The Quack Shack

[Trimurtisan]

That's so horrible!!! Poor Muscovies! I wish I could rescue them all!

Yeah it's pretty sickening.

 

[Trimurtisan]

Oh yeah...
I'm getting more birds.

 

[Claires Poultry]

Oh yeah...
I'm getting more birds.

Oh really!? What kind?

 

[Trimurtisan]

Well today was a good day. I got to use the grinding wheel 3 times, and I've still got all 9 fingers!

One of our neighbors was throwing this thing out, and rightfully so. It's a beater of a cart. Missing a wheel via rust, remaining wheels are rusted and bent. It's obviously doesn't roll anymore.

Two minutes of hot metal shaving flying in the air later, and yesterday busted cart is tomorrows rustic garden table.

I guess I forgot to take an after picture lol. Oops!

 

[Trimurtisan]

Okay.... Here ya go.

 

[Trimurtisan]

Group forage time.

Group bath time.

 

[Trimurtisan]

You got your popcorn ready?

RIP Keith Flint
​

This morning I was child free, and found myself staring at the parrot cage. My thoughts went through a few shifts and changes, but I've altered the cage. The birds in it are just for a short time. The original idea was a more funtional pin, now I am thinking a pair of Seramas... It still need some work but, this is how I got where I went today.
(I could have used some mental gps today!)

I started sliding 1x1s through the cage, originally thinking of making a roost. Then I got the idea of making a second floor to put their food on so I used whole 1x6 boards. I already had my gloves on from cutting the cart wheels off, so I pulled out the saw and went to cutting.

The idea was to put their water on the left in the top dome, and food on the second level, while have some shade/shelter below. I still wasn't sure what I was doing to be honest, I just had the feeling of "me be man, me cut and make things, roar." If you can't tell from past building endeavors, I'm not a master builder. I can see what I want, but the execution is questionable. It's okay, I'm gonna keep on keeping on.

So waterer on the dome side; conclusion: bad idea.
The GLW jumped on the side of the cage, stepped on the dish, and drained it while taking her 3 sips. That had to move... First I needed to secure the floor.

I put the 2nd floor about 5/8 up the cage. I was thinking with it being exposed to the sun, they would be more likely to congregate on the ground level. I wanted the food up there to give separation between the food and water, but to leave as much ground level open for walking around.

The 2 inner boards are holding the 2 outer boards in place horizontally. I drilled pilot holes in the 1x1 and sank it to the floor planks securing the outer boards vertically, and locking the floor in to the cage. Cutting out 4.5' from the outer boards allowed the floor to reach the rear wall (normally the floor).

After getting the floor secure, I place the trough on it with food, and place a couple of pullets up there with it. It wasn't but 20 seconds later on of them flipped the trough, spilled the food and started scratching it everywhere. Time for a new game plane...

​

Now I am going to make the upper section a covered shelter, put the water up there, and the food on ground level. Twenty minutes of staring at the cage again, and I started building a "topper" for the cage. Ten 1x6 cut at 22" long...

We had out patio roof redone, the roofer left some of the top layer material behind. I don't know the spec on it, but it has a 30 year warranty on it. Well at least it did on the patio... This is a 22x56 cut piece of it...

The roofing material was placed on top of the 10 planks and screwed in place. It doesn't look like I got a pic of that finished product, but it looked like a bridge you would see at a play ground (visible in the last 2 pictures). Very rigid on direction and limp the other. This thing is a good 30 pound of award weight. I placed it in the "limp" position over the cage, covering the second floor.


This is when I got the idea it might be a good place for a Serama breeding pair. I made the roof section long enough to be able to screw it in to the floor. So now the top floor has just 1 wall that is not secure from weather or predators. Okay, I'll work on the last wall later, now I needed a place to put the food. I'm tired of it being spilled and scratched out of reach. "I'm gonna screw this durn thing to the floor!" and that's exactly what I did, on a false floor that is... I spent more time staring at the cage and sliding bards through it, and decided to do a perched feeding.

Now where to put it... The water needed to moved from the dome, so I put the food where the water was. Now where does this water go?! Twelve ideas, 212k burned brain cells and a few swigs of coffee and I had a working idea...

Full version shorter, I wired it to the door a bit off center, and put a chain on the door so it only opens a bit past 90*. When the door opens the water is lifted up and out of the way to give easy access to the ground level without spilling the water. So it's perch, food, perch, water, perch. No scratching in the food, and no good place to grab the cage and dump the water.

Now that this is going to be a happy home, not a playground, it needed a ramp. **ZIP ZAP ZIP rrRGhrr** Here's a short ramp. Not sure about the white grid piece. I was getting tired and just toying around with ideas.

So the living quarters are roughly 1/6 of the cubic space of the cage, but, it should work great for 2 Seramas...

I've got more work to do yet, but I'm happy with where it is for today. The entire bottom of the cage is still open to walk around. One of the smaller door of the cage is just below the water and opens perfectly for a hatch/ramp.

There's many more details, but this is a novel as is, and I have another story to get through before reading myself to sleep on chicken genetics. See ya in 20 min!

 

[Trimurtisan]

Oh really!? What kind?

Shh, someone might hear you.


Okay... The original owner of the Dampierre boys got in contact with me today. They've decided to go ahead and rehome the original BB Marans cockerel. I was proud of myself for showing such good restraint when I turned down the offer. "Good job me, the wife will be happy with my decision." I got proof too!

The video was one of the Damp Bros stealing a tomato from the Marans and eating it. As you can see their next response was "No problem."

Then I get this message.

​

Did it just get hot in here for anyone else?! I tell them I need to talk with my wife and I'll be back in touch. I don't need to tell y'all what she would say. I already know I better come with something better than just wanting more birds, so I devised a plan.

I told Mary about the offer, and the decline. Them I asked "If I can trade 4 of these young birds for a single older Turken, would you mind if I accept the offer? It would be 4 for 4, expect these birds are better quality (TSC vs GFF) and closer to maturity." "So you're not getting any extra birds. Are you getting rid of and males?" "Yes one, in trade for one." "I guess that's not a problem." (I didn't even have to butter her up!) Mind you this is all still tentative if I can trade the 4 youngsters for the NN pullet... To the phone I went!

I called Fort Christmas Farm and and made my proposal. I was turned down. Turns out she is trying to thin out the flock for the end of the season, and is not interested in my birds. She is willing to however just gift me a NN. There's only has one left and she's lonely, the Leghorns are not accepting her much.

I tell Mary what was said, and she only wanted to know what we where going to do with the young cockerel. "Roast his rude rear for Christmas!" "Okay. Get it set up for next weekend."

​

 

[Trimurtisan]

Happy Saturday folks!

 

[Miss Lydia]

He’s gorgeous! I like reading your stories it is much more interesting than stupid tv. You have some awesome ideas too love the new parrot cage turn coop!! Grow out pen.