Reconstructing animal housing

Monek Marie
Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

My barn was severely damaged 4 years ago and last year a fisher came through and literally destroyed several of my chicken coops. I had no idea they could rip wire out of wood and flip pens. (The barn is being partially rebuilt this summer)

Two weeks ago I had to replace my rabbit pen roof before I had issues. I want to move this, its a 7 by 12 (free) kennel that I have added on to but the weather will not let me move it yet. Its frozen into the ground. I also jointly used this for ducks when it was really cold. It worked out only because it was cold. The ducks now have their own home. For the rabbits I would like to also make a colony area or at least a area they can take turns having more space to roam - but that is a late spring plan.

Last weekend it was create a bigger goat area. Two new pens in one week. And a small paddock that will be made bigger. I have plans for animal rotation this summer but need to get it all finalized on paper and then figure out the price.

This week I had to add a goat and kid pen for my new additions. The goat and 5 day old kids just arrived yesterday afternoon. They adapted well to their new home and surrounding, and just in time for a very cold night last night, I was out a 6 am to check on them and they are all doing well.

As soon as the weather breaks more I need to move my chicken coops but I need to have an area leveled first. But until then I will put up a mini hospital pen just in case I need it. That is todays or tomorrows project. I am using 6 foot by 9 foot pallets so it will go up fast. I am just looking for cheap or free roofing. Wish me luck

And its time to make my new raised beds and get up the smaller greenhouse. I had to wait until weather improved. Even if its cold I can still get work done

I admit I am tired!

Comments

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Oh, all ther work I did in the last two weeks I did with foraged materials or what I had on hand.

    I do have to go buy a roll of wire today which will cost about $5. I am looking for free doors this weekend

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin
    edited March 2021

    @Denise Grant Are you using wire hardware cloth?

    We need to redo a few pens as well. I recently sold approximately 30 chickens and may get rid of more. So many pens need a complete overhaul, so less residents makes that more simple.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning Yes, where I live by a creek that attracts all kinds of beasts, hardware cloth is a must. My pens are reinforced so I was stunned when a fisher could rip them up. I was lucky and got a truck full of hardware cloth for scrap fee a few years ago.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning

    I also decided to get rid of a few chickens. It was a hard decision but I want to rethink what I have been doing. I tried just about every chicken breed and now I want to just stick with the ones I like the best. And of course heritage breeds.

    I also needed to redesign my backyard area and farm area so all building get redone. Thankfully I get most of my supplies for free or close to it.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Denise Grant I understand that decision. However, I am not sure that in the end, that I will have less. (Oops?)

    I had one breed (the black...and blue...and by default, splash, jersey giants) ready to go forward using a clan system this spring. I was excited to be in this position. But, I sold most of them along with some extra roosters I had. There was a total of 10 trios and a couple hens. I sold more than I had advertised and people were still asking.

    This is a breed that I absolutely love. I knew they were very rare. I knew that I had really good stock and was doing well with improving my flock. I just looked at a popular and respectable breeder's site today and could easily see that mine were closer to the SOP, even though those were winning ribbons at shows. To part with those was very, very hard. I agonized over it for well over a year. I have had them since 2014 or 2015. I kept 2 trios as I cannot fully part from those beautiful & regal birds. One day, I hope that my kids will take them & I think they will if they are able.

    I decided that I would now focus on my French black copper marans and my separate French blue copper as well. You don't find blue copper anymore (only blue without copper) and it is getting extremely difficult to find stock of the FBlackCM in Canada that lay really dark eggs. I am working at increasing my blues this year & darkening their eggs next year with the newbie blacks coming my way.

    I am also planning on buying rare/endangered heritage breed turkeys (and eggs from elsewhere for gene diversity) and some chocolate ameraucana that lay only blue eggs. I confirmed my order today for 18 eggs of both the chocolates & FBCM eggs. Its pricey, but my beautiful JGs have enabled me to finally pursue this wonderful path.

    Selling of my well loved stock is enabling me to move forward with other birds. This helped me tremendously, but they were still handed over with some sadness tempered with hope. I did choose my buyers carefully. I know they will be loved and those who bought more groups will honor the breed.

    I tell people to try out a variety. Get pure heritage birds. Don't get hatchery due to lack of reliability of traits. It is also very important to keep the heritage breeds pure & improve the stock. A person will find their favorites. Once found, put your love & energy into those in particular & you will be rewarded.

    Please let me know what you are moving forward with. I am always interested in the work people are doing with heritage breeds.

    Anyway, enough poultry talk from me. I'm sure everyone here must be tiring of all my talk about them. But...I do very much enjoy them and am passionate, no doubt.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning

    My friend talked me in to chickens. Actually she bought some and gave them to me. Raised them at her home, showed me how to do it and had me up to take care of them and learn. I was totally hooked on chickens by the end of the summer.

    As I looked and tried other chicken breeds, never the new hybrids, I studied heritage birds and knew the importance of keeping them around.

    I am not sure exactly where I will head but I do love French Black Copper Marans and love to have color, real color in my eggs. I have yet to get a decent blue laying chicken.

  • Monek Marie
    Monek Marie Posts: 3,539 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited March 2021

    Its hard to decide how to build or create coops in my climate. Our winters may or may not be harsh. In a harsh winter you have to take in large snow falls and possible ice. Mild winters mud and freezing rain.

    I also have to really prepare for predators so easy lightweight coops and chicken tractors can be dangerous to my chickens health.

    I finally decided that chain link fencing, the ones in panels make an easy to move fast coop that I can make extra predator proof very easy. I can move it in less than 30 minutes if I make the roof attachable. In the winter I adjust the front gate/door so its a foot higher than the rest of the pen for deep snow and I also can attach a entryway in front the door the stop deep snow build up. I look for cheap old kennels. If I find them I have to get them as fast as possible - they go fast

    I also attach what could be considered a sun room or mini greenhouse to the coop and place the water in there so it does not freeze in the winter. This spring I am making everything attachable so that I can move a coop by myself in very little time. Its taken 8 years to figure this out, lol.

    And I found my free roofing. An old metal shed. I am making frames using pallet wood so the roof can be taken off. This I may need help with, depending on the weight of the pallet wood.