Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[TropicalBabies]

In the chicken Palace I have a mixed approach. It is mainly lumber (although in construction it felt like it was mainly harware cloth that stuff is such a pain to work with!) but we used plastic lumber (made from recycled milk bottles) instead of treated lumber in areas most likely to be in direct contact with grade.
I really hate treated lumber and would have used more plastic lumber but it is quite expensive particularly for structural framing lumber.

That sounds smart. I agree about chicken wire and hardware cloth. My least favorite forsure.

 

[MaryJanet]

I wonder if I could trouble you all to vote in this poll.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/feed-management-methods-poll.1533521/

I was surprised how many people don't let their hens out to roam at all.

 

[MaryJanet]

Wet and horrid most of the day.
C lost the key to the coop run this morning so the chickens didn't get fed properly. I found the key this evening on the path between the geese and the chickens.
Two eggs in one of the new coop nest boxes this evening; one from Matilda and one from a Golden Comet.
I think two slept in the coop but not on the roost bars. I doubt any will sleep on roost bars in the new coop until I've "adjusted" them.
They all came out for about an hour and then it started to tip down and they all went nad took cover.
More of the same tomorrow according to the weather forcast.
View attachment 3153764View attachment 3153765View attachment 3153766View attachment 3153767

I don't think I fully appreciated that the new coop is so much larger than the old coop.

 

[Perris]

You are right. Rotting wood is not healthy. And paint is often not sustainable. I used a fungi with natural oil to preserve the wood of my old chicken coop. And when the coop was 2 years old I made a new/larger roof on top of the old one.

https://www.xyhlo.com/en/
It made my coop is very dark brown. It doesn't come in different colors.

About the Nestera coops : The smaller plastic ‘sustainable’ coops look as if they are too small for more than 3 bantams chickens. I think they make the same mistakes as with other prefabs. I can’t be sure bc they don’t give any sizes. Ventilation might be a problem. But a guaranteed lifespan of 25+ years sounds good.

That looks like a very interesting product. Has it been on the market for long?

 

[Perris]

Well, I think it is great that we have options and choosing wisely is the real issue. I did not stare at the site to see if it is recycling existing plastic. I'm totally into any and all things we can do to reduce our use of and or smarten our use of plastics (to not at all). I am next to the ocean where it seems to effect us the most. And on a small island where it is easier to see the big picture of what we as a whole are doing (and not) much faster than large land mass or landbound folks. The thoughtless production and use of plastics I think the point to be made. Less use, less demand, organic renewable sources seems the best. I do support the reuse of what we have already put out there- better than a landfill or floating in water, leaching and breaking down to microplastics.

"Microplastics are all around us, and yet many people don't know what they are — or how prevalent they are. Though studies have yet to reveal a tangible effect on humans, plastic debris can be destructive to marine habitats. Ultimately, we all share this planet, and global ecosystems influence each other — what happens in one will eventually find its way to another.

Preventing further ecological harm benefits every living being, from zooplankton to humans to blue whales. Microplastics are a major environmental threat despite their tiny size, but they don't have to continue affecting the environment if we all think big and act quickly."

I don't think we should be adding to- therein lies the problem and point. The breaking down of plastics and what it is doing to all things in the long term.
I hope, I hope, I hope we all do our best ♡☮

***edit
Unfortunately yes, I do think that they can get support from those folks. The real question is do they get ours and I think as a whole it should be a global and resounding NO

I entirely agree about micro plastics, but I think that they are generated mostly by the soft and flimsy plastics like clothes (how many of us are still wearing natural fibres? ) and the newly ubiquitous wet wipes, for example, not hard plastics. It is also worth remembering that plastics are products created out of oil industry waste. Until we stop using oil, that waste will continue to be generated, and if it isn't turned into plastic, what should we do with it?

 

[TropicalBabies]

Saturday tax ♡ (look at all that plastic in this photo! lol)

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Tax from me... I'm not sure if I owe it but it can be credited for future transgressions.

Wooden coops are ultimately still my favorite, but they have their downsides. The biggest downside being I'm no builder and neither is my husband, thus making the process either hideously expensive because I have to pay someone to build for me or hideously frustrating and time consuming if I do it myself. Plastic I can DIY myself with a drill and a saw. I have done some DIY with modifying prefab wooden coops, but they present a very real mite infestation risk. I had to dump a prefab due to mite infestation. Now I am much more onto it with prevention, but still, the risk remains. Also wooden prefabs have a lifespan of maybe 4 years in this climate.

Become a builder? Make friends with a builder? Might be the only solution!

 

[BDutch]

That looks like a very interesting product. Has it been on the market for long?

No, this fungi preservation stuff Xhylo is quite new.
There is another site (same product) for consumers: https://www.fungiforce.com/

I used it for the first time when it was still in an experimental stage about 5 years ago. But since 3-4 years its for sale within Europe. They sell it mainly to preserve wood cladding on houses.

 

[ManueB]

I have neither wood nor plastic so I can't really contribute, but I've noted that in France although wooden prefab coop are really the norm, they are very much criticized and now many people and sellers are using HPL, or sometimes OSB (although I don't see how it would be better than wood for mites!).

I'm not sure either are better than plastic regarding environmental issues though.

Edit : we have natural paints for the hives that could be used for coops I suppose. However you need to apply it every year and it is really expensive.

 

[ManueB]

I am planning to make another grow-out coop out of a 1000L water tote.

If you care to share when you do, I'd be interested to see how it goes!

View attachment 3153640Itty Bitty is checking out the blind chick and the baby Guineas. I check on them often and the blind chick has a full crop and was taking a dust bath a few minutes ago. Given their similar size and age I think the chick can bond with the Guineas. I'd like to house the baby with the Guineas once I move them outside. I think the Guineas are scared of Itty Bitty but she is our most gentle hen.

I said it before but I think it's amazing the solutions you're finding to make that little blind chick's life happy .

Wet and horrid most of the day.
C lost the key to the coop run this morning so the chickens didn't get fed properly. I found the key this evening on the path between the geese and the chickens.
Two eggs in one of the new coop nest boxes this evening; one from Matilda and one from a Golden Comet.
I think two slept in the coop but not on the roost bars. I doubt any will sleep on roost bars in the new coop until I've "adjusted" them.
They all came out for about an hour and then it started to tip down and they all went nad took cover.
More of the same tomorrow according to the weather forcast.
View attachment 3153764View attachment 3153765View attachment 3153766View attachment 3153767

Hopefully Mathilda will show the way. I find if one of my hens lay in a new place the others will get really curious about it and eventually also lay there.

Were you looking for the keys or did you stumble on them by chance ?