fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[3KillerBs]

Speaking of swimming, my yard is awash from the drenching rain we're having today...there are puddles everywhere.

I feel the pain. I have places in my yard where I'm sinking in as I walk and we actually have a slow-moving landslip on one of the grades.

 

[fuzzi]

Great build thread. I didn't see it here in the Family Life forum as I don't stumble this way often.

Thanks! I didn't realize there was a coop build thread so I placed mine here.

 

[fuzzi]

It took me MONTHS to get my coop/run done. But, it was mostly done an hour or so at a time in the evenings. I'd spend more time pulling out tools/supplies and putting things away than I did building.

Oh. Yes. I'm tempted to get a little cart for all the stuff I haul back and forth.

 

[fuzzi]

We have a regional chain around here Family Farm and Home. Last week they were getting their bins ready for chicks.

All we have is Tractor Supply.

I'm hoping that the farm/hatchery I found with Sussex bantams still has some when I am done. I did tell my contact at the farm that I would email back once I was done with the build.

 

[fuzzi]

I've been keeping an eye out for square buckets to make more feeders/waterers. My street is all about dogs. Just 1 cat owner and they use bagged kitty litter.

Check with animal rescue groups, shelters. That's where I used to get cat litter buckets for gardening and bird food storage.

 

[Krugerrand]

Check with animal rescue groups, shelters. That's where I used to get cat litter buckets for gardening and bird food storage.

That's a GREAT idea! I don't have any super close to me ... but next time I'm driving by one of them, I'll probably do that.

 

[WingsysRoost]

This is an excellent build thread! Thank you for sharing!

Best of luck with your future building plans and chickens!

 

[fuzzi]

This is an excellent build thread! Thank you for sharing!

Best of luck with your future building plans and chickens!

Thank you so much for your feedback!

I was gifted with an organization gene. My son has it too. It's not OCD, it's ATDS, Attention to Detail Syndrome

 

[fuzzi]

Saturday...the project continues...

I ran my errands this morning, bought extra zip-ties, but came home without fender washers...they're prohibitively expensive, 4 washers for $2.50? I try to buy local as much as I can, but I guess I'm going to have to go online. I checked, 100 fender washers for about $12 on Amazon. That'll do.

With assistance from my dh I attached the two leftover pieces of hardware cloth to make it long enough to cover the remainder of the coop. Of course I used zip-ties!
View attachment 3402410
Close up:
View attachment 3402415
And up onto the hoop it went!

Then came the tedious task of zip-tying each section of hardware cloth to the cattle panel structure and to each other, with about a 2" overlap over each adjacent section. When I got to the top of the structure I was able to feed the zip-ties through with the use of a tool I bought on a whim several years ago:
View attachment 3402437
View attachment 3402438
Once I finished attaching the hardware cloth with zip-ties I attached it to the 2x4 frame with screws and the remaining fender washers. I'll add more once my online order arrives.

I trimmed the ends off the zip-ties, finishing just as it was getting dark and COLD. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain all day, so the final side, the end with a DOOR, will have to wait until next weekend.
View attachment 3402444
Feels good!


@FunClucks @gtaus

Or..."One More Reason I Try To Buy Locally"...

...my Amazon order of fender washers arrived yesterday. At least, the shipping bag from Amazon arrived, sealed but TOTALLY EMPTY.

Oops.

"Replacement" order should be here tomorrow or Saturday.

 

[fuzzi]

It's a stormy and windy day here, so no outside work can be done until tomorrow. I'm going over threads for more ideas on the door wall to my hoop coop AND roosts.

Roosts
Since the cattle panels already have a tight covering of HWC, my previous thoughts on putting 2x4s through the panels is moot. I could put a screw and fender washer through the hoop wall and into the end of a 2x4 that spans the structure, but it couldn't be easily removed. I would rather have something solid but moveable for ease in cleaning.

Door
I'm constructionally (?) challenged. I liked someone else's hoop coop cattle panel door, but that would entail buying another panel ($35) and cutting it down to size. I have some coated garden fence that I could "sandwich" between 1x4s (would have to purchase some of those) and create a door as another BYC member did, see attached photos.

I still have one 2x4x16' PT board that I plan to use for the door frame. I think I want to make the door 3' wide so access with a cart or wheelbarrow is possible.

Door ideas below:

I like this one, too, but don't know if I want to spend the money on another cattle panel just for a door.

I suppose if I bought another cattle panel, cut it in half (2 4'x8' sections) and used one half as the door wall it might be feasible.

ETA: Nope. I would have to cut TWO 6' sections of the 4'x16' cattle panel, attach them side by side and then cut the outside edges to match the hoop curve. Still thinking here.