malewithatail
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Location: Northern Rivers NSW
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Post by malewithatail on Mar 9, 2024 7:04:00 GMT 10
I will try and post a picture of one of the trailers we use. The door on the front automatically opens in the morning and I close it at night after making sure they are all in.
The circuit is very simple, and doesn't have any sophisticated electronics in it, just a 12 volt headlamp relay, a few switches a diode, small micro-switch as a limit switch to shut the old 12 v drill motor off when the door is opened, and a 12 v solar panel that does the sun sensing and charges the small 12 v sealed battery via a homemade regulator. A Jaycar regulator can be used instead though. The door is held closed with a small Bunnings magnetic door catch, and the electric drill is an old style type with no electronics and bailing twine as a simple winch arrangement pulling the door open.
Chooks handle hot days well, probably better than I do ! As long as they have shade, and they all congregate under the trailer on hot days, and plenty of fresh water, they will be OK.
If I save time, when do I get it back again ?
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Post by Joey on Mar 9, 2024 8:11:36 GMT 10
You've posted a picture of them before somewhere, but it was a distance shot so not really showing details on it.
This morning I measured up the spot where I plan to put the coop, the max width I can go is 135cm between the fence garden and the raised beds, but I have the full width of the yard to make a super long run if I want to spend that much on mesh and roofing sheets.
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malewithatail
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Posts: 3,315
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Location: Northern Rivers NSW
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Post by malewithatail on Mar 9, 2024 8:19:18 GMT 10
Another advantage of the old trailer is that the floor is metal, totally mite free. Just clean out the used sawdust every few weeks (for the garden), and put fresh stuff and nesting straw in.
Trailers are easy to move using the ATV or quad, or even pushing, but if manually pushing the tires have to be OK, but if using the ATV, no issue if they are flat. Anyway, the trailer is only moved 20 foot or so at a time.
If Q were castrated, would he become O ?
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Post by spinifex on Mar 9, 2024 8:22:41 GMT 10
Id put insulation under the roof and shading over the top.
I've always gone with a porus floor to the night house for good ventilation and enable cleaning with a pressure hose. 30mm Weldmesh or timber slat. leave a 70mm gap in the floor along one wall so that big chuncks of shit can be blasted to it with water and then fall through onto the ground below. There may be some pictures in my gardening thread.
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Post by Joey on Mar 9, 2024 9:05:39 GMT 10
This is my messy yard. My best plan is to tear out the watermelon when the current crop is finished and put the coop here. The total footprint will have to fit within 3x1.4m including the run area. I could extend the 2.4m side out to maybe 3m if I take it out to the bamboo garden, and if I want to make it turn at a right angle to give a more sheltered run area I can turn it along the pathway there.
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Post by Joey on Mar 9, 2024 20:45:54 GMT 10
My sister sent me photos of her coop today for ideas. Hers is a simple wood frame about the size of those typical garden tin sheds and covered on the walls/roof in poly roofing sheets. She has a few roost bras in it and 2 laying boxes screwed to the wall on the inside with a ramp to them. There is no front wall to the shed part and opens to a run area that is about the same size as the shed part. With an open front like this is that viable for regards to the weather?
Sorry with the stupid questions but I've been doing a lot of research for this project lol
With regards to treated wood for the build, everybody says to avoid using it for the chemical leeching etc, but what other options do we have for wood as pretty much all Bunnings sells is variations of treated wood. I was thinking of using the black form ply for the box parts as its got the smooth sealed coat to reduce the mites issue compared to using regular ply or slats. With regards to weather protecting the wood, so many people on youtube are painting their coops, would non-toxic paint be a viable option? just to cover the weatherproofing side of things for the outside of the coop. I looked at the option of building the frame structure with steel box to reduce the amount of wood/termite proofing but it quickly came up to 3 times the price compared to building out of wood
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Tim Horton
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Post by Tim Horton on Mar 10, 2024 5:11:18 GMT 10
Joey... I have the full width of the yard to make a super long run if I want to spend that much on mesh and roofing sheets....
Sounds like you have the option of building an initial structure then adding to the run as you can.. For instance an over night coop for 12-20 birds.. And a run for 6-10 birds.. Then expand.. ??
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malewithatail
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Posts: 3,315
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Location: Northern Rivers NSW
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Post by malewithatail on Mar 10, 2024 6:51:27 GMT 10
Timber for the chook project. Go to the local saw mill and get some off size 3 X 2 hardwood. Most mills have a pile of it that's out of gauge from saw blade run outs etc and usually pile it up either to re cut to a smaller size or just burn it.
Even if you work out what you need and give them the list, in the long run its gonna be better for the health of the birds than using Bunnings rubbish treated softwood that's probably imported. Give your local mill a try and keep Australia running.
If you associate with the wise, you will become wise as well.
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Post by Joey on Mar 10, 2024 11:16:48 GMT 10
Sadly for me the "local" saw mills are a 3hr drive away, Bunnings is a 2hr drive away as well. I have a mitre10 here in town buit they only stock very limited stuff and are traditionally super expensive top buy stuff from.
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Post by spinifex on Mar 10, 2024 11:33:37 GMT 10
My sister sent me photos of her coop today for ideas. Hers is a simple wood frame about the size of those typical garden tin sheds and covered on the walls/roof in poly roofing sheets. She has a few roost bras in it and 2 laying boxes screwed to the wall on the inside with a ramp to them. There is no front wall to the shed part and opens to a run area that is about the same size as the shed part. With an open front like this is that viable for regards to the weather? Sorry with the stupid questions but I've been doing a lot of research for this project lol With regards to treated wood for the build, everybody says to avoid using it for the chemical leeching etc, but what other options do we have for wood as pretty much all Bunnings sells is variations of treated wood. I was thinking of using the black form ply for the box parts as its got the smooth sealed coat to reduce the mites issue compared to using regular ply or slats. With regards to weather protecting the wood, so many people on youtube are painting their coops, would non-toxic paint be a viable option? just to cover the weatherproofing side of things for the outside of the coop. I looked at the option of building the frame structure with steel box to reduce the amount of wood/termite proofing but it quickly came up to 3 times the price compared to building out of wood I used the old green treated pine for all the posts in the fences and as the main uprights for the night house/laying shelter. 18 years ... never a problem. The birds don't touch it. The only time the green CCA becomes a problem is when it's reduced to ash. The ash is full of nasty forms of arsenic and chromium.
If heat is an issue where you are I'd think twice about using polycarb on the structure. It makes a great greenhouse for plants so it will possibly overheat your chooks. My chooks used to love getting in under shade trees during the summer and scratching around in damp earth.
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Post by Joey on Mar 10, 2024 16:27:13 GMT 10
My sister sent me photos of her coop today for ideas. Hers is a simple wood frame about the size of those typical garden tin sheds and covered on the walls/roof in poly roofing sheets. She has a few roost bras in it and 2 laying boxes screwed to the wall on the inside with a ramp to them. There is no front wall to the shed part and opens to a run area that is about the same size as the shed part. With an open front like this is that viable for regards to the weather? Sorry with the stupid questions but I've been doing a lot of research for this project lol With regards to treated wood for the build, everybody says to avoid using it for the chemical leeching etc, but what other options do we have for wood as pretty much all Bunnings sells is variations of treated wood. I was thinking of using the black form ply for the box parts as its got the smooth sealed coat to reduce the mites issue compared to using regular ply or slats. With regards to weather protecting the wood, so many people on youtube are painting their coops, would non-toxic paint be a viable option? just to cover the weatherproofing side of things for the outside of the coop. I looked at the option of building the frame structure with steel box to reduce the amount of wood/termite proofing but it quickly came up to 3 times the price compared to building out of wood I used the old green treated pine for all the posts in the fences and as the main uprights for the night house/laying shelter. 18 years ... never a problem. The birds don't touch it. The only time the green CCA becomes a problem is when it's reduced to ash. The ash is full of nasty forms of arsenic and chromium.
If heat is an issue where you are I'd think twice about using polycarb on the structure. It makes a great greenhouse for plants so it will possibly overheat your chooks. My chooks used to love getting in under shade trees during the summer and scratching around in damp earth.
Yeah I was thinking of putting a whirlie bird on top of it to help with the heat, otherwise I can do a couple of inch air gap between the top of the walls and the roof sheet and fill with the mesh
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Post by Joey on Mar 14, 2024 18:34:33 GMT 10
So quick one for the ground of my coop. Because it'll be built on top of a current garden that will be cleared, what is the best to cover the ground with for the areas inside the coop when the chooks will be scratching around? Should I leave it as the garden soil or should I lay pea gravel or something on top?
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malewithatail
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Location: Northern Rivers NSW
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Post by malewithatail on Mar 15, 2024 7:48:54 GMT 10
Let em scratch it all up, add a bit of sawdust if it gets too wet, but they will enjoy scratching up all the bugs etc.
Every so often u will need to attack the area with the brushcutter to get rid of weeds, but again, just leave them there for the chooks to scratch through. Note: Lock em in first as they hate the brushcutter !!
The formal term is Bovine Fecial Material.
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Post by spinifex on Mar 16, 2024 7:53:13 GMT 10
So quick one for the ground of my coop. Because it'll be built on top of a current garden that will be cleared, what is the best to cover the ground with for the areas inside the coop when the chooks will be scratching around? Should I leave it as the garden soil or should I lay pea gravel or something on top? Yep. Leave as soil. They’ll fertilise it and work it over and after a year or two it’ll become excellent potting mix.
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Post by spinifex on Mar 16, 2024 7:55:16 GMT 10
So quick one for the ground of my coop. Because it'll be built on top of a current garden that will be cleared, what is the best to cover the ground with for the areas inside the coop when the chooks will be scratching around? Should I leave it as the garden soil or should I lay pea gravel or something on top? Yep. Leave as soil. They’ll fertilise it and work it over and after a year or two it’ll become excellent potting mix.
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