Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[kattabelly]

Oh please do. That would be quite entertaining.

I don't want to hijack the thread but there's one post on the previous page

 

[Labsandchickens8]

"Whit like the day, beuy?" is a common greeting here. If you went down to Aberdeenshire you could hear "fit like?" or if they speak the Doric they might say "foo's yer doos?" which also means the same thing but a literal translation would be "how are your pigeons?"

"Whit like is this ones?" (What are these ones like?) would be grammatically correct.

Some Scots dialects, like Shaetlan (Shetland) and the Doric, are distinct enough that there's an argument to be made that they're actually separate languages.

Language tax: Barred Rock boys waiting to get on the boat.
View attachment 4231365

I really want to visit Orkney. It looks beautiful. I just didn't realize I won't understand the language.

 

[Appalachickens]

No no. Explaining means unsolicited explanations by your ex.

Oh! I must be luckier than most with my ex because that one passed right by me!

 

[Shadrach]

Sorry if you mentioned this already and I missed it or forgot, but is there a reason you didn't get the Nestera that's built with space underneath?

There is a reason, a few in fact.
I want to be able to site the coop on the ground if required. This means the coop needs to be detachable from any base it sits on.
The next Nestera option for this coop going up the range does provide legs but the legs are not long enough. It costs £80.00 more than the basic coop.
The third option is just about high enough but only encloses two sides. I want three sides closed. It costs £130.00 more than the basic.

With the sheet of recycled plastic I linked to above I could close in three sides of both the Solway and the Nestera, almost.
I want to use plastic posts to support the coops. This will push the price up depending on post dimensions.

Finally, I want the extra weight a three sided base with say three inch square posts would provide.

While the Orkney winds seem constant and strong giving that dramatic leaning tree and bush looks, at the field we get wind gusts of 50mph often and up to 70mph rarely. Not much stays upright in the wind tunnel that cuts across the field SW to NE. With the wind one doesn't know if a structure will stay standing until it doesn't when the wind blows hard.
I've had coops, wooden ones which makes a difference because they break apart) blow over. Lost a few in Catalonia and some broody coops just swept off the ground Hertfordshire. Not good if there are chickens in it.

I'm pleased to write, the Solway coop and the extension haven't looked remotely bothered in winds that are taking tiles off house roofs. The coop itself weighs 62K and the base a further 25K. The coop extension has a vent side to help reduce wind pressure under the extension.

 

[Shadrach]

Different brand name, but I used this for some critical elements in the Chicken Palace. Originally I wanted to use it to make the whole thing but that was way too costly to be feasible. But I used a fair bit of both sheet and post in critical and prone to damp areas.
A few lessons learned in case helpful:
- It is very hard on tools like saw blades so expect some extra cost there.
- All screws need holes pre-drilling which is a pain and creates lots of stiff plastic spirals which I was worried about getting eaten by chickens. I tried to work over a tarp to make the laborious task of cleaning those up a bit more manageable. I may have been overly worried because now, many years later, I still find some of those spirals in the bedding so maybe they aren’t attractive to eat after all!
- Be very careful not to under gun any load-bearing posts. Just like lumber this stuff can deform with uneven load.
- Also, because of cost, make sure you plan and measure for as little wastage as humanly possible. You won’t have wastage as you do in lumber because of knots, so most wastage is down to you!
- And keep all scrap - it has endless uses. Even little pieces are useful - I used slices of 3” segments to create insulating buffers to keep my electric fence wires away from hardware cloth for example. I have a bucket of little scraps I have kept.

But net net it is wonderful stuff. With the exception of what I mention above, it handles just like lumber (but heavier) and of course lasts forever. Rodents have not tried any nibbling and I have had no warping.
Good luck - hope it works for you.

Tax: Mr. Chips demonstrating that he is big enough to roost at night (his mother was not convinced by this display!).
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I found much the same when altering the Solway coop; plus those plastic swarf spirals are hot straight off the drill!
However, one can tap a thread into plastic. Very difficult to do with any construction grade wood. I cut a thread and used bolts for fixing the bits I have on the Solway coop.
One can also rivit plastic, very handy.

 

[kattabelly]

I'm pleased to write, the Solway coop and the extension haven't looked remotely bothered in winds that are taking tiles off house roofs.

The place I used to stay here had one of the biggest size Solway coops with just a one pallet high base raising it off the ground. Wind blew the coop right off the pallets with 30 chickens inside! 70-80mph gusts are common here, probably higher in exposed spots.

That all makes sense and the stokbord should be a good solution. I've been trying to get hold of some myself.

 

[Shadrach]

Is marine ply a pressure treated plywood?

No.. There are grades and different woods and adhesives used. The most obvious thing to the eye is it should have no voids in the compressed sheets of wood.

 

[RoyalChick]

I found much the same when altering the Solway coop; plus those plastic swarf spirals are hot straight off the drill!
However, one can tap a thread into plastic. Very difficult to do with any construction grade wood. I cut a thread and used bolts for fixing the bits I have on the Solway coop.
One can also rivit plastic, very handy.

I forgot the heat thing - yes, got a few burns from that. I used some bolts too - but attaching hardware cloth I did with screw and fender washer.
I have no experience with rivets so never tried that. Good luck with this project!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I really want to visit Orkney. It looks beautiful. I just didn't realize I won't understand the language.

I’m happily mystified by the use of “innit” at the end of sentences. I’ve seen it in UK books as well as Irish. And speaking of Irish, being startled at words like “but” at the end of sentences: “She hates you, but!”

 

[Shadrach]

At various times in my younger life, I studied French, German, and Latin.

This created in me a lifelong gratitude for English’s near-absence of cases and gendered nouns, pronouns, and adjectives. Oh, and a rational sentence order! (I’m looking at YOU, German.)

We didn't get taught much grammar at school. It wasn't until I learned some German that the importance of it became apparent.
My grammar is pretty dire because of how I was taught English.

I use the word one rather than you, because I've had a few people take you as personal rather than general and hit the rant button. It's not because I'm posh.
I heard some wonderful West Country this morning, "I took I to the doctors."