Selling the Chicken Tractor and Chicken's New Home

Well folks, sometimes the best laid plans. . . 

Last year, I showed you a post about the chicken tractor.

You can find that post here.

To date, that has been my most visited page and has received the most pins.

I actually like it too; however, I'm going to sell it.

What I discovered is that it doesn't work for how I run my birds.

It was perfect for a while when "the girls" were young,

and I kept them pinned.

They got to follow a couple days behind the lambs.

As they grew and knew well where their home was,

the mobile coop wasn't necessary.

I could just lift it during the day so they could free-range all day,

then at night they would return to their tractor to roost so the need

for wheels/mobility was gone.

Then we had a Wowza! of a winter ~ the winter of winters.

We had 4-5 feet of snow at any given point for a good 4 months.

The tractor is only a couple feet high at the coop and 

about 4-4.5 ft. high at the house. 

I wasn't intending on giving them a heat lamp, but with subzero temperatures

for long stretches of times, I had to figure out a way to "rig up" a heat lamp

in a fashion that was both safe and effective.

If we hadn't had the winter we did, I would probably be keeping it.

Sooo,

the question then became what to do.

We are empty nesters - the kids have flown the coop~

(sorry, couldn't resist:)

The playhouse that once housed the toys and toddler activity

sat as a decaying storage for 'stuff.'

Here are a couple "before" photos.

So we went to work on it.

You can see there was still snow on the ground which made it a little more difficult to shuffle and sort the "stuff."

But one of the first things I did was cover those crazy colors 

with some left-over white.

Then came the real work.

(Too funny, Mr.LB kept a beard for winter since it was cold for so long.  He has since shaven so it seems funny to see him so furry.)

I also need to mention that this is reason one million, forty-two

why I love Mr.LB.

I had a ton on my plate right about the time 

"the Wees" were ready to emerge from their tote.

I get a different breed each year so I can tell how old they are 

simply by the breed.

Each group seems to get a name.

The Barredrocks were "the Girls."

(They are gone now - long sad story.)

The Rhode Islands are "the Wees." (They were wee ones but have grown.)

And, here are a couple "after" photos.
Sorry they are a little dark.
It's been rainy so my natural light is not as powerful as usual.
We have to run a cord for power which we don't do for summer.

It doesn't take them long to make a mess does it?

And here it is occupied~

Yes the shelf is crooked.
Number 4 thinks it's sooo funny to jump up there to roost.
Then she pretends to be all in a tither when I get her and put her in the coop.
We don't have the outside coop made yet.
For now I just go out and open the door each morning and
go out and close them in each evening.

So, while it's not my ideal coop, they are safe and come winter,
it should be much easier to offer them enough room and safe heat.
The few boards we purchased and the wire were not a huge investment, 
it made good use of the old playhouse,
and it forced me to go through and sort all that "stuff."

Pullet Eggs and Antique Egg Scale

Finally!

The girls have been clucking like they have laid an egg,

but no eggs have actually been produced.

When I hear them,

I tell them they have to lay an egg to cluck like that.

So, one of them actually listened to me.

(I'm sure that's what it is.)

I've been checking for good measure.

And to my surprise, evening before last when I checked,

there was a treasure in the nest.

It's been a few years since I've had chickens,

and I missed them.

My friend Shirley used to love the pullet eggs.

She said they were just the right size.

Here you can see on my antique egg scale

that it doesn't even register as small.
Actually, it barely brings it up off the black line.

Yes, the scale works just fine.

It's another of those items that was built to last~ 

(like this and this)
If you have laying hens (or birds for that matter) 
you might keep your eye out for one.
I've only ever found one other.
It was the same as this one but completely rusted, and
I'm not sure if it worked.  Cost $45 = Not interested.
They are handy as the size of the eggs produced increases.

These hens have been "good girls" for the most part.

Though, I do have to remind them that chickens are not house pets.

They try to follow me in the house.

As have the lambs when they were younger.

What is it with these critters?

(Ignore mess please.  I was sorting piles to go to donation, also filled the garbage can you can see just out the door:)

We are certainly happy to be getting some "farm fresh" eggs again.
Now if the other 3 will just chip in and earn their keep,
we might be able to have breakfast.

                                                          

The $42 Chicken Tractor

I didn't want a chicken tractor, 

buuuuuut. . . . 

Well, you see, it's like this:

Mr. LB was grumbling and grumbling about runny store-bought eggs.

Once upon a time I had chickens,

but a mink got into the coop.

Let's just say I really don't like mink.

Gloves and stoles are justified.
I wasn't going to have more chickens until I could build
the fort clucks of chicken coops.

So a couple weeks ago I came home with 4 wee little fluff balls

that made cute little peeping noises.

(as opposed to the dozen I used to keep)

Those fluff balls are about 3 weeks old now and

are making a mess in the shop bathroom.

Last weekend I started what I have been referring to as

The Bird Mobile.

I had Mr. LB bring home 8-2X3s and a 25' roll of 2 ft. wide,

1/2" grid hardware cloth.

(I had actually asked for 1X3s, but 2X3s were cheaper- go figure.)

Cost: boards $15 and wire $25=$40 so far.

I had measurements worked out so I didn't use more than 25 ft.

of the wire.

I actually don't like chicken wire.

It's difficult to work with and small critters can still get through it.

The hardware cloth is sturdier and easier to work with.

I made the box a little shy of 6.5 ft. long and 2 ft. tall.

I wrapped the outer "walls" with the wire stapling it in place.
Then 2 widths across the top one end.

(Never mind the stick sitting on top. Odd, the things that happen when working on a project.)  

The drops from the long sides are what I used for the corner posts

in the cabin/nest box.

These old trim boards were here when we moved in about 15 years ago.

They were in the old leaky falling down shed that is now gone,

then under the lean-to.

One of those things that I knew would someday come in handy.

If you don't have trim boards cluttering up your lean-to,

you could also use pallet boards just as easily.

We also have a plethora of screws in various sizes.

Because these are thinner boards, I did pre-drill the holes.

I know it takes a little longer, but then the boards don't split.

(I will put pine needles and shavings in here for them.)

For the "nest box," I used a scrap of plywood and another trim board.

Again this is something that could be done with pallet wood.

By the end of last weekend, this is as far as I had it.

(I started by pre-staining the boards then just wanted to get it put together.  That's also why there is a sheet under the coop - didn't want the stain on that nice clean shop floor:)

Today, got a few things finished up.

I put a handle on the door which cost about $2.

That brings our total to $42.

I think we have a little latch out in the shop.

If I can't find one and have to buy one, that might add another $2.

Mr. LB made the brackets for the wheels.

The wheels are more of those saved items.

When the kids were little, they had a few hand me down bikes

before they ever got their very own 'new' bikes.

Some of those bikes were still in good enough shape that they were

passed on again.

Those that had lived out their usefulness, 

I kept the wheels and disposed of the rest.
If you know someone who works at the dump/transfer station,
you might ask if they have bikes come in to snag one.

  I suppose part of the keeping things that might someday be useful,

is knowing what sorts of things are useful for your lifestyle.

Mr. LB and I both grew up on ranches, and at times we question

why the other might want to keep a certain item(s) but

we usually end up being okay with the "cluttery" items we keep.
We would probably have no idea what is useful when living a different lifestyle.

(All the same sealant/stain just new wood vs. old wood.)

The roof was more scrap plywood - it had really seen better days,

but it would be covered with tin.

We ended up with a sheet of tin for free.

If you know anyone who does metal buildings,

there is often a misc. piece strapped over the metal for the buildings

so the good metal isn't damaged.

There is nothing wrong with this piece.  

It's simply a different color from the building metal.

For this project, we weren't picky and obviously the price was right.

And in the process of doing this post and uploading pictures,

I did notice that Mr. LB didn't stain the board he used to attach

the wheel brackets.

That was probably so I will something to do tomorrow.

The only thing not in the pictures is that I am going to run a string or rope

from the bottom of the ladder up through the wire 

so I can lift it while moving it.

Since it drags, I don't want it jarred and twisted.

For 4 little birds until we build a 'real coop,'

I think it'll suffice. 

Looking forward to fresh eggs and a clean shop bathroom.

Uses for Pine Needles

As I was lighting the fire this evening,

I threw in a bunch of dried pine needles.

For just a moment,

you could have seen the hint of a smile as

I thought ~

pine needles are so useful

and for so many things.

They are a fabulous source of vitamin C.
Every so often I break one up for in my tea
or if I am out puttering around,
I will just nibble on one.
Of course, winter decor is fond of pines
and other greens.
That's just while green.
They are equally useful when dry.

There tend to be an abundance of them available
wherever there is even a single pine tree.
On occasion, a small branch will break and fall.
Around here, those get tossed in with the firewood
When winter comes,
they make starting a fire a cinch.
They are great to use in the chickens' nest boxes
with a couple handfuls of wood shavings.
The chickens don't seem to scatter them 
like they do straw.
Pine needles also make great path covers.
Where a path is worn and becomes muddy,
a thick layer of these really seems to help.
And, they aren't slick like wet straw.
If added to compost,
they are acidic so ask a professional first
and/or know the ph of your soil.
There are certain plants that do thrive on acidic soil.

One other side note:
If you do have pine trees or if you visit a friend with one,
don't park under them.
In addition to pinecones falling, they "rain."
Mostly in the summer months or warmer weather.
They emit a very fine mist
that is actually sap (resin.)
It can be difficult to wash off your car if you don't do it right away.

Do you have pine trees/needles around your place?
If so, do you use them & for what?

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches