YO GEORGIANS! :)

[amandarc]

Frustrated chicks. Not really getting the hang of the horizontal nipples. They are 4 weeks.

 

[ChickDancer]

I got a prelim back from the GA Poultry Lab. Mostly it was a request for more details surrounding their deaths, but he did state that so far all bacterial tests that he had run were negative.

That could be bad. That could mean the problem is viral, which means non-curable, aside from culling the entire flock and bleaching everything down.

But then aside from the Sumatras and cornish rocks, I don't feel like I really have any chickens left anyway.

 

[jdduck]

Well, my fingers now hurt from pulling SO MANY zip-ties, but the first pen is completely done. We're going to decide where to put it, move food and water in there along with some shelter, and put the ducks and geese in there tonight. And here are the promised photos:





This was the completed pen, just prior to putting the tarp on it. The only thing it is missing (which we'll red-neck it somehow for now) is a latch for the door/gate.



This is a close up of the corner of the pen, corner of the gate, and the top "hinge" on the gate. The zip tie actually kept the hinges of the gate from sliding down, so I merely used the PVC cement to glue it in place.



This is a close up of the gate, so you can see how I built it. I think the hardest part aside from the heat, and pulling all those zip-ties, was figuring out the measurements for the pipes above and below the gate, and the measurements of the gate itself - with NO plans or blueprint to work from. I literally had to eyeball this part, and make guesses based on how much extra length the elbows, corners, and tees would add. The top and bottom parts of the pen itself (connected to the tee) are 18 inches, and the top and bottom poles of the gate itself are 15 inches.



A close-up of the bottom hinge after the gate was installed.




This is what the hinge looks like on the side OPPOSITE the actual gate. These two holes were just drilled to give the drill bit access to where it will actually be attached to the gate with a screw.




This is the secret to the hinges. It's just a normal coupling for a 1-inch pipe, sanded out with a dremel. This got rid of the "ridge" in the middle where pipes would normally meet, and loosened it up on the pipe enough to swing freely. The hard part here, was getting the screws to go deep enough, once attached to the gate, to keep the screws from interfering with the free-movement of the hinge.




The entire gate assembled, attached, and open. It does touch the frame a SLIGHT bit in the lower left, but otherwise swings freely.



This is what the pen looks like now, with the tarp on it as well. A small slit has been placed in the very center to let rainwater drain back out. If I have nest boxes against the edges, the rain will still be far enough away from them not to cause harm. But since the weight of rain is detrimental to this lightweight construction design, I had to give it a way to drain off of the tarp. I DID think about actually making an auto-waterer out of it, but decided I would try that on a future pen. The tarp is most likely the only thing that will ever really need to be replaced on these.



The tarp didn't come in 10x10. Only 12x10 or bigger. So I have a two-foot overlap coming down the back side, which will kinda help protect wooden structures inside - such as nest boxes and roosting bars.





Another view of the tarp overlap.




This is a complete project, but there ARE finishing touches I plan to put on it. Since I have both a dremel and a soldering gun available to me, I plan to cut all excess length from the zip ties and either sand them down or melt them down to get rid of sharp edges. I also plan to do the same with any exposed metal edge where I cut the welded wire to fit. But for now, it's fully functional. All sharp edges are on the OUTSIDE of the pen anyway, so anything placed inside of the pen won't get hurt. As more paychecks come through, I'll buy more pipe, and fix up more pens. I have everything needed for another pen right now except the actual 10-foot pipes. Pens 3 through 5 will need corner elbows as well. And beyond 5 I will need all of that plus the welded wire and probably more zip ties. But I have all pipe Tees and normal 90-degree elbows for ten full pens, like I wanted from the beginning.


Next set of projects aside from this: Shelters and/or roost bars, and nest boxes.

looks great, u might want to check the zip ties that u used to make sure that they are for outdoor use. i have learned the hard way that they will get very brittle and weak from the sun after a few months and fall off with very little effort. something that i found very cheep that works just as good is re bar ties.

 

[Flowerbh]

I might be interested in your Welsummer Pullets.  I have a 3 month old boy and he needs some girls.  If I decide to keep him.

Let me know ASAP because I just listed them.

 

[JennaLynn122]

Well, my fingers now hurt from pulling SO MANY zip-ties, but the first pen is completely done. We're going to decide where to put it, move food and water in there along with some shelter, and put the ducks and geese in there tonight. And here are the promised photos:





This was the completed pen, just prior to putting the tarp on it. The only thing it is missing (which we'll red-neck it somehow for now) is a latch for the door/gate.



This is a close up of the corner of the pen, corner of the gate, and the top "hinge" on the gate. The zip tie actually kept the hinges of the gate from sliding down, so I merely used the PVC cement to glue it in place.



This is a close up of the gate, so you can see how I built it. I think the hardest part aside from the heat, and pulling all those zip-ties, was figuring out the measurements for the pipes above and below the gate, and the measurements of the gate itself - with NO plans or blueprint to work from. I literally had to eyeball this part, and make guesses based on how much extra length the elbows, corners, and tees would add. The top and bottom parts of the pen itself (connected to the tee) are 18 inches, and the top and bottom poles of the gate itself are 15 inches.



A close-up of the bottom hinge after the gate was installed.




This is what the hinge looks like on the side OPPOSITE the actual gate. These two holes were just drilled to give the drill bit access to where it will actually be attached to the gate with a screw.




This is the secret to the hinges. It's just a normal coupling for a 1-inch pipe, sanded out with a dremel. This got rid of the "ridge" in the middle where pipes would normally meet, and loosened it up on the pipe enough to swing freely. The hard part here, was getting the screws to go deep enough, once attached to the gate, to keep the screws from interfering with the free-movement of the hinge.




The entire gate assembled, attached, and open. It does touch the frame a SLIGHT bit in the lower left, but otherwise swings freely.



This is what the pen looks like now, with the tarp on it as well. A small slit has been placed in the very center to let rainwater drain back out. If I have nest boxes against the edges, the rain will still be far enough away from them not to cause harm. But since the weight of rain is detrimental to this lightweight construction design, I had to give it a way to drain off of the tarp. I DID think about actually making an auto-waterer out of it, but decided I would try that on a future pen. The tarp is most likely the only thing that will ever really need to be replaced on these.



The tarp didn't come in 10x10. Only 12x10 or bigger. So I have a two-foot overlap coming down the back side, which will kinda help protect wooden structures inside - such as nest boxes and roosting bars.





Another view of the tarp overlap.




This is a complete project, but there ARE finishing touches I plan to put on it. Since I have both a dremel and a soldering gun available to me, I plan to cut all excess length from the zip ties and either sand them down or melt them down to get rid of sharp edges. I also plan to do the same with any exposed metal edge where I cut the welded wire to fit. But for now, it's fully functional. All sharp edges are on the OUTSIDE of the pen anyway, so anything placed inside of the pen won't get hurt. As more paychecks come through, I'll buy more pipe, and fix up more pens. I have everything needed for another pen right now except the actual 10-foot pipes. Pens 3 through 5 will need corner elbows as well. And beyond 5 I will need all of that plus the welded wire and probably more zip ties. But I have all pipe Tees and normal 90-degree elbows for ten full pens, like I wanted from the beginning.


Next set of projects aside from this: Shelters and/or roost bars, and nest boxes.

For a temp latch you could always go get the "reuseable" zip ties

 

[valleychicks]

Well, my fingers now hurt from pulling SO MANY zip-ties, but the first pen is completely done. We're going to decide where to put it, move food and water in there along with some shelter, and put the ducks and geese in there tonight. And here are the promised photos:





This was the completed pen, just prior to putting the tarp on it. The only thing it is missing (which we'll red-neck it somehow for now) is a latch for the door/gate.



This is a close up of the corner of the pen, corner of the gate, and the top "hinge" on the gate. The zip tie actually kept the hinges of the gate from sliding down, so I merely used the PVC cement to glue it in place.



This is a close up of the gate, so you can see how I built it. I think the hardest part aside from the heat, and pulling all those zip-ties, was figuring out the measurements for the pipes above and below the gate, and the measurements of the gate itself - with NO plans or blueprint to work from. I literally had to eyeball this part, and make guesses based on how much extra length the elbows, corners, and tees would add. The top and bottom parts of the pen itself (connected to the tee) are 18 inches, and the top and bottom poles of the gate itself are 15 inches.



A close-up of the bottom hinge after the gate was installed.




This is what the hinge looks like on the side OPPOSITE the actual gate. These two holes were just drilled to give the drill bit access to where it will actually be attached to the gate with a screw.




This is the secret to the hinges. It's just a normal coupling for a 1-inch pipe, sanded out with a dremel. This got rid of the "ridge" in the middle where pipes would normally meet, and loosened it up on the pipe enough to swing freely. The hard part here, was getting the screws to go deep enough, once attached to the gate, to keep the screws from interfering with the free-movement of the hinge.




The entire gate assembled, attached, and open. It does touch the frame a SLIGHT bit in the lower left, but otherwise swings freely.



This is what the pen looks like now, with the tarp on it as well. A small slit has been placed in the very center to let rainwater drain back out. If I have nest boxes against the edges, the rain will still be far enough away from them not to cause harm. But since the weight of rain is detrimental to this lightweight construction design, I had to give it a way to drain off of the tarp. I DID think about actually making an auto-waterer out of it, but decided I would try that on a future pen. The tarp is most likely the only thing that will ever really need to be replaced on these.



The tarp didn't come in 10x10. Only 12x10 or bigger. So I have a two-foot overlap coming down the back side, which will kinda help protect wooden structures inside - such as nest boxes and roosting bars.





Another view of the tarp overlap.




This is a complete project, but there ARE finishing touches I plan to put on it. Since I have both a dremel and a soldering gun available to me, I plan to cut all excess length from the zip ties and either sand them down or melt them down to get rid of sharp edges. I also plan to do the same with any exposed metal edge where I cut the welded wire to fit. But for now, it's fully functional. All sharp edges are on the OUTSIDE of the pen anyway, so anything placed inside of the pen won't get hurt. As more paychecks come through, I'll buy more pipe, and fix up more pens. I have everything needed for another pen right now except the actual 10-foot pipes. Pens 3 through 5 will need corner elbows as well. And beyond 5 I will need all of that plus the welded wire and probably more zip ties. But I have all pipe Tees and normal 90-degree elbows for ten full pens, like I wanted from the beginning.


Next set of projects aside from this: Shelters and/or roost bars, and nest boxes.

I love this! I showed my husband last night and he liked it too. I couldn't tell though if you had the fence on the top too. I think we would need fence on the top seeing as there are stray cats in our area that love to rip holes in tarp. We had new tarp covering some wood in the yard once and a cat tore a huge hole in it then we had covered up some dirt to keep it from washing away in a rain storm and a cat tore a huge hole in that too. It was really good tarp and it was not cheap. I could really use one of these for letting the chicks/chicken range around the yard without worrying about something getting to them.

 

[ChickDancer]

I love this! I showed my husband last night and he liked it too. I couldn't tell though if you had the fence on the top too. I think we would need fence on the top seeing as there are stray cats in our area that love to rip holes in tarp. We had new tarp covering some wood in the yard once and a cat tore a huge hole in it then we had covered up some dirt to keep it from washing away in a rain storm and a cat tore a huge hole in that too. It was really good tarp and it was not cheap. I could really use one of these for letting the chicks/chicken range around the yard without worrying about something getting to them.

No, I didn't put fence on the top. I have three cats that love to sleep on things like this, but they can't really climb the sides of the fence on this, and 5 feet is a little too much for them to simply jump up. But wild cats may be different - mine are lazy! lol!

 

[pr0wlunwoof]

I have pretty good luck with a Little Giant incubator with a Little Giant egg turner, I also added a computer fan to prevent hot or cold spots. If you incubate in a room where the room temps stay constant, this is a great incubator for the price. I have around $100.00 invested. I bought a second Little Giant still air incubator that I use as a hatching box, this is a must if you have eggs that are set on different dates. If you want total automation and can afford one, Brinsea has several models that I spend a lot of time drooling over.

Yeah I got to looking at the brinsea brand yesterday. I think I am sold on the Mini advanced incubator. Might be an early Christmas present this fall after everyone starts laying and the weather cools off.

 

[Flowerbh]

I would be careful to think that this type of pen would keep out large predators. The holes are too big to keep out small possums or raccoons and a dog or coyote could easily dig under. I would suggest you use hardware cloth and plant the wire down into the earth at least 8-12". If you don't have large predators, this may work fine. We have bears, coyotes, etc here. I would also recommend a more sturdy top. What happens to the tarp when it rains? Will it sag?

 

[ChickDancer]

I would be careful to think that this type of pen would keep out large predators. The holes are too big to keep out small possums or raccoons and a dog or coyote could easily dig under. I would suggest you use hardware cloth and plant the wire down into the earth at least 8-12". If you don't have large predators, this may work fine. We have bears, coyotes, etc here. I would also recommend a more sturdy top. What happens to the tarp when it rains? Will it sag?

I have a slightly different idea for the bottom edges. I have a lot of welded wire leftover from the various cuts I've made, including a lot of long strings with 2" pieces sticking out from it. I'm going to semi-bury those at an angle coming out from under the pen like a "spike strip" to stop any animal from digging around it.

But really, the only problem I have here right now is the fox. I have catch-and-release traps that work fine on possums and raccoons. And I did buy the spring trap recently for the fox. But I still want to protect the poultry until the fox is caught and dealt with.

The old pen that everything stayed in worked rather well, even though it wasn't buried either. It was just 4-foot high sheet metal from an old above-ground pool with a green plastic net over the top. The fox did try digging in there once, but barely made a hole at all, and didn't ever get in and get any chickens. The bigger problem was actually the stupid cornish rocks trying to dig OUT to get whatever goodies lay in the dirt on the other side!

As for the tarp, I'm doing the same thing I did for the sumatra pen, which is to deliberately put a hole right in the very center for the rainwater to drain back out of it. The Sumatras have a similar set-up, although it's made with chain-link fencing, and only 6'Wx10'L. I even have their roosting bar going through the chain-link fence, positioned about 2 feet away from the drain hole in the tarp, so they remain dry even as the tarp drains into the center of their pen. Although the Sumatras also got pine needles and leaves in their tarp, but it still held up and drained like it was supposed to without touching them. The new pen I just built might get a few leaves here and there, but no pine needles at all.

And I'm thinking about taking those drain holes in the center of the tarp, and actually running pipes for them to empty out into a rain barrel. That will not only keep the tarp drained and dry, but help me collect rainwater to give back to the chickens to drink later on - because paying the city any amount of money for WATER is paying them too much already!