KRaZy_WaKa
Chirping
- Feb 22, 2021
- 26
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Figured I'd drop some pictures to go along with the novel I wrote in case somebody else happens upon our conversation. didn't realize I could add pictures.
Pic of the aforementioned plastic pallet "milk crate" coop with some extra preparations I made for the high winds, rain and cold nights we had like a week or 2 ago. Cut cardboard strips for on the backside that faces the porch screen to cut the wind and insulate a bit, then after the first night I realized the legs of the pallet were still open so grabbed a green medium duty tarp from Harbor freight to throw over the back. One side is just pushed against the house, and the right hand side has an old wool army blanket hanging over it, the sportsball sheet goes over the "door" which is the pallet you can see to the left. Feeder is hung with nylon rope as well as a Producers Pride brooder plate/heater. Because of the way I have the heater hung angled down toward the roosting branches and it being the highest point they tend to get up on top of it to roost at night instead of the roosting branches, so they were directly above the heat source during those nights. Never bothered them. Brooder/heater is plugged into a switched outlet on the same circuit as the porch light. Depending on the weather and daytime or nighttime the heater could be on brooder, heater or off.
Their favorite spot to hang out by the Yucca plant, I think because those Yucca's attract many bugs and being right there by the corner of the porch and house offers shade, good dirt for dust baths and protection from wind and "predators" which mostly involves us coming around the corner to get a head count.
Hoping to finish the hoop coop this weekend which will be a more permanent home for them. Progress pic so far, I've been slacking. It's roughly 7 foot wide x 12 foot long. It'll get 2x4 framework at both ends, complete with a door at one end and the back end will be plywood with a hardware cloth vent at the top and eventually when the girls get closer to laying age a 4 hole nesting box will extend out of that plywood wall. Hardware cloth over the whole roof and door side, A heavy duty sun blocking tarp will cover it for as long as it holds up to the weather. They'll also have a roosting branch array, possibly a chicken swing made from their first roosting branch that we had in the brooding bin. PVC automatic feeder, automatic watering system made from 5 gallon buckets, PVC and water cups. Should give them all they need and plenty of room for those poor weather days and to be mostly unattended for a couple days at a time. It'll be anchored down with ground anchors.
and the last pic is the girls taking a midday snooze along the outside of the coop after a couple hour session foraging the front yard.
I've had cameras on the backyard to see what's been getting in the fence and so far just fox, possum and coons in the past 3 months. I have trapped coons and plan on bringing out the traps before the chickens go out.
