August 5, 2009

• This is turning into a marathon chicken coop building project.

  We spent all day working and that darn coop and it is still not done! We are exhausted (weary to the bone) sore, frustrated and perhaps there is even a bit of crankiness about the whole thing.

  Yesterday, we moved the coop to it's resting site. (Site leveled and prepared by me.....I now know I hate site work!)  I spent a lot of time yesterday doing little fussy jobs, like making a feeder, as stand for the water bowl, putting on side panels, fussy fitting door pieces, painting, etc., etc.

  Dh made the frames for the side, made the roof trusses, worked on the door that will open to the chicken yard......It all just seems like endless work.

  So, where are we now?

  We still have the chickens in our living room.

  

  The coop has three sides on it and no roof (but the rafters are made).  Oh yes, and we have the first coat of exterior paint on it, Royal Indigo.

  

  

  Inside you can see the feeder I made.....Lemme tell you how I did that!

  Because I am cheap thrifty, I wanted to make a feeder instead of pay $30-$40 to buy one.  I had seen pictures online of folks taking a five gallon bucket and a plant saucer and making a feeder and I wanted to do it too.

  

  I dug an old five gallon bucket out of the barn (free) and bored holes in the bottom and then made the holes a little bigger with the jigsaw.  Then, using nuts, bolts and big washers ($2ish), I bolted the blue pan to the bottom of the bucket. (We went to the feed store/garden store for a plant saucer, but they didn't have any, but they did have that handy blue feed pan at $4.69). 

  So for less than $7, I have a handy, dandy and huge feed bucket.  Now, I just gotta dig the bucket lid out of the barn to keep the chickens out of the bucket!!!

  Behind the bucket, you may note another one of my projects.  It is a stand for the water bowl.  Though there are fancy waterers akin to the feed bucket, we stick to the more straightforward approach: a bowl.  This is mainly because it is easier to wash out and because in the winter the water freezes in the container.  We use a rubber feed bowl for a waterer as it is simple to flip over and pop out the ice chunk.  Anyway, the stand is to keep the bowl out of the wood shavings and cleaner longer.  It is good and sturdy and won't tip (important because chickens do all kinds of silly antics that involve trying to knock over their water bowl).  I demonstrated to dh the sturdiness of the water bowl stand by climbing on it myself and doing a little dance.  He was very impressed, though I am not sure if from the carpentry or the dance.

  Today we rest.  Dh has to go back to work.  I am too tired to do another day. And, thankfully, it is raining...So I don't even have to feel guilty for taking a day off!

  I am thankful for a not-chicken-coop-building-day so that I can return to my mundane life of laundry and grocery shopping.  That was only a tad bit sarcastic....I really need to run to the grocery store and I am getting low on clean clothes.....I am glad for a chance to attend to these matters!!!

  The coop will have to wait until the weekend to be finished.

   

   

  • 7:15 am
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