Washingtonians

[AriLovesChickens]

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I don't know the water temp offhand. We used to go to Newport Beach and one a bit further south. I lived in Aliso Viejo for a while. DH would swim in it, but he's used to the temps of the North Sea. I never did more than wade in it.

Tampa Bay water is in the low-mid 70s right now and hits 85* in the summer.

CL - Hope you are feeling a little better!! That stinks that you aren't able to take anything for it. I'd think the ER would have been able to hook you up with some good stuff.

 

[MamaMarcy]

HoneysuckleHills....I'm speechless! (ok well actully I kinda yelled at my Dh "I want one!") Beautiful coop, and job well done!! The best projects, IMO, are made from scrap. and my oh my your chickens must be some of the happiest anywhere!

Our coop isn't nearly as happy as yours, but this is the duck/chicken duplex my DH built, mostly with scraps from around our place (he bought the cherry timbers). The poultry houses have since been painted gray. (some of these are from before the hen house was added.) The front door is a full sized screen door (old) that I got at auction for $5. It's 8' x 8' x 8' (screened area). The duck house was on the property when we moved in (dog house?) so we altered it to fit our ducks.

adding the hen house & nesting boxes:

inside the hen house:

 

[HoneysuckleHills]

Quote:
This is a very nice set up.

NOTHING to be embarrassed about. You have done a very nice job building. Thank you for sharing.

Now I mean if ya wanna see some real junk look at what I try to get by with. I don't have much $$ to spend on my coops and it shows.

But at least my birds have what they need ( I think).

Hey, coming from you - King of Refurbishing - that's a real compliment!
Mostly, people (including my dad) laugh at my silly white coop.
It's actually very functional.
And when you look at it up close, it's just like yours - tons of repurposed materials.
I, too, need to watch my finances so having all this old wood and paint really kept the cost down.
One day, I'm gonna get me a nice bell to go with it.
How are sales?

 

[Chicken Rustler]

MamaMarcy If you want to get a little bit of an idea what can be done with old junk. Look at my BYC page. While they are not fancy and not as nice as HSH or yours. They are what I have so I will make do with them. Also IF you are on my page if you click where it says Iron Imagery you can see some of my metal work.

 

[Stumpfarmer]

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Stumpfarmer, I still have William, the black BLRW roo for you. Let me know when you are ready for him. I would like to do one breeding for him but their coop is over full, so whenever you are ready let him know.

Dave, I will be breeding a lot of BLRW's starting in January. If you want to get any chicks from me, let me know. I currently have one splash, one blue and one black roo (the one Stumpfarmer is getting that I hope to get one batch of eggs in from before he goes) over splash/blue hens. So I should potentially end up with roo's of all colors. You can also check with Cowgirlgrace. I got my black BLRW roo from her.

Velvet,

I happen to have 2 very nice roos. They are a medium blue, not the dark blue but big and nice. They are 5 months old. If interested let me know soon as they will be going to the processor this Saturday. If you wanted one I could hold him for you until you could get here.

Take Grace's if you can: Bjorn will sit here until he finds a home or he'll just have EE ladies.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
Velvet,

I happen to have 2 very nice roos. They are a medium blue, not the dark blue but big and nice. They are 5 months old. If interested let me know soon as they will be going to the processor this Saturday. If you wanted one I could hold him for you until you could get here.

Take Grace's if you can: Bjorn will sit here until he finds a home or he'll just have EE ladies.

I think I'm a ways away from adding another Roo -- I want a BLRW, doesnt mean I need to run out and get one.

Now -- if I see the perfect bird at Chehalis .... hmmm..


Dave

 

[Stumpfarmer]

Quote:
Take Grace's if you can: Bjorn will sit here until he finds a home or he'll just have EE ladies.

I think I'm a ways away from adding another Roo -- I want a BLRW, doesnt mean I need to run out and get one.

Now -- if I see the perfect bird at Chehalis .... hmmm..


Dave

If not, hmmmm... I need a recent pic of Bjorn, don't I?

 

[chickens4gramma]

Quote:
Oh man, that stinks! I hope you got a chance to clean up before heading to the ER! Sometimes I'll be walking around somplace and the souls of my shoes don't feel right, so I'll look and find a big-ol' chicken tird and some shavings stuck to the bottom of my shoes, and I've been tracking them through Safeway!

LOL And on that note, what kind of coop boots do you all have? I just bought basic rainboots (kinda cute blue pattern that matches my bathrobe, lol) but all the shavings and poop get stuck in the tread--grrr! Yet, seems the tread is important if you don't want to slip and fall (get better soon Chickielady!) Are farm boots easier to keep clean? I love having the boots, but now one more thing to clean poop off of!

 

[chickens4gramma]

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I have seen and greatly admired the winter shot of your coop before but that recent autumn photo is brilliant! Such a pretty coop - perfect for an urban or suburban setting. May I ask who built it? Do you have any interior photos?

I'd like to see pics of your "Illia" birds too. Mine are still having quiet time in the garage, but they're eating and drinking well.

Thanks, I like it, too.
I made a model out of copy paper and tape and showed it to my father, a retired contractor.
He laughed at me but said he'd help.
We build it out of scrap lumber and old pallets.
He helped at all the critical points such as cement work and making the whole thing square and stable.
For Mother's Day, my children gave me the hardware and roofing tiles.
I had tons of old white paint.
It's really a pallet coop with lots of "make-up" - kinda like me - I clean up okay

Do I have photos? Well, yes, millions!
But first, please remember that I am a CPA.
I reseached a ton before I made the prototype.
So, good with research, analytical, blah blah blah - but NOT a contractor!
So, first a wide shot so you can see where everything fits in.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_happy_hen_house.jpg
Here's a photo of me pretending to be a roofer. See the high quality materials?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_ruth_the_roofer.jpg
Next shot you can see the upper roost that sits in a notched 2x4.
Under that is a removable poop board with loose vinyl on top. This poop board slides forward for easy cleaning.
I think you can see that I have a vinyl floor that runs up the back wall of the coop. It's loose in front, tucked in by a lip board.
When I clean, I can lift the vinyl and clean everything, ending with a good dusting of DE, food grade, of course.
The nesting boxes are dark to make them more inviting. (A scrumptious leftover plum chocolate color!)
Can't see this but I attached the lip in front of the nesting box first on either side to a 1 inch block of wood so that there would be a 1 inch gap between the lip and the nest allowing for easy sweeping of the nest box litter into the main coop for clean up.
Electrical cord is enclosed in that round pipe which was grey until I painted it.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_1.jpg
Here's the way I made a removable lip to help keep shavings inside the coop. It also hold the vinyl in place.
You can see the junk wood in this photo, too!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_2.jpg
The pop door is a piece of leftover acrylic that slides easily in simple tracks. The entire run is secure so the pop door doesn't have a lock.
I keep the water under the coop so the girls can't sit on it. Keeps the water so much cleaner.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_3.jpg
The pop door lifts with a simple pulley system. Here is a shot of how we ran the rope through the hardware cloth.
Keeps everything neat and tidy, just the way a CPA would like things.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_4.jpg
Then, of course, needed to secure the rope so the door stays up.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_5.jpg
In the next shot you can see the pallet board construction.
We hung the feeder on a board that slides out. We used the hardware from an old kitchen cabinet. I don't know what the slider-outer-thing hardware is called. I hope it's clear enough in the photo.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_6.jpg
The floor directly under the coop is cement. On the storage side it's just cement. On the other side - the run side - it's cement covered with sand. (The rest of the run has harware cloth covered with sand.) I really like having supplies close by and secured from rodents. (of unusual or the usual size!)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_7.jpg
Extra ventilation window propped up with a stick that hangs handy.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_detail_8.jpg
More storage with adjustable shelves. There's a sheet of metal on the floor of this cabinet just in case rodents ever feel like making a try for the snacks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_9.jpg
A notched 2x4 in the run holds a branch or a 1x4 or 2x4, depending on the season.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_coop_details_10.jpg
And, lastly, since I clearly got carried away with this show and tell, I decided to add another favorite shot.
Obviously, I am not a builder, or a breeder for that matter.
Just a city slicker who loves keeping birds as does my daughter as evidenced below.
Seriously, this is probably way, way more than you wanted to see or read!
Thanks for letting me share.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/62344_lily_and_the_chickens.jpg

HSH--I just love your coop! And your daughter is beautiful too! Thanks for sharing the pics.

 

[SadieSue]

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Thank you CGG - it's all Cloverleaf's doing - I just hatched and raised those sweeties is all. The hard work was done long before I got 'em!

Happy Belated 25th Anniversary! That is quite an accomplishment, though most of us realize not every day is paradise. I laugh when I remember an article I read years ago just as Kevin Costner (who I loved at the time) and his wife were splitting up. He obviously still cared a great deal for her although he had screwed up majorly. But it's a motto I swear by - in the immortal words of Kevin Costner "Marriage is a hard, hard, gig."