TWEAK MY COOP~Tweaks on the Cheap

[aussie pete]

It's genius and I wouldn't have looked at a trampoline and thought of taking it down to a hoop and reinforcing it, but now that I see it, I can see that it is the best use of the frame work that one can utilize. I love a hoop design for shedding rain and snow and it lends itself to innovative nesting and roosting designs. If I ever have to build breeding pens I'll most likely use mini hoop huts so they are portable and ergonomical.

lol allowed to have one good idea occasionally when u get old

never been able to use milk crates for nest box's either ,my hens r too big to fit,think they dislike the high front.

Pete

 

[Beekissed]

That's what I'm worried about a little with the 5 gal. buckets...they just don't seem big enough but then I think back and the same hens fit into the standard galvanized nest box unit used traditionally in coops and those nests are about a foot square.

Spoke with one of my sons who works at a restaurant and he's going to score me several 5 gal. pickle buckets for my tweak.

Received my tarp today and was quite pleased with how sturdy it looks and it really is pretty clear, while having white fibers reinforcing it...it's the most heavy duty plastic tarp I've ever had so I think it may last a few years. It will have plastic underneath it to keep it from wearing against the spines of the cattle panels and also have a darker tarp over the roof line and partially down the sides for summer use, so these will protect the tarp from the sun and wind to a good degree. Anchoring it down really well is another way to extend its life, so the grommet kit will assist with that.

 

[Beekissed]

Got screws, plastic and lumber for the coop tweak today...slowly gathering the materials to make this happen. I can't wait to be building something again.....I get to use my DeWalt drill and anytime I get to use that drill I am a happy woman!

The only lumber I am buying new for this are a few 2x4s as that is the one type of lumber I don't have in my scrap pile...used them all up on the last build. Hope to use up a lot of scrap lumber just to get it out of the yard....doing major farm junk clean up this year and burning some brush piles, old wood that just can no longer be used, etc.

 

[aussie pete]

sorry guys ,u mite have to wait a couple of days for more pics of my growout pen .have done something to my left ankle.
having trouble just getting out to feed chooks & collect eggs.
doc says its osteo -arthritis,but it came on suddenly ,can't put much weight on it & movement aggravates it.

Pete

 

[Beekissed]

sorry guys ,u mite have to wait a couple of days for more pics of my growout pen .have done something to my left ankle.
having trouble just getting out to feed chooks & collect eggs.
doc says its osteo -arthritis,but it came on suddenly ,can't put much weight on it & movement aggravates it.

Pete

Aww, Pete...I'm sorry!

Wish I could be there to fix it...I'm a whiz with such things and even have fixed some 94 yr old "arthritic" knees. Take it easy and ice it down, my friend.

 

[RoseMarie1]

That's what I'm worried about a little with the 5 gal. buckets...they just don't seem big enough but then I think back and the same hens fit into the standard galvanized nest box unit used traditionally in coops and those nests are about a foot square.

Spoke with one of my sons who works at a restaurant and he's going to score me several 5 gal. pickle buckets for my tweak.

Received my tarp today and was quite pleased with how sturdy it looks and it really is pretty clear, while having white fibers reinforcing it...it's the most heavy duty plastic tarp I've ever had so I think it may last a few years. It will have plastic underneath it to keep it from wearing against the spines of the cattle panels and also have a darker tarp over the roof line and partially down the sides for summer use, so these will protect the tarp from the sun and wind to a good degree. Anchoring it down really well is another way to extend its life, so the grommet kit will assist with that.

oh that's wonderful Bee about the buckets! I REALLY REALLY NEED to get back to my source and see IF they have any more. I really NEED some more! Just stopped to write that down on my list so I can remember to check with them, thanx for the reminder since I am going tomorrow anyway.

I am so glad you are pleased with that tarp! I was out there today taking down plastics and working around. I needed to get all that plastic down since i think all our cold weather is gone until fall. I only had one wall left to take down. Well actually I have one more I need to get down as well I guess. Just thought about that one. I have got them all taken down this week except for that one where the chicks are and it's to the north. NEEDING to figure out SOMETHING to deter the mosquitoes though, they are sooo bad!

was out there at dusk and decided to burn a stump some more to give some smoke to make em go away and they were about to carry me off. With those hens naked backs I figure they're working on them.

I made me some nest on Monday and I gotta take pix so you can see them. I needed some more sooo bad and just didn't seem like hubby and I were every going to get them made so I got out there and rigged up some. Was messing round the shed looking for short pieces of PVC pipe to put down beside my tomatoes because the chickens are running over them breaking them off. I started moving stuff around trying to find what I was looking for when I spied 2 more milk crates someone had given me so that would make 3 that I had. I took those and a wooden lid to a bench my daughter bought me many years ago that was suppose to be made out of red wood that wasn't and made the platform. Then I nailed all that in place and then sit those crates up on that and tied them to the fence in the back with is part of the run, not the outside fence area. I saw 2 of the girls checking them out yesterday evening so I am hoping they're going to start using them. I even put them a perch to get on to get in them. They SHOULD BE happy campers! They have 7 nest now in which to choose from. Those should be MUCH COOLER to. I figure if they don't use them shortly i'd put 3-4 golf balls in one so they will think one of the other girls is using it and that might do the trick.

I even put them a board over the bottom part of the crates so their eggs wouldn't roll out. I've got to get out there and put some more nesting materials in their nests to. Always more to do. lol

 

[RoseMarie1]

sorry guys ,u mite have to wait a couple of days for more pics of my growout pen .have done something to my left ankle.
having trouble just getting out to feed chooks & collect eggs.
doc says its osteo -arthritis,but it came on suddenly ,can't put much weight on it & movement aggravates it.

Pete

oh man I'm sorry to hear that! Hubby has that mess as well. Don't know IF this would help you but it sure does help me. I got one of hubbys old socks that is long and filled it up with rice. I just tied a knot in the end of it to keep the rice in. Then I put it in the microwave for 1 minute 16 seconds and I prop my foot up on the ottaman and put the rice bag on my ankle. Man the moist heat is soooo soothing to it when it is killing me. Mine is arthritis and when it's going to rain it just kills me or change of temps etc. BUT that really helps with the pain and stuff. I use it over and over and over by just reheating it.
Get better soon Pete!!!

 

[RoseMarie1]

Got screws, plastic and lumber for the coop tweak today...slowly gathering the materials to make this happen. I can't wait to be building something again.....I get to use my DeWalt drill and anytime I get to use that drill I am a happy woman!

The only lumber I am buying new for this are a few 2x4s as that is the one type of lumber I don't have in my scrap pile...used them all up on the last build. Hope to use up a lot of scrap lumber just to get it out of the yard....doing major farm junk clean up this year and burning some brush piles, old wood that just can no longer be used, etc.

u sound like me, hubby is about to get started welding on my cattle panels on the gazebo pen and I'm soooo excited! It'll be in the next couple days he gets started. Oh honey I LOVE my drill to! LOVE that thing! I have 2 batteries for it but they seem to not hold a charge long now and wondering how expensive they are to buy a new one. ???? Might need to ask for that for Mothers day huh?

Sure do love the thing that's for sure! It has came in SOOOOO handy!


I NEED to come up with something for a pen I have that doesn't have a roof over it so when I put a chicken in it, it will have a place to get in out of the rain. I have some 2x2's I could recycle from the front porch banisters we tore out that I was thinking about making a small frame with and slapping a couple pieces of tin on it for cover. I saw something online while ago that gave me a couple ideas.

 

[amandarc]

Following!

 

[Beekissed]

Bought some red barn paint today...am changing colors on the coop to red and hope to paint the trim white. Am working on a multi-use pen before starting the coop tweak so I can move my broody to the pen and out of the coop before the coop gets deconstructed. This extra pen will make a world of difference for my flock management as it's a place for broodies, babies, roosters, those on the cull list, etc.

Priced the hog rings and the pliers that go with at TSC today and gave it a pass....too much money for no more than I would use them. Will just use the zip ties as I did previously, but will cut off the old and apply new ones during the changeover of tarps. Was going to use the metal hog rings to join the hoops to make for a stronger house, but the zip ties have worked amazingly well and are cheap, cheap, cheap. Zip ties it will be.