The Old Folks Home

[ozexpat]

Wow, Oz... those pens are amazing. Anyone would be proud to have those, even for a people house.

Although I'm not sure what I'd do with the nest boxes if I lived there. I would need more shoes to fill them.

i am trying to create shoes as we speak

 

[scottcaddy]

Quote: ?

 

[ozexpat]

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my interpretation of shoes to fill them is chicken feet - btw - chicken feet when bought to eat in the phils are called addidas

 

[chickadoodles]

Here are my breeding coops that are just being finished.

Being in the Philippines, we dont need to worry about cold and snow, but we have our own issues.

Prior to construction of these coops, I had built 2 coops 8x8 and 5 coops 6x6. I needed 6 breeding coops for small numbers of birds - up to 6 birds total.

All my coops have an area under the coop that is closed in as well as a protected run totalling 250% of the coop area.

In designing coops. my goals are:

• Use as much material from renewable or recycled products as possible.
• Make the coops fit in with the environement as much as possible.
• Provide adequate ventilation and envitonmental protection as possible.

The main challenge is that we have a onshore wind that blows all winter at about 20 knots bringing salt laden wet air over us - and rusting everything. A GI sheet roof will be rusted out in 2 years.

Secondary challenges are predators. Feral dogs, cats and rats. Dogs are very rare. Cats are the same but have killed several chicks. Rats have become almost insignificant with a major abatement program we initiated.

So this is what we came up with.



A foundation was made of cinder blocks with a total pen size of 4x10. this continues with the same scale of coop to pen size as our other coops. The Cinder blocks act to protect the coconut lumber from the soil as well as prevent dogs tunneling.



On top of that we created the base for the coops.We used true 2x3 lumber and 1/2" plywood for the floor of each 4x4 coop. We place 18" of flat GI sheet along the base to prevent rats from climbing up the coop.



The thatch roof is very light so it uses just a few 2x3s and bamboo strips to supplort it. Green nylon mesh is used in place of hardware cloth.






The walls of the coop are 1/4 marine plywood with a woven bamboo material called amacan over the top for decorative and protective appeal.





Egg boxes span 2 coops with a 1up 1 down in each coop. The human doors are at the rear for ease of cleaning.





Just about finished. The pen doors need to be hung, rice husks for beeding, 3" bamboo roosts and a fish net pen ceiling and we are all done but the clean up.

Wow Oz those are awesome pens!

 

[ozexpat]

Wow Oz those are awesome pens!

hopefully those bloody birds will appreciate them and start laying

 

[dsqard]

Oz those pens are so well thought out and well constructed. If the hens don't start laying, you need to start eating more chicken

I haven't seen an egg here in weeks. I know it is because of the light and because I have mostly older chickens but you would think the under a year old hens (I have at least three) would be laying. Bunch of slackers here. I might need to start eating more chicken myself!

 

[chickadoodles]

hopefully those bloody birds will appreciate them and start laying

I am sure they will love it and start laying. My buffs started laying a few days ago and one of my ee's laid a huge double Yolker. The others will follow.

 

[ozexpat]

I am sure they will love it and start laying. My buffs started laying a few days ago and one of my ee's laid a huge double Yolker. The others will follow.

my mutt layers are giving me 6-8 eggs per day but the 5.5 month old purebreds must be holding out for new digs

 

[superchemicalgirl]

I got 3 eggs yesterday, only one frozen enough to be cracked by the time I got home, and that was a bumper crop of eggs. I can't wait until spring... and hope that this year everyone doesn't go broody again.

 

[chickadoodles]

I got Buff orps last summer hoping they would go broody for me. And 2 of my 3 black aussies decided to go broody. But I think they are teaching the others how to do it. I know my Black hen is watching from her side of the coop how to brood chicks. I hope she learns how!