The building of Pea Palace(Pic Heavy)

[frenchblackcopper]

This is what the pen looked like before sawdust and the heat lite install.the long bottom piece of OSB canbe taken off with 8 drywall screws to make cleaning out much faster.In the summertime I also plan to take the sheet on the left off and add wire for air circulation

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Here you can see the access door.It's about 16" high and 24" wide

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Here is what the pen looks like completed.The space above the pen wil have 2x4 welded wire installed up to the rafters to keep the adult peas who will be in a pen under and in front of this pen,off the roof of the small pen.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

And heres the new additions checking it out for the first time.I still have 2 more pens to finish to the right of this big pen.Another 12 foot or so in total length.There are 2 "Thangettes" in tis group,a solid white and one that looks 100% IB,,no white flights or white anywhere on her,,but I know what she is hiding in her genetic handbag

 

[kuntrygirl]

Looking good! Any nice wine involved in relaxing after putting in a few hours of hard work on the palace?

 

[Mmmatt13]

I love that raised part for the little ones! And I'm glad to hear you're still holding onto Wylie's twin over there.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

kuntrygirl,,no "vino" after building,,been too late at night to crack open a bottle,,and when I crack one open,it needs to be gone in 3 days or the freshness really goes down hill.Mmmaddie,,the hatchmate to your Wylie is in this first group to be moved.I have 4 more solid white chicks but they all came from my BSSP pen.Maybe I will get one male out of them,but hope it isn't the little "Thangette".The unpredictability of what may hatch scares me.
None of these or the rest of my 2012 hatched peas will see dirt until next spring.Just a rule I have made and stuck to,hard enough to get peas out of the egg,let alone fight off a parasite that is ground borne when they are only a few months old.2 more pens to be made,and 2 more groups of peas to be moved,,then to get the BSSP birds under the roof,,the way I move this will take at least 2 days.Evenings are pointless wanting to accomplish much.By the time I get done doing chores and stareing at adult peas it's dark.Heard one male yesterday rattling his train,looked up and it was UPS(My Bronze male) outside,so I grabbed the camera and took 1 pic before he dropped his tail.It turned out to be too fuzzy because it was takken thru the fence but after I seen what he's been growing I had to stop and stare 10 minutes at him outside.His train looks like a 2 yr olds now sizewise but the eyes are very distinct and the color is such a very datk brown compared to what I remember it being this summer.This is what slows me down,,observing and making mental notes.If I was on a timeclock I'd been fired a long time ago.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Well frenchblackcopper, one day when it's all over, you will be able to sit down and enjoy a nice bottle. Everything is coming together so nicely. You are working so hard over there. Just keep it up, take your time and keep us posted on your progress. Fine work!

You are my inspiration to start something over at my place (which I should have started 6 months ago). Not exactly sure what yet. But it WILL NOT be as elaborate as your setup. Mine will be on a VERY small scale.

 

[Haunted55]

Excellent job FBC. That is truely a great idea of using wasted space.

 

[frenchblackcopper]

Kuntrygirl,,I know I can speak for everyone here when saying,,allow room for expansion.We all know how addictive Peas are,,one color is never enough and if you have the property space start building in the middle of an area so you can expand outwards.This project began with only wanting 3 pens on each side of the small 24x30 addition giving me 6 colors total.I now have 8 seperate colors and the entire west side of this building to add another aviary of equal size giving me room for 8 more seperate breeding pens.The existing corn crib building was kept in mind for pens for raising young peas in.I first need a new roof put on this building before I start sinking cash into more building materials for pens,ect.the small inside pens I'm making now will work for next summers hatchling as well so when I see heavy use of something it always has priorities in my planning.
Haunted,,the size of that building is equal to our garage.We can get 3 cars inside it,,but the pea building only having 21 or so adults in it only during the winter seems like a huge waste.The pens being occupied now by adults can be used for early hatch peas next summer when they get older.I want to build pens inside the existing crib sides to house my 4 diffrent ornamental pheasant colors,as well as a big brooder area for newly hatched pheasant chicks next summer.I did not hatch 1 ornamental pheasnt egg all summer because my bator was always full of pea eggs.I've had so many calls for pheasants that next year I have to hatch maybe 20 of each color.Plus I have now fed the pheasants for a year with no return on them.