Working on building a tractor on the cheap and got the first part done today. We have had a pair of chickens for a couple weeks and they have been living in a small cage. This is my first weekend off since they came to live with us and I was determined to get them some decent living space. We have a nice sized pasture to move them around in, so I wanted something light enough to make moving to fresh grass easy.
Made of PVC, it is 10x10 feet square and 40 inches high. Have 2x4 welded wire fencing all around and that fine mesh anti-bird netting on top. Covered a corner with a tarp to keep the birds out of the weather as needed and have a large flower pot acting as a makeshift nesting box for now.
Future plans are to add better roosts and nests and improve on the covering and add a hatch to get inside if needed. Tomorrow I am going to add one inch chicken wire around the bottom and as an apron along the outside to keep critters from trying to dig their way into the coop. The pipe is held together with screws to make it easier to take apart for future expansion and improvements. Was off a bit on the measurements for the center supports so it looks a bit saggy in the midpoints, but the chickens don't care. I would like to go up to a 10x20 foot size as time and funds allow. May just make another 10x10 and design it so they can be joined or separated as needed.
My daughter loved helping out and was actually pretty good with the drill. She is the reason Ricky the rooster is alive and not on the dinner table. Got him for free off Craigslist with a couple other roos and had the others processed before she got home. She fell in love and named him, needless to say I am not allowed to kill him after he was given a name.
The finished product for the day getting an inspection by Ricky and Lucy. Lucy has a crippled leg and was brought home by my wife and daughters while I was out of town, so I put the flowerpot/nesting box on the ground to make it easier for her to access. I still need to see if she can roost properly or if I need to make some kind of roost that will comply with the Poultry with Disabilities Act. The chicken wire apron will be added tomorrow and I have nipple waterers on order to make life easier.
Ricky and Lucy enjoying the room and fresh grass. Sure beats the little hutch they were in. Nice pair of Americauna/EE birds. Lucy has given us 5 eggs in the last 7 days even with cold mornings and being cramped in a small cage. She should do much better with all the room and fresh grass to enjoy. Not bad for a little hen the previous owner thought was too crippled to be of much use other than a pet.
We will be getting some chicks in the next week or two and by the time they are big enough to enter the coop the improvements should be in place.
Made of PVC, it is 10x10 feet square and 40 inches high. Have 2x4 welded wire fencing all around and that fine mesh anti-bird netting on top. Covered a corner with a tarp to keep the birds out of the weather as needed and have a large flower pot acting as a makeshift nesting box for now.
Future plans are to add better roosts and nests and improve on the covering and add a hatch to get inside if needed. Tomorrow I am going to add one inch chicken wire around the bottom and as an apron along the outside to keep critters from trying to dig their way into the coop. The pipe is held together with screws to make it easier to take apart for future expansion and improvements. Was off a bit on the measurements for the center supports so it looks a bit saggy in the midpoints, but the chickens don't care. I would like to go up to a 10x20 foot size as time and funds allow. May just make another 10x10 and design it so they can be joined or separated as needed.
My daughter loved helping out and was actually pretty good with the drill. She is the reason Ricky the rooster is alive and not on the dinner table. Got him for free off Craigslist with a couple other roos and had the others processed before she got home. She fell in love and named him, needless to say I am not allowed to kill him after he was given a name.
The finished product for the day getting an inspection by Ricky and Lucy. Lucy has a crippled leg and was brought home by my wife and daughters while I was out of town, so I put the flowerpot/nesting box on the ground to make it easier for her to access. I still need to see if she can roost properly or if I need to make some kind of roost that will comply with the Poultry with Disabilities Act. The chicken wire apron will be added tomorrow and I have nipple waterers on order to make life easier.
Ricky and Lucy enjoying the room and fresh grass. Sure beats the little hutch they were in. Nice pair of Americauna/EE birds. Lucy has given us 5 eggs in the last 7 days even with cold mornings and being cramped in a small cage. She should do much better with all the room and fresh grass to enjoy. Not bad for a little hen the previous owner thought was too crippled to be of much use other than a pet.
We will be getting some chicks in the next week or two and by the time they are big enough to enter the coop the improvements should be in place.
