OK, get out alrady. me too.... just a couple more pics and i'll be caught up... on this anyhow LOL
i used the pen for the kiddo for a few days, it was really helpful! but then i moved the birds in prematurely.... before they had a gate on!
Hen Havens, Poopy Drawers, and other non-essentials
another closeup. he took the time to trim out every palce that had hardware cloth. thankfully he made the gates a little narrower, so now there are little "windows" in between. the first two pens had problems with the framed doors made of landscape timber. it doens't rian much here, but when it did, i couldn't open the gates from the wood swelling. so he welded these out of angle iron from twin sized bed rails...
we also saw the problem with the old landing wood, it was cracked, and was gooing to give splinters and not support the weight eventually. so i suggested some scarp lineoleum i had picked up at a garage sale. he managed to put it on in such a way that you dont' see the diamonds. so it is useful but not annoying! here you see the first gate he welded... in front of the middle pen, and the big crack in front of the first...
linoleum going down...
we had some left over hardware cloth formth e roll we used on the first two pens, for the front and angled sides. for the top and dividers, we decided to go with some scrap 2 " chicken wire. this is how twisted it was...
and this is how straight he got it!
notice all the bracing in the roof, so he could climb on it, or even sleep on it LOL
i think that is all i have on the pc for now. the birds are all really enjoying it! now all we have left in the house are 10 chicks from last week, and a few more eggs in the bator to hatch tomorrow.... once all the chickens are OUT, we can work on our house again, YIPPEE!
meanwhile, time to clean up all the unused building supplies, that messy yard in the background is hosting a birthday party next Friday!
tf
Amazing! How on earth did he straighten that wire out?
MollyD
this wire had "run lines", which go down through every foot. you mark off foot to foot, then stretch it by hand, and staple as you go... he makes it sound so easy, but he used and air stapler, and he was on top of the cage, plus he had nailed in 1 xs every two feet down each side of the top for stapling to.
we still haven't put in the dividers. i suggested we wait, and just let them have fun flying back and forth and deciding who they want to room with.. the dividers will be from the remaining wire, which is what is pictured there. i took the before photo actually after the fact, it was in much worse shape when there was 18 more feet of wire there.
so, in a nut shell, it can be done IF the wire is made with the run lines.... i guess we lucked out!
still not really finished. need locks and handles on th edoors... and i want the mesh shade cloth instead of the tarp, but not until he builds the shelters for them...
and needs a good cleanup out there. but today is planting day. i had a "meeting" wiht the boys to explain that their summer break would be earliy, starting NOW and ending in June, we do a year round schedule. the middle child pouted [he never misses an opportunity to complain] so i will let him work on phonics on the computer still...
thanks for the compliment. DH needs all the encouragement he can get. it has been hard working out there in hte heat with a tooth absessing.
since hteese phottos he has put in a four wire clothes line, and now he is building a ;yard cart for the garden tractor. out of scrap angle iron, sucker rod for axles [jus tfinished the back axle] and wheels from an old radio flyer wagon...
The word amazing keeps popping into my head! I have a wire fence I'm taking down and I want to re-use the fencing for the chicken coop. Our horse had stomped on it several times over the years. Now if I knew what a run line was I could do it LOL
MollyD
i wihs i was one of those creative folk swho could draw things with letters and symbols on the keyboards.... ;but i do hav ea cmaera LOL...
meanwhile, look really close and maybw you will see this exttra wire that runs across [short ways] the wire. you can liekly see it best on the roof...
tf
Sorry, tried but couldn't detect anything other than the fence itself :-(
MollyD
I think I know what you are talking about TF, but I didn't know it had a name or what it was for. It was just one more wire I had to cut through. I guess I thought is was some sort of stablizer. It is that thin wire that isn't a part of the general pattern of holes--just runs through them, right?
ah I know what you mean now. My fence wire doesn't have it but I have seen it on chicken fencing.
Thanks Catscan!
MollyD
yes, thanks catscan! and i described it wrong. it goes the whole length of your roll, one wire for every foot. if you look at a roll of three foot wire, you will see two of them going AROUND the roll. a five footer, four of them. use that to stretch the wire evenly...
my DH is a DYankee, and has a nmae for everything...
BTW, that roof offically can hold ME. a hen was on top at dusk, i climbed up and down without busting anything!
Good thing he made it strong!!
I got my first goose scratch today. I moved Hanzel and all the others into a temp shelter outside for a few hours so they could get air and eat stuff while I cleaned their place out. When it was time to go home Hanzel threw a fit and managed to scratch my wrist. I hadn't realized he had sharp claws on those webbed feet!
I put a triple antibiotic on it just in case.
MollyD
aw, heck, their feet are generally clean LOL.
my first duck scratch left a scar! hope it clears up... that's what we get for taking care of them i guess...
had two of the five duck eggs in the incubator get out today, with a little help, and took them out to Olive, our head mom muscovy. she is on a nest, and i was thinking it's about time for those to hatch. i guess if she abandons it, i can put those in the bator?
btw, DH has been working latley on other things. he put upclotheslines, then built a garden cart for the tractor. today he finally made another door latch, still lack one, and he put shade cloth on the pens. will post pics tomorrow.
night
tf
I'd like to see the cart he makes for that tractor!
MollyD
Wow, Tammy, those are awesome pens your DH built! My poor DH is one of those really smart, genius types who can't cut a length of wood the correct length, so I have to try to build things. I am definitely going to use your beautiful pens as a sample of how well these things can be done - and you did so much of it with salvaged wood, etc.
I bet your chickens love it.
Thanks so much for sharing all these wonderful pictures of the work in progress!
Beth
so glad you all are enjoying it. i was beginning to think maybe it was turning into a brag thread.... truly is un-believable to me what can be done with the rigth tools and a little planning. a friend that stopped by yesterday called them chicken townhouses, but i wouldn't go that far LOL. i have seen some REALLY nice stuff other DGers have made to keep their chickens comfy. it's been inspiring, to say the least...
that shade cloth is really helpful. we got a 65% shade mesh cloth, wind proof, with grommets and all. but it was 8x10, and pens 3,4,&5 are about 14 across the top, plus two four foot sides....
well, he doubled it at the front, which means it is TOTAL shade there [chicks are NOT complianing!]. and i had a 100 foot roll of black weed barrier that i had not used yet. so he cut that to fit the sides, and took it up on the top at one end. so pen #3 has got almost TOTAL shade.
of course, once summer is over, we will have to re-figure a few things. sun will be important to have then. but till he gets the shelters built to put inside, this will work great. also, we aren't sure ho it will do in heavy rain or snow. we are really in a drought, but now and then it comes down hard...
now, i don't recommend using the weed barrier for shade clothe entirely, esp i a small coop. it's not breathable like mesh shade cloth, and doesn't let ANY sun in... but it worked in a pinch, was freed, and is easily replaced. he just cut down strips from scarp wood and fastened it down over the chicken wire...
here it is on the last part. he already has the shade cloth down with stirps over it
now he's fastening the weed barrier to cover what is left... it is rather dark in that pen, but they will have a hole in the wall to go inside to a hen haven, light, nesting boxes, etc.
haven't decided if that pen is for DH's polish [he only has two!] or the bantam cochin [there are ten]
from the other side. you can see where the tarp over the north pen is about to give way. the wind is really bad here. but when you use mesh shade cloth, it is supposed to be wind resistant. the way DH stapled it down, i don't think it had a choice LOL...
so we need to decided how to handle shade in the north pen. on the west end i have planted some things, but we will likely do something on the east end...
looking like a finished project. but before he gets his strawberry-rhubarb jam, he needs ONE MORE door latch... then i'll call it good for now ^_^
say a prayer for his tooth, he didn't sleep much last night, trying to catch some z'sss now...
yeah, there are lots of things he should maybe do LOL. right now he's gonna get the property cleaned up for the big boy birthday party, and oh, yeah, set up the pool too!
he got his just rewards today, thanks to granny_goody. i'll post the pics tomorrow.
thanks for the compliments, i wouldn't trade Doug, well most days anyhow LOL
well, i dont' think he notices when i take pics with him in them...
and when he gets on the computer he just wants to play games. but i remind him now and then that soandso needs to know this or that about it, or someone wants a pic of the cart, so remind me....
personally, i hope it makes him feel good!
coop d-ville! i think i like that better than bantam townhouses? whatcha think? can i paint a sign???
OK, not getting around to pics tonight... sorry.
tf
hre is a nutritious breakfast...
goat's milk, coffee, berries, waffles...
what is missing?
Granny's Goodies!
well, so i forgot to take the pic AFTER i spread the strawberry rhubarb jam on DH's waffles [coffee and milk was for ME]... maybe cause he snatched it up so fast!
that was a breakfast he certainly earned... for those who don't know i ordered three half pints for DH [from granny_goody], one for father's day, one for our anniversary, and the first he could not open till he finsihed those pens!!!
thanks GG!
tf
You are so very welcome, TF. My next project is to make hot pepper jam. I have all the ingredients so I guess I will be making it today if I can stand that long. Of course that is after I go get my hair cut. Can't stand it any longer. I have an appt. for this morning.
GG
^_^
mmmmmm...
Way to go on the hen havens, DH Doug! So sorry
about the tooth- I have had 1 or 2, and I know how
painful, and unending it can be. Clove- put a clove
in it, it works.
I know your chicks are happy with the shade cloth-
I am lucky to have a lot of trees for mine, and they
only go in the partially shaded goat pen at night.
Sounds like a wonderful breakfast. I was bad and
had blackberry cobbler for breakfast. No- my 3 little
ones are not producing till next year, stopped at a
fruit stand and got a little basket. The little green
plastic baskets will make great hatching baskets,
by the way. DH saw it right off- he's looking at the
grocery for more today. I need 5 total for the quail.
I got my hair cut the other day Granny. It was
especially hot that day, too, so it felt Mahvelous!
Cut about 4" in length, and did some cute framing
layers. DS and DH liked it a lot- DH reeeely liked it.
You should have seen his eyes light up when I
got home. LOL
Joni, I keep my hair almost as long as a mans. Since I am tender-headed, it is the only way I can keep it. Plus, when it gets long enough to get in my face, I can't stand it. I tried to get her to cut it all off, but she wouldn't.
The only time she did was when I had chemo and knew I was going to lose it anyway, so she took off what she could. Then when it came out, all I had to do was to run the washcloth over it and all the rest of it came off with that.
GG
Oh my Granny! How awful you had to have chemo,
and utterly fantastic you had such a great attitude
about losing your hair! I bet it was liberating, though.
Take That! cancer!!
I can not tolerate hair in my face, it drives me
bonkers, especially on hot days while I'm working
outside. I elect to keep most of mine, though, I
like to french braid it. If ever I need that bad chemo-
I am going to remember your story, and you are
going to be an important part of my inspiration, dear.
I'll just have my DS tattoo a french braid on my scalp.
way to go with the good attitude GG!
truest, i wish i could get mine long enough to braid. i do well keeping it long enough to put in a clip. i think if i were to ever get a tatoo, a french braid would be on the top of my list. could my brian stand all that ink?
tf
oh, i haven't forgotten about the pics of the garden cart. just don't get out there with the camera. well, i DO get out there with the camera, but i am usually shooting it at live things on two legs like chickens and children, while DH if off DRIVING the dern thing.... so, stay tuned...
just an FYI, i will be selling the seabrights in order to free up a penthouse for Pecky & Rocky, and selling the brahmas to make room in number # for Clyde and Ahnold..... hope all will be Home on the Range soon...
lawn tractor pictures:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/859575/
trash to treasure forum, seemed appropraite.... ask any questions, i will pass on to DH. he tells me what he is doing, but sometimes things don't stick in my brain if i don't think i'll need it...
Hehehe, I had so much fun looking at all these pics. Dang you are so lucky having a DH to work like that for you. I am going to MAKE my DH sit down here and look thru these pics. Maybe I can tell him we are not going on vacation over the 4th of july weekend if he doesnt have me a coop built. We have everything to build a nice coop except for the screws and staples. No problem I will be going to town friday and I can get them then, all ready for saturday project. I do have that twin bunk bed frame, and mentioned to him last night that he is going to make something out of it. I kinda got the rolled eyes but it was the kind I know your not going to leave me alone untill i do it type eye rolling.
All the ideas I have now.
Thanks