A garden is only as good as the ground that it's planted in. Discussion forum for the many ways to improve the soil where we plant our gardens.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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I am kinda winging this one with random stuff from around the yard. I cut these first shelves / nest boxes and I am not happy. For one I couldn't find my chalk box. So the shelves / nest boxes aren't even square. Anyway I want to make each nest a full one foot square. With one access side missing and steel grating for their floor. One shelf per side will be on the outside of the main frame. Then two boxes will sit inside the frame. One foot above the outside ones. I can get a third set of boxes in there. However I doubt I should put that many birds in a 4x4 box. Anyway with the 4 shelves @ 3 birds per shelf. It's pretty packed with just two rows. All this is subject to change as I have two new sheets of 3/4 ply and more of that old grating. To be truthful I am not sure which shelf should go where and why it should. It just seems to make sense to the make the outside row @ the bottom of the cage to me. I hope this ramble make sense... Ty
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,891
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I'm planning on getting some chickens too and, from what I have read on the chicken forum, they like to share nesting boxes! Perhaps you could get away with fewer....
How many chickens do you plan to get? I was going to get 2, just to try them out and now we're up to 4 and I don't even have them yet! That's chicken math for ya ![]() Linda |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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I have 6 pullets and one rooster here. They were hatched on the 8th of April. So yea I want the coop done asap. I had all kinds of different birds years ago. As i lived on a farm.
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Den of Drunken Fools
Posts: 38,539
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You place is like mine.
All sorts of stuff to pick through. ![]() Worth |
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3
Posts: 3,231
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Great idea on castors on the chicken coop, I think you are a talented carpenter. And I wish I had thought of staining and varnishing my big wooden wire spool when I had it. Can't remember what happened to it, probably left it at our last property when we moved.
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Dee ************** |
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Southeastern PA
Posts: 1,420
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Your hens will only sit in the nest boxes to lay their daily eggs and yes they will share. I have 9 hens and they only ever use one nest box per day. I have 5 nest boxes in my coop and they all use the same one every day. They see eggs in one and they use that one. Sometimes I will find 2 hens in the box at the same time.
You will need some bars for them to sit on (roost) at night. They will not want to sit on the floor. |
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#7 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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I'm starting to think that 6 boxes will be best for that coop. I will certainly get a decent amount of bars in the coop. I really can't wait to finish it. I have a few doc visits this week so it will need to wait a few more days. |
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#8 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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Yea I didn't make sense not to put casters on it. I knocked them off my outside bar and then rebuilt the bar into a nice table. So that worked out well. |
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#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Mechanicsville, VA zone 7a
Posts: 97
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You have a good start on what looks to be a nice coop. I have plans for one as well but got to get the shed built first. http://backyardchickens.com is a good sight for coop designs and basically all things fowl.
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"The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts." C.S. Lewis |
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#10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I don't know anything about chickens, but the spool table is pretty neat. Is that shellac on it?
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#11 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Southeastern PA
Posts: 1,420
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Here are some pics of my coop. We bought it at a local Amish place. You can see how I collect the droppings from under the roost for the compost pile. Unless it is snowing and freezing, the chickens spend most of their daytime hours either in the space under the coop or in the outside run. They only use the coop to avoid really bad weather, to lay eggs or sleep. |
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#12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
Posts: 3,891
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Nice coop! It looks very cozy
![]() Pretty chickies too ![]() Linda |
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Southeastern PA
Posts: 1,420
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Thanks I enjoy the colored eggs. They lay brown, blue, dark green and pinkish brown. I have not had a white egg in years!
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#14 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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I want to build my first chicken tractor after i get my #1 garden all planted. In the hope that the chicken will do all the work for me on garden #2. Of course it will be next year before I can plant #2. But should be in great shape from the chickens so I am a little stoked about that. I almost bought more chickens today & would have if my eBay store wasn't so slow. We are probably going to move north of Dallas at the end of the summer. As i don't think I can take another winter here with my RA. |
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#15 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: VA - Zone 7A
Posts: 344
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When the spools are no longer useful I will burn them in my barrel and watch with some cold beers. |
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