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- #11
The coop raising begins..(new PICS pg2) Update-structurally complete!
- Thread starter midd2005
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Quote:
Ha! You're not the first person to suggest such a thing. Did I mention there is a pool in the back and one of the most beautiful beaches in the world is a 8 minute walk away?
Sounds absolutely dreadful.
Ha! You're not the first person to suggest such a thing. Did I mention there is a pool in the back and one of the most beautiful beaches in the world is a 8 minute walk away?
Sounds absolutely dreadful.
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- #13
The coop is structurally finished!! Took us 10 days of building. i went to at least one (sometimes 2 or 3) hardware store every day this week. the employees now mock me when they see me. but anyway, we are far enough along that we can leave the girls in there during the day and leave the house secure in the fact that they will likely be alive when we return. they spent the whole day outside today and are totally tuckered now.
A few things remain to be done but we can take our time about them now. We still have to put together a poop board. i'm trying to figure out what the optimal material is. looks like i'll be going to HD AGAIN. and then of course there are the roosts. and a ladder to help our bigger girls make the ascent. i plan on hacksawing an old pool slide ladder down to size. and yet more painting and touching up of paint need to be done. at least everything is primed.
the neighbors were over and dubbed it the nicest coop they had ever seen. i wanted to tell them the coops on this website put ours to real shame; however, the point is we wanted the neighbors (and visitors) to like it and not refer to it as that nasty chicken slum next door, so i kept my mouth shut. the neighbors are thrilled that their daughters have some one else's chickens to entertain them and have already been asked to be put on the list as egg buyers. the other neighbor, who doesnt speak much english, brought us over some baked okinawan sweet potatoes as a lunch snack yesterday, so i'm guessing she is cool with it.
anyway, without further ramblings here are a couple pics.
and that's her. the only thing i'm not happy about is the next box. from the beginning, starting months ago, i designed the whole thing and drew up the plans and have had almost total say in what goes where how. the husband has gotten to play with tools like crazy though, and it's not like he was going to do any research into what would be optimal. he is used to me letting him make a lot of decisions so this has been grating i can tell. so, to be nice, i let the husband design and construct the nest box entirely without my input. though i did tell him what dimensions. he used all scrap (which is good) but got rather lazy about cutting precisely and spending some time thinking about what would be best, and it turned out to be extremely clunky and with gaping 3/4 inch holes here and there. it will i'm sure work, but ugh. it's like a giant tumor sticking off the wall. hopefully after i paint it, the many random chunks of wood won't be so obvious.
anyway, any thoughts?
A few things remain to be done but we can take our time about them now. We still have to put together a poop board. i'm trying to figure out what the optimal material is. looks like i'll be going to HD AGAIN. and then of course there are the roosts. and a ladder to help our bigger girls make the ascent. i plan on hacksawing an old pool slide ladder down to size. and yet more painting and touching up of paint need to be done. at least everything is primed.
the neighbors were over and dubbed it the nicest coop they had ever seen. i wanted to tell them the coops on this website put ours to real shame; however, the point is we wanted the neighbors (and visitors) to like it and not refer to it as that nasty chicken slum next door, so i kept my mouth shut. the neighbors are thrilled that their daughters have some one else's chickens to entertain them and have already been asked to be put on the list as egg buyers. the other neighbor, who doesnt speak much english, brought us over some baked okinawan sweet potatoes as a lunch snack yesterday, so i'm guessing she is cool with it.
anyway, without further ramblings here are a couple pics.
and that's her. the only thing i'm not happy about is the next box. from the beginning, starting months ago, i designed the whole thing and drew up the plans and have had almost total say in what goes where how. the husband has gotten to play with tools like crazy though, and it's not like he was going to do any research into what would be optimal. he is used to me letting him make a lot of decisions so this has been grating i can tell. so, to be nice, i let the husband design and construct the nest box entirely without my input. though i did tell him what dimensions. he used all scrap (which is good) but got rather lazy about cutting precisely and spending some time thinking about what would be best, and it turned out to be extremely clunky and with gaping 3/4 inch holes here and there. it will i'm sure work, but ugh. it's like a giant tumor sticking off the wall. hopefully after i paint it, the many random chunks of wood won't be so obvious.
anyway, any thoughts?
What are you using for bedding in the run? We're in the process of setting up here and I'm not sure what to use. I haven't had chickens since I raised broilers in high school and we just used grass clippings from the yard.
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- #15
What are you using for bedding in the run? We're in the process of setting up here and I'm not sure what to use. I haven't had chickens since I raised broilers in high school and we just used grass clippings from the yard.
as soon as i figure out how to transport it (no truck), we are going to put in about 5 inches of sand. since our coop is obviously pretty open and our soil is made of this concrete like clay, we are going to need good drainage when the rainy season comes. it should also be the easiest to clean. willing arms, a rake, a dustbin, and 10 minutes should take care of the problem the compost bin is right there at the end of the coop. plus there is no need for a dust bath bin or added grit. seems like i can't lose with sand.
do you live in northern NV? (that's where i'm from!) if so, drainage probably won't so much be your problem. but sand is still an option.
as soon as i figure out how to transport it (no truck), we are going to put in about 5 inches of sand. since our coop is obviously pretty open and our soil is made of this concrete like clay, we are going to need good drainage when the rainy season comes. it should also be the easiest to clean. willing arms, a rake, a dustbin, and 10 minutes should take care of the problem the compost bin is right there at the end of the coop. plus there is no need for a dust bath bin or added grit. seems like i can't lose with sand.
do you live in northern NV? (that's where i'm from!) if so, drainage probably won't so much be your problem. but sand is still an option.
Do you know where Topaz Lake is? We're just north and east of there, off Hwy 208 on the way to Wellington, east of TRE, west of Wellington. Currently I divide my time between Nevada and the SF Bay Area. I'm originally from the Yakima Valley in Eastern Washington. In my ideal world I'd be fabulously wealthy and spend winters on the Sagebrush Ocean and summers sailing Puget Sound.
Quote:
Our run is sand too and it's wonderful. I use a big kitty litter scoop and a beach pail and "pooper scoop" twice a day. The run is practically fly-free and smells as fresh as a daisy! Good call on the sand.
Our run is sand too and it's wonderful. I use a big kitty litter scoop and a beach pail and "pooper scoop" twice a day. The run is practically fly-free and smells as fresh as a daisy! Good call on the sand.
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- #18
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