She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[lazy gardener]

She's a cute thing. I think the color is lovely!

I added an apron to my pen when I did my first one. Ohio soil is clay so, it pretty much sucked. But I know they are safe. The bachelor/quarantine pad doesn't yet. We dug and put in a brick perimeter right under the pen frame. This was mostly to level and raise the wood since it's not treated. It's only been a week and we lock them up tight. It will get it in time.

Ruby, glad to hear your little one is doing a bit better. Mine are not that young but my youngest is trouble with a T. If he was the first one and I was the panicking parent we'd be going to the ER once a week. Since he's the last we know they're built tougher than they look.

Oh and GUYS, GUYS! I made a thing! It's my first electrical thing in the entire wide world of the universe! It's heating up now.

Baby chickens here I come!

We're living parallel lives. Love that lavender color. Still working on my apron around 500 s.f. run. Heavy clay mixed with lots of nasty rocks. I'm gonna wear out that pick axe... or this bod. I started my first flock (not counting the flocks of child hood or granola years) with a home made bator. It's ugly, but... it's all mine! I did jazz it up with a roll of purple deco duct tape!

I wish I could. I am charging the camera battery but it takes forever. Another one of those special batteries for some piece of technology that needs it own special charger.


I made my bator with my very own hands. I used a youtube video and some help from Walnut. It's an unattractive styrofoam thing but it is mine.

Currently it's holding at 100 deg and 20% humidity.

What's your thermostat? What you-tube video? Rush lane? He's awesome.

Nah, no problem at all!!
Tell them I have plenty of open slots at MY Freezer Camp...

Same here. Gonna move on in my skill set to pressure canning.

I can't take the credit--I can't shoot worth beans. Hating loud, sudden noises doesn't help much

I'd love to know someone local that could teach us to hunt, though. Not exactly something that should (or even could) be learned solely from online sources, I don't think. Heck, fishing'd be nice--there's ling cod and snapper over there *waves vaguely towards the Pacific about a half mile away), and salmon and steelhead over there *waves vaguely eastish and northish (but not northeastish) towards the Smith River*

Not too long 'til Dungeness season, though.

I would love to have someone take me out hunting! It would be great to supplement the grocery bill till it becomes almost non-existent.

Well, Ladies, please don't take this as me being sarcastic in any way, but I certainly hope that one of your daughters doesn't bring her boyfriend home some night & tell you she's pregnant, then 23 yrs later have the product of that pregnancy do the same d---ed thing, and in between have your son do it, as well. Believe me when I tell you; it ain't fun. And all three of those kids were "raised right"

Every body has a story to tell. No one looks into the eyes of their baby, and wonders if they'll grow up to become a drug addict, or be involved in a teen age pregnancy, or become a felon. Truth is, we raise them, teach them, give them our best, train them in the way they should go, and then... they make their own choices. You're right, it ain't fun. In fact some of those choices tear families apart, and hurt like 43!! for a life time.

I have bird netting over the top of mine. Its kinda flimsy but has held a lot of leaves & sticks without ripping. I just had to buy a 14' x 14' one yesterday for less than $10

I got it from Family Farm & Home but I am sure you can find it at Tractor Supply or a gardening store.

You can also buy on line 14 x 45'.

 

[kwhites634]

That's exactly what I would do, maybe 2 runs of them to cut the distance down to 7 feet or so between braces. That should be enough to reduce the sag. Tina is butted up to the woods, so I think netting wouldn't be strong enough, too many leaves. The coated wire would be a little more expensive, but sturdy. She's already bought a coop and extremely nice run, so I'm guessing she would spend the money on wire if it protects her new girls.
Knowing where her coop is, and where the run will be, I would run 2 bracing panels parallel to the house. She wouldn't notice them as much then. She already has some treated 4x4s from when she thought about building her own coop. I would use them as the columns, then screw 2x4s across the top to make the frame for the wire roof. If she can talk those two young men that helped me move the coop into helping her with the roof, it would be a quick job

Sounds like she's in good hands

 

[scflock]

Sounds like she's in good hands

We text, too, and I told her to feel free to ask any questions. It's not that I know so much, I've just seen exactly what she is doing and can offer advice based on what I would do. I did tell her that I would go with the cheaper chicken wire for the anchor trench. With all of the rain we've had lately, the digging will be easy. I told her not to worry about getting it a foot deep, just strip off a section about two shovels wide all the way around the pen, attach a two foot section to the bottom of the fence, then turn it down like an "L" and throw the stripped dirt back over it. With that fancy kennel, a roof, and some edge protection, she will have that Fort Knox she is looking for. She's doing a much better job than I did with my first pen

 

[WVduckchick]

Was that a window opening I just heard???

Hope you have a great hatch Ross!

x2!

We're living parallel lives. Love that lavender color. Still working on my apron around 500 s.f. run. Heavy clay mixed with lots of nasty rocks. I'm gonna wear out that pick axe... or this bod. I started my first flock (not counting the flocks of child hood or granola years) with a home made bator. It's ugly, but... it's all mine! I did jazz it up with a roll of purple deco duct tape!


I would love to have someone take me out hunting! It would be great to supplement the grocery bill till it becomes almost non-existent.

Every body has a story to tell. No one looks into the eyes of their baby, and wonders if they'll grow up to become a drug addict, or be involved in a teen age pregnancy, or become a felon. Truth is, we raise them, teach them, give them our best, train them in the way they should go, and then... they make their own choices. You're right, it ain't fun. In fact some of those choices tear families apart, and hurt like 43!! for a life time.

I folded my skirt out about a foot, and we dumped about a foot of dirt on top of it. Red clay soil. When critters dig, they will dig at the base of the fence, and won't usually dig backwards (out away from the fence) when they run into the wire.

I'd love to go hunting with you!

All my horror stories involve my step children. Thank goodness, my only birth child has turned into a fine young man and continues to make good choices!

 

[chicapee]

Well, Ladies, please don't take this as me being sarcastic in any way, but I certainly hope that one of your daughters doesn't bring her boyfriend home some night & tell you she's pregnant, then 23 yrs later have the product of that pregnancy do the same d---ed thing, and in between have your son do it, as well. Believe me when I tell you; it ain't fun. And all three of those kids were "raised right" 

Wow I would considered 23 old age these days. Thankfully I am not a granny yet or had any close calls. All my kids were given the option of birth control when I judged that it would be prudent. All three of mine have strong careers. My oldest has a PhD in software engineering and works at Cambridge University. The middlun, is an rn just got married and the baby manages a department in a large insurance firm and is probably going to have her boyfriend of a year move in in January. They were all raised to be independent and take care of themselves. I am not worried at all about them supporting and raising their own babies.

 

[kwhites634]

We text, too, and I told her to feel free to ask any questions. It's not that I know so much, I've just seen exactly what she is doing and can offer advice based on what I would do. I did tell her that I would go with the cheaper chicken wire for the anchor trench. With all of the rain we've had lately, the digging will be easy. I told her not to worry about getting it a foot deep, just strip off a section about two shovels wide all the way around the pen, attach a two foot section to the bottom of the fence, then turn it down like an "L" and throw the stripped dirt back over it. With that fancy kennel, a roof, and some edge protection, she will have that Fort Knox she is looking for. She's doing a much better job than I did with my first pen

Is a roto-tiller an option? Shovels make my back hurt just looking at them. 'Course, I live on a shale shelf.
Yeah, but she's got the guidance you didn't have...makes a huge difference. Wish I'd had a mentor handy.

 

[scflock]

Wow I would considered 23 old age these days. Thankfully I am not a granny yet or had any close calls. All my kids were given the option of birth control when I judged that it would be prudent. All three of mine have strong careers. My oldest has a PhD in software engineering and works at Cambridge University. The middlun, is an rn just got married and the baby manages a department in a large insurance firm and is probably going to have her boyfriend of a year move in in January. They were all raised to be independent and take care of themselves. I am not worried at all about them supporting and raising their own babies.

Beautiful, smart, and independent? I bet y'all are beating them MO rednecks off with a stick

 

[scflock]

Is a roto-tiller an option? Shovels make my back hurt just looking at them. 'Course, I live on a shale shelf.
Yeah, but she's got the guidance you didn't have...makes a huge difference. Wish I'd had a mentor handy.

Yeah, learning by failure is painful. I lost several chickens my first few years before I built the complex I have now

I don't know about the tiller, but the ground where her coop is is really soft.

 

[chicapee]

We're living parallel lives.  Love that lavender color.  Still working on my apron around 500 s.f. run.  Heavy clay mixed with lots of nasty rocks.  I'm gonna wear out that pick axe... or this bod.  I started my first flock (not counting the flocks of child hood or granola years) with a home made bator.  It's ugly, but... it's all mine!  I did jazz it up with a roll of purple deco duct tape!

What's your thermostat?  What you-tube video?  Rush lane?  He's awesome.

Same here.  Gonna move on in my skill set to pressure canning.

I would love to have someone take me out hunting!  It would be great to supplement the grocery bill till it becomes almost non-existent.

Every body has a story to tell.  No one looks into the eyes of their baby, and wonders if they'll grow up to become a drug addict, or be involved in a teen age pregnancy, or become a felon.  Truth is, we raise them, teach them, give them our best, train them in the way they should go, and then... they make their own choices.  You're right, it ain't fun.  In fact some of those choices tear families apart, and hurt like 43!! for a life time.  

You can also buy on line 14 x 45'.

Agree there for the Grace of God. All you can do is raise them the best that you can and pray that they make the best choices. I got that netting too from Amazon. I am going to build a new coop this week and attach it to a run that was going to the dump so it was free as was the wood. This coop will be for cull cockerels for meat and meaties in the spring.

 

[Tina1972]

Ok hardware cloth ordered 150 ft of 1/2". I have several 2x4's and a few 4x4's already from a previous project that i didn't start. I plan to use them to stabilize/build some type of cover for the run. I know there are owls and hawks where I live.