Waterer

The chicks learning to use their new waterer

I bought this 5 gallon waterer for the chicks about 3 weeks ago from a guy on Craigslist. Since I finally got the coop & run finished and it was about 98deg today in Golden, I finally got the bucket hung for the girls. I hung it and they didn't look at it for a couple hours. I finally got in the run and took each chick and put their beaks right under the nipple.  I came back an hour or so later, and the above photo is what I saw.  So happy that I don't have to fill their little waterer twice a day, and that the chickens have as much water as they need.  I know during the winter I will need to figure out how to keep the water from freezing, but I'll leave that for a project in October.  Stay cool!

10 weeks

Mermaid, Princess Aurora and Bell - 10 weeks old

The chicks turned 10 weeks just a few days ago.  They are in the their coop at night and spending their days in the run.  I am excited because we are now about 1/2 to getting eggs and I hope to be eating some fresh eggs in early September.  The chicks are eating a ton now and drinking lots of water in these hot days.  As I was cutting up a watermelon for the family, I thought I would give them the rinds and they loved it.  I hope to start giving them more of our leftovers now.

The chicks digging into the gravel to find a cool place to lay

The chicks pecking at watermelon

Chicken Run - Completed

The chicks hiding under the ramp the first few moments in their new run

I got the chicken run completed this weekend!  I was a little worried about the chicks finding their way back into the coop, so I put some feed on the ramp.  I went out just before bedtime and the feed was gone and the chicks were in the coop.  :)   I put their feeder outside and water inside to also help promote going back and forth.

Add wiring on top

Door assembled

Chick feeder in run

  I also installed the feeder below the roof of the coop.  I want to keep the feed as dry as possible.

Wire added to east side

The chicks hiding under ramp in their first few minutes in the run

Chicken Run - Day 1

Chicken run - After Day 1

I got some time this week and got a head start on the chicken run.  I have been letting the chickens "free range" out in the back yard over the last two weeks.  I've let them out from 20min up to 4 hours and they really seem to enjoy exploring the yard.  However, I do need to get their run completed so they can go in and out of their coop on their own.  The run is basically a 4'x8' rectangle about 42" high.  I am going to enclose it with welded wire to prevent predators. (I saw a raccoon infront of the house just this week).  I am also going to add rock and gravel on the floor of the coop for moisture and chick poop drainage.  I will add a door for human access too.  I dont foresee spending a lot of time in the run, but I want to be able to get in there if need be.

This was a pretty expensive trip to Home Depot.  I had to buy 50' of 4' black welded wire $60, 7 bags of river rock $30, 7 bags of gravel $30 plus some extra 2"x4"s.  I also bought an electric staple gun which is AWESOME!  Its so easy to use and only cost $27.  I am a staple fiend now and it makes attaching the wire to the wood very EASY.

Step 1 - Build frame and staple the wire around the bottom

Step 2 - Add river rock

Step 3 - Add gravel

Step 4 - Add soil

I am pretty please with the progress today.  I need to build the door, then paint all the wood, then I will finally staple the wire fencing.  I'll post more photos as I get more work done.  Cheers!

Chick Feeder

Chick feeder with cap off

I built my own chick feeder from 3" PVC piping this week.  It took about 5 minutes to build and $14 worth of materials.  The goal is to allow enough food for the chicks to be ok for a couple days with out attendance to their feed, while keeping their feed dry and allowing external access to their feed.   I used a 2 1/4" hole saw.  Another chick owner made a similar feeder and used 3" hole saw to give the chickens enough room for their combs.  I have plenty of PVC left over, so I am going to see if these holes are big enough for the girls and cut another one if the chicks have trouble with the holes.  I'll post photos of it in the finished run when completed.

Chick feeder with cap on

8 Weeks

Mermaid, Princess Aurora, and Belle - 8 Weeks old

The chicks are 8 weeks now.  They all seem happy to be outside and are getting use to spending time pecking and hunting in the grass in their temporary pen.

They have also been in the coop for about 5 nights and I was happy to see Belle on her roost this morning when I went to check on them. Its interesting because they don't drink much all day long, then at night they empty their water bottle.  I wonder if the heat from the lamp through the night makes them thirsty?

Heat Lamp + Coop

At about 12:30am on the first night the chicks were in the coop, I checked the temp and it was about 48deg.  I know I know... they are just birds but I just couldn't let them be outside at that temp yet.  So I was a paranoid parent, and quickly set the heat lamp in the coop.  I will leave the nice heat bulb in there for a couple days, then move to another bulb for a few more days then take the heat lamp all together.  I think that will be good transition for the girls.

7 weeks old

Mermaid, Belle and Princess Aurora Sleeping Beauty - 7 weeks old

The chickens are now 7 weeks old.  I spend a lot of time looking online to find out at what age is ok to put the chicks outside.  The chicks feathers have come in and I have been letting them spent a lot of time outside this past week plus the weather is suppose to be pretty nice this week, so I decided it should be ok to put them in the coop.  My wife is happy to get them out of the house and I think the chicks will like having a bit more space then the box they have been living in.  I added 1/2 fresh new wood shavings and then I added their current wood shavings hoping the smell and familiarity will make the coop feel comfortable.  I also am using their small water bottle and feeder until I get the run completed. Once the run is completed, the coop will be free of food and water.  While I am a little worried about the chicks being outside at night, I am excited to have the coop done ahead of schedule.

I also put a screwed the chicken door shut until the run is finished.

The chicks checking out their new home

Mermaid, Princess Aurora and camera shy Belle checking out their new coop

Chicken Coop - Done!

Finished chicken coop

After recently getting the roof completed, painting main part of the coop white and caulking the coop, I was able to finish the coop today!!!  I am happy because I wanted to have it done at 8weeks and I beat that by about a week. I also completed the coop for about $100 and 15 hours of time.  The only materials I really needed to buy was 1 can of white paint, hinges/latch hardware and a variety of wood. Siding, caulk, screws, posts, acrylic, whiteboard wood are all materials left over from other projects.

I added a natural branch for a roost and covered up the nesting box access

I used 2 screws to put a piece of wood over the nesting boxes to keep the chicks out until they are closer to 20 weeks.

Chicken coop with main access door opened 

Main access door and nesting box with latches

I got a handle and lock added to the main access door and a handle and latch on the nesting box.  To be honest with you, I added the latches for predators but my real worry is not from animals, I am more nervous about the dumb ass drunk college neighbor kids jumping our fence and messing with the chickens...

Ventilation window and roof

Chicken door opened and ramp allowing chicken access to the run

Child labor

I had some help painting the coop this afternoon! My little girl got to help me "color" the coop and the 2"x4"s for the run.  For being 2 1/2 years old, she did a great job and it supports my feeling about why I am doing this for my family...  :)

Coop - Day 3 Afterwork work

Coop with door with out window

I had a a little bit of time this week in the evening after work to put some time into the coop.  I was able to get the door built, then I realized I needed a window.  So, I came back another evening and cut a window into the door, put shingles on the roof and caulked the coop.

I had a small strip of acrylic from a shelf project more then 10 years ago laying around so I used it to make the window.  I needed something that let me quickly look into the coop but I am a little worried that about the lack of ventilation on this side.  It will be nice in the winter, but I hope it doesn't get too hot in there in the summer with only 1 ventilation window.

I also made a litter fence inside the coop.  This piece of wood is removable and with the smooth finished laminate flooring, cleaning and sweeping out of the bottom of the coop should go pretty quick

My last few steps with the coop is painting it and getting the roof added.  I hope to get that done this weekend so I can start building the run!

Chicken Coop Inspector

The city send out a chicken coop inspector this afternoon.  She seemed a little young for the job but she was very happy and a little sweetheart.  She even tried out the chicken ladder for me!  :)

Coop - Day 2

Coop - Day 2 - 3 sides done and roof cut

After the VW car show on Sunday and got my daughter down for her afternoon nap, I had some time to put into the coop.  I had to purchase some 2"x4"s and some trim wood and my goal was to get all the sides done. I first laid the smooth white laminate board down on the bottom and put the two main walls up. Then I cut the siding pieces.

Chicken door down

Chicken door up

I then started working on the side with the chicken entrance.  I made the entrance 12" wide by 16" tall.  I made it so the door will slide up by a string.  Right now its a tight fit and I hope to sand it down a little so it will slide back via gravity. I will also need to make sure to watch where I paint around the door to keep it from being gunked up with paint.

East wall with ventilation window

I then quickly cut the short wall with the ventilation window. It was easy and quick to make.

Nesting boxes and lid

The last more involved wall was the south side with the nesting boxes.  I cut the opening to fit three 14" wide boxes.  I have heard sometimes chickens will all nest in one box but I am hoping each one want their privacy.

three 14" x14" holes to access the nest box

I added the smooth white laminate board to the bottom of the nesting boxes too

A view inside the nest box

A view from inside the coop looking at the nest boxes

The build for nest boxes went pretty well.  I spent a lot of time double checking measurements and finding the right sized scraps.  I got a nice heavy piece of siding for the top and used some hinges to make a top access for eggs.  I need to figure a way out to hold the nest box lid up when gathering eggs.

Overall, I am please with the days work.  I need to make the main access door next, put the shingles on the roof then I think it will be ready for paint.  Its a 3 day weekend with some nice weather so I hope to have the coop done by June 1st.  The next project will be the chicken run which I think will take a little more money, materials time, but thats for another post!  :)

Craigslist Items

I don't enjoy shopping, whether is for clothes or food, but for some reason I can easily get lost in Craigslist.  I have bought and sold lots of stuff on the site and think its a super useful tool on the web.  I look up bikes, cars, electronics and most recently, chickens and coops. I can across these two ads.

Chicken Coop Feeder

http://denver.craigslist.org/grd/3007348461.html

Chicken Coop Waterer

http://denver.craigslist.org/grd/3007336045.html

I really like these.  I don't necessarily want to go out and refill the chicks feeder and water every day so I like the idea of being able to store a couple pounds of feed and gallons of water. While, the feeder looks incredible easy to build, I think I may buy the waterer from the guy.  I dont know where to source the nipples from and when it comes to getting the chicks water, I don't want make a mistake or build anything that leaks. I also like meeting and supporting Craigslist people.  When working on my VW, I met a guy about 4 years ago and has now become one of my good car buddies. I'll let you know how the purchase goes and how my own feeder tube comes along. 

Chicks take a trip

The weather this past Sunday was finally nice enough that I felt confident the chicks wouldn't get too cold outside. I put up a quick pen for the chicks and took them outside for the first time.  The didn't explore as much as I thought and seemed pretty timid inside the pen.  I would like to keep taking them outside while we are out back for the next couple of weeks while I get the coop and run completed.