray thingie" is just 2 x 4's sandwiching a 1/2" piece of plywood so it makes a tray of sorts. Then fill it with Sweet PDZ Granular ... you will NEVER regret it. Why? Takes me maybe 3-4 minutes each morning to use my kitty little scoop (you can see it in the upper left corner of my pic) smooth out the PDZ....DONE! And it makes the coop smell so nice, too! Just an idea for you, and you could get rid of that tarp thing...that must be awful when it comes time to clean it!
Our undeveloped land is roughly only one acre (give or take) and not even in prime location and taxes are $300 a year and going up constantly. Talk about rip-off - and there's no water or electricity unless you pay to get a well or pay $4/foot to get electricity lines to your property (at least that was the quote 15 years ago, probably higher now) - again I say - rip-off! The way govt chokes you there's no enjoying your suburban home let alone trying to sustain yourself on farming. My folks tried self-sufficient farming 60 years ago paid in full so there were no mortgage payments on 25 acres. Still Pop had to get a regular job for all the money and equipment that had to be poured into the animals and orchards plus taxes and water and feed. After 15 years the folks gave it all up, let it lay fallow a couple years, and then rented it out for another 10 years and then sold it. The best headache they ever got rid of.
Sometimes after I'm dealing with people it becomes a tempting thought to go find some little spot way out in the woods that nobody knows about and set up camp there. Go totally off the grid and live off the land. But then I realize then I couldn't have internet there, so then I resign myself to having to stay here and deal with people. No way I could totally pull off dropping off the grid like the North Pond Hermit
@jtbass2756 Some stabilization thoughts again. You'll want the frame to be really solid, so here's a structure that would keep it from warping:
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So from the posts that will support the door opening, run diagonal braces down to the posts next to them. Place a horizontal piece of wood at the top and bottom. This way it will stay at a right angle, then all you'll need to worry about is it leaning in or out. If you're putting a roof over the run, that will keep it from doing that, but if you're planning on leaving the top uncovered, you might want to consider putting in something resembling roof beams, or then you could place a diagonal brace that comes out of the fence, but that might be in the way a bit.
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|/|_|\|
So from the posts that will support the door opening, run diagonal braces down to the posts next to them. Place a horizontal piece of wood at the top and bottom. This way it will stay at a right angle, then all you'll need to worry about is it leaning in or out. If you're putting a roof over the run, that will keep it from doing that, but if you're planning on leaving the top uncovered, you might want to consider putting in something resembling roof beams, or then you could place a diagonal brace that comes out of the fence, but that might be in the way a bit.
- May 2, 2014
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I know someone who lives on an island in British Columbia. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasqueti_Island No electricity to the island so everyone there lives off-grid. There are some cars there but the ferry is a passenger ferry, the cars don't leave.
It works for her and she does have internet access. Not sure how good her internet access is during winter though. LOL- We discussed incubators one day and her choice was dictated by which one could run on batteries.
You need to have a place surrounded by those trees that is cleared out for your garden area! If things start getting bad, you are not going to want everyone knowing that you have a garden....it will be raided...!
Maybe, but not if we were sharing all along.
@Vhve, yea...I'm going to do the framing thing..just brought the door up so I would know where that last post should be. Still have to put the wiring and diagonal bracing on the door too. Then comes the framing and hanging of the door.planning to put cross beams up top and some chicken wire asap up there. However, in the mean time,, got to wire the run! Yuk! Pretty hard thing to do by yourself! FUN FUN!%#@%$% !
That is a very good but and free shipping if picked up at a store. I thought I had found the best deal. I do my hardware cloth cutting by hand with nippers. It's the least favorite part of a build.
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