The Front Porch Swing

[Triple Willow]

In the previous post I meant CHICKEN sink, not Kitchen sink. I installed a really inexpensive rubber utility sink out by the coops and "plumed" it with a garden hose. So much nicer than squatting!

I seriously need one of those! and an actual feed room.

 

[perchie.girl]

Come April I will be at the end of my first year with chickens. Learned a lot from my small flock. Next I am planning on expanding my operation.

Originally I made a drip water system with a tank out of a storage bin, large flexible tubing to a pipe with drip emitters.
Still had to give water in dishes during freezing weather. Since we are in South Carolina that's about 4 to 6 weeks worth.

Also, It was a bit of overkill for my few chickens. Especially since they are on fermented food and don't drink much water.
The one quart bottle emitters, that I made for the brooder, are plenty big enough.
(Quart bottle, one emitter in the bottom. Used Two wire ties around the neck to make a hanger.)

I took the tank water dispenser apart for now. Plan on doing more of the quart bottles for my new pens.

Still not happy with my feeders, going to try some other ideas on that.

I would like to take a 40 by 80 fenced area and do half chickens and half garden. The idea is to swap sides every fall so everything except the perimeter has to be moveable.

I'm planning on doing one large pen for the egg flock. Three med pens (Boys, girls, and grow out). Then several breeding pens.

One idea is to use panels or field fencing supported by t-posts and possibly covered by chicken wire or hardware cloth. Has to be covered and tall enough to get inside. We have red tail hawks, owls, raccoons, squirrels, and the neighbor's dog.

sounds like you have a great plan. One thing I find that helps organizing is drawing your area up on grid paper..... to scale. Easy enough to do Use one square to represent a foot or half foot depending on how much detail you need. Then do paper dolls of the stuff you want to move around or tweak. Include important details like how far a door opens and how wide. that would go for fencing or small moveable coops too.

On your main drawing you put in all the things you cant move or dont want to move. Hose bibs, electrical, fence posts, Trees house.... what ever... Then you can use your paper dolls to estimate space and organization. That will give you an idea of the best use of building materials.

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

Harbor Freight is great. Some of their stuff is a lower quality tool, but if you are wanting a tool for low use or if it is something that you are not sure you will use much, they are wonderful. We have purchased a low quality tool from there, used it till it broke, got another one and finished the job - and have never used the tool again. buying it twice was way cheaper than buying the "good" brand name one and the rental rates were way too much, plus we worked on the project at our pace instead of pounding it hard for 8 hours to get it done in a day.
We get stuff from there a lot, my DH is a tool-aholic. The neighbors call our place the Hardware store.

We are half an hour from town, so it helps to have plenty of supplies on hand for when things break down.

You are sooo lucky my house is 1 hour to town.... The only stores in my neighborhood are liquor stores that... Happen to carry food... LOL. I dont even have a feed store....

deb

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

You mean a Plunge tool?    I have never used one but it might be a good option if it is capable of cutting through 4 gauge steel.....  those cattle panels are made of 4 gauge galvanized wire.  4 gauge is close to being 1/4 inch in diameter.  and its not just one wire to cut its several...  Those blades are thin and will require support to do a decent job.

Sawsall Or Grinder would be my tools of choice.  Heck all tools are dangerous. My dad taught me 

Rules for tools this goes for power or hand tools.
1. wear eye protection
2. tie your hair back
3. Noo loose clothing
4. support your work
5.  Let your tool do the work.

deb

I also never got to wear shorts and not usually short sleeves while working. It's much better to let the work clothes take the damage ...

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote: They make replacement bowls for them. http://miller-mfg.com/page/1/Product-Detail.jsp?groupId=620&prodId=92836

deb

 

[Beekissed]

What if I don't have a clue what either of you are talking about

Dang more stuff to learn!

Okay looked it up, I have one of those we call it a Saw zall, which I think it what you guys were saying but I was hearing "s" not "z". You can really use this on metal? I have only used it on wood. Yep, used it once, made my raised garden beds with it. Scared the crud out of me the first time, then realized they are pretty darn safe and turned into a cutting fool.

sawsall suck and Im a man not to mention they are dangerous. Depending on what you are doing use a plung tool you can get one for about 20 at Habor freight they are sooooo convenient its not funny Be well grasshopper you couldnt give me a sawsall

Not as dangerous as many tools out there...foremost the zip saws, circular saws, etc. Anything with a circular blade that turns at blinding revolutions and can bounce off of materials is calculated to separate digits from the user. A sawsall, on the other hand, is merely a single blade that vibrates through the material....cannot catch clothing and suck a hand in, cannot tangle in clothing and hair, can bounce off of materials but may just jag through some flesh but will not cut deep nor through unless pressure is applied. And the blade stops pretty much immediately when the trigger is released, whereas circular blades continue going until they wind down...in other words, keep cutting whatever surface they may end up upon even when the power stops.

The sawsall is a great equalizer for women, which is probably why most men do not prefer it...it allows us to do some tough cutting with a lightweight tool that doesn't evoke fear...it's nothing more than a hacksaw with power behind it.

It's cheap, the blades are cheap, it's versatile and it's safer than any other power tool I've used except for a power drill. I can cut through cattle legs, deer legs, fencing, wood, metal and even some stone for around $20 and the tool just doesn't have any quit in it. I've not broken one yet, whereas I consider most circular saws as disposable..that's how long they last, so I never invest big money in them any longer due to their short life.

And, the true test...as a mother...I don't cringe when my boys use it like I do each time they've ever used a circular saw.

Just curious, what kind of ducks are best for eggs?

Khaki Campbells are, I believe, used the most in countries that use ducks more for eggs than they do chickens. Here's a blurb on the top three duck breeds considered good layers:

Quote:

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

I seriously need one of those! and an actual feed room.

I LOVE my chicken sink. Very useful, and simple enough to set up. And I got the sink for a song. You can often find them for free ...

The feed room is okay, but there is too much "man" in it. As in it was turned into a "man cave," which was a total jumble of crap ideas and crap decorations. Decorations. You read that right. Can we hang a rake here? No ... that's where my license plate display is going. Let's stick the rake in the crotch of some random tree. Argh!!!!!!!

I had a SUPER hard time influencing the setup of that room, so it is a bit awkward for me to use. I've been taking it apart bit by bit and redoing it. I can finally fit a few bags of feed in there.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Yep.... I agree. But... When I bought my house they had used concrete mesh panel as a garden trellis. The house was built in 84 and I suspect the trellis went up some time after.... I fully intended on pulling it down but other stuff took priority. Its still standing and surviving the rigors Of Goats....

my little reprobates. I have to say though it was put in very well nice and straight and stretched. That in of itself makes a fence last longer.... No wiggle.

So I would say if you got it use it just keep an eye for breaks. Ooooh I just thought of something. Mine may be wire that was made in the US not China.... Hmmm....

deb

 

[Triple Willow]

That would be me.... LOL.    10 lbs in a 20 lb box...   They were servers, controllers, and broadcast units for the Cell phone industry....  Much more room in those for AC....     By the way .... I only had a high school diploma during my designing days.  

It was only after the nervous break down in 2000 that I went back and got my associates degree at ITT tech.  LOL.  to prove that I really was in the right field.  I could have taught all the classes except Physics.  Have never gotten to use it...   

deb

I'm really sorry Deb, I didn't know exactly who I was talking so bad about when trying to get some of those thing back in the box and never could. hahahaha

Anybody that is really gifted by God in an area doesn't need a bunch of "schooling" to do what they do. It just comes natural and gets fine tuned. You're a gem!

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

@Leslie... is it possible to keep male ducks and roosters housed in the same coop or will somebody get hurt???

I was going to do this last time with the cockerel colony, but got out voted. The roosters might get some loving from the ducks ...