silverdollar6
Silver Member
I think that the gray chick is a buzzard, be careful it does not eat the others.
3R Home and Barn Project
- Thread starter 3RRL
- Start date
- Views: 318521
UpstateSC_Papi
Platinum Member
Rob (and Mrs. Rob) -
WOW! You're very driven and getting it done!
Been a while since I got on the forums. You are putting me TO SHAME!
Only read a few posts so got a lot of catching up to do!
Michael
WOW! You're very driven and getting it done!
Been a while since I got on the forums. You are putting me TO SHAME!
Only read a few posts so got a lot of catching up to do!
Michael
OP
3RRL
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
- Messages
- 6,931
- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
Loretta's chicks are getting bigger every day.
She took them outside for the first time the other day. She cut a doorway in their box so they could get out on the grass. The largest Australorp was the first one to get out of the box and onto the lawn and one of the Rhode Island Reds found a caterpillar and ate it.
It was pretty fun to watch them.
Rob-
She took them outside for the first time the other day. She cut a doorway in their box so they could get out on the grass. The largest Australorp was the first one to get out of the box and onto the lawn and one of the Rhode Island Reds found a caterpillar and ate it.
It was pretty fun to watch them.
Rob-
Last edited:
mwb
Platinum Member
Chickens are a lot of fun; my kids have raised many breeds. If you like variety you might consider adding some of these:
- black tailed japs (bantam, bright white with black tail, tame)
- Milles Fleur - VERY pretty birds (aka Belgian d'Uccle)
- Cochin (standard, big, slow, friendly)
- Polish (has big feather 'tennis ball' on head)
Leghorns are good for eggs, not very friendly though
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
We also had Muscovy ducks - they are like feathered dogs but don't bark.
I designed and built my own coop; I did a lot of research in the design - if you are interested in the AutoCad file or pics let me know. It includes an externally accessible nesting box for egg retrieval.
We got rid of the birds about a month ago; my wife is an avid gardiner but so are the chickens It was either loose the birds or the gardens and the wife
I miss the birds; they add a lot of color, character and entertainment to your yard.
Cheers,
Mike
- black tailed japs (bantam, bright white with black tail, tame)
- Milles Fleur - VERY pretty birds (aka Belgian d'Uccle)
- Cochin (standard, big, slow, friendly)
- Polish (has big feather 'tennis ball' on head)
Leghorns are good for eggs, not very friendly though
http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html
We also had Muscovy ducks - they are like feathered dogs but don't bark.
I designed and built my own coop; I did a lot of research in the design - if you are interested in the AutoCad file or pics let me know. It includes an externally accessible nesting box for egg retrieval.
We got rid of the birds about a month ago; my wife is an avid gardiner but so are the chickens
It was either loose the birds or the gardens and the wifeI miss the birds; they add a lot of color, character and entertainment to your yard.
Cheers,
Mike
OP
3RRL
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
- Messages
- 6,931
- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
My good buddy Randy stopped by our new home for a visit.
He's now retired and lives in Montana but had some business down here. He's got a 40 acre horse ranch up there and has a TYM tractor. He wanted to see us and the new Log Home. Randy is the one who gave me Coco 11 years ago when she was just a pup. We've known each other through the plastic injection industry most of our working career. He was also my hunting partner for the last 20 years or more, so we spent a lot of time together. It was a nice break from all the work we've been doing.
Here he is in front of our home with Coco and me, and then with Loretta.
We saw the first rattlesnake of the season while he was here.
Rattlesnakes can be beneficial to keep the rodent population down, but not around the house. It was sunning itself on the rocks below our rear deck when I spotted it. I got off a shot with the .22 but didn't kill it so I grabbed it with the snake stick and Randy finished it off with a shot to the head. It was about a 4 foot long Diamondback. We cut the head off and buried it and threw the carcass out for the coyotes to eat.
LOL ... another successful hunt.
Rob-
He's now retired and lives in Montana but had some business down here. He's got a 40 acre horse ranch up there and has a TYM tractor. He wanted to see us and the new Log Home. Randy is the one who gave me Coco 11 years ago when she was just a pup. We've known each other through the plastic injection industry most of our working career. He was also my hunting partner for the last 20 years or more, so we spent a lot of time together. It was a nice break from all the work we've been doing.
Here he is in front of our home with Coco and me, and then with Loretta.
We saw the first rattlesnake of the season while he was here.
Rattlesnakes can be beneficial to keep the rodent population down, but not around the house. It was sunning itself on the rocks below our rear deck when I spotted it. I got off a shot with the .22 but didn't kill it so I grabbed it with the snake stick and Randy finished it off with a shot to the head. It was about a 4 foot long Diamondback. We cut the head off and buried it and threw the carcass out for the coyotes to eat.
LOL ... another successful hunt.
Rob-
OP
3RRL
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
- Messages
- 6,931
- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
Chickens are a lot of fun; my kids have raised many breeds. If you like variety you might consider adding some of these:
- black tailed japs (bantam, bright white with black tail, tame)
- Milles Fleur - VERY pretty birds (aka Belgian d'Uccle)
- Cochin (standard, big, slow, friendly)
- Polish (has big feather 'tennis ball' on head)
Leghorns are good for eggs, not very friendly though
Henderson's Chicken Breed Chart
We also had Muscovy ducks - they are like feathered dogs but don't bark.
I designed and built my own coop; I did a lot of research in the design - if you are interested in the AutoCad file or pics let me know. It includes an externally accessible nesting box for egg retrieval.
We got rid of the birds about a month ago; my wife is an avid gardiner but so are the chickens
I miss the birds; they add a lot of color, character and entertainment to your yard.
Cheers,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for that information.
You must be a mind reader ... I was going to start building the chicken coop this afternoon. We are going to start small at first and then maybe add birds later. I would be very interested in both photos and the Autocad file. Except I don't have Autocad but CadKey instead. If not too difficult, could you send the file in either .dfx or .iges format? I know I can convert those for my program. Not sure if I can read .dwg files or not, but I think I can read those too. So whatever is easiest for you.
Anyway, send the to my email address, I will PM you with that information.
Thanks in advance,
Rob-
OP
3RRL
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
- Messages
- 6,931
- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
Earlier in the thread I mentioned we were going to run irrigation down the back hillside to keep it green year round.
We ran a lot of 1-1/2" sch 40 pvc under the elevated deck. Our plan is to have 3 manual stations for now, each station has 3 valves to control large Rainbird sprinklers down the hill. The manual valves come through the wood exterior where we can turn them on and adjust the sprinklers from the deck so we can see what they are doing. Running the pipe under the deck and over the huge rock pile was tricky, but it was a lot easier than using a 12' tall ladder to hang it on the taller decks. We still have to run the pvc down to the ground and then poly pipe from there to the sprinklers.
So there is still a lot of work to do on that hillside.
Rob-
We ran a lot of 1-1/2" sch 40 pvc under the elevated deck. Our plan is to have 3 manual stations for now, each station has 3 valves to control large Rainbird sprinklers down the hill. The manual valves come through the wood exterior where we can turn them on and adjust the sprinklers from the deck so we can see what they are doing. Running the pipe under the deck and over the huge rock pile was tricky, but it was a lot easier than using a 12' tall ladder to hang it on the taller decks. We still have to run the pvc down to the ground and then poly pipe from there to the sprinklers.
So there is still a lot of work to do on that hillside.
Rob-
MarkV
Super Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2000
- Messages
- 5,698
- Location
- Cedartown, Ga and N. Ga mountains
- Tractor
- 1998 Kubota B21, 2005 Kubota L39
Hi Rob, you two sure stay busy. In your first photo it looks as if that pipe will be exposed to the sun. PVC tends to deteriorate from UV exposer and will become brittle with time. Grab a can of spray paint and give it a coat. It will buy you a few more years of service based on my experience.
MarkV
MarkV
OP
3RRL
Super Member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2005
- Messages
- 6,931
- Tractor
- 55HP 4WD KAMA 554 and 4 x 4 Jinma 284
While working on the irrigation for the hillside, we also installed a 3/4" copper line hose spigot up on the deck.
This will come in handy for washing that area down plus a lot easier to refill Coco's water tray. We feed and water Coco up on those decks just outside the dining room.
Loretta's garden area also needed a hose spigot sow we trenched and installed one near the rock pile. That way she can hand water or wash stuff off out there. All little improvements but it still takes time to do. Especially trenching with the backhoe through the road and field for that garden spigot.
I'm not sure what we will do about insulating the pipes. The builder told us none was necessary for our climate but we know different. One year we had a bad freeze that busted our water lines.
Rob-
This will come in handy for washing that area down plus a lot easier to refill Coco's water tray. We feed and water Coco up on those decks just outside the dining room.
Loretta's garden area also needed a hose spigot sow we trenched and installed one near the rock pile. That way she can hand water or wash stuff off out there. All little improvements but it still takes time to do. Especially trenching with the backhoe through the road and field for that garden spigot.
I'm not sure what we will do about insulating the pipes. The builder told us none was necessary for our climate but we know different. One year we had a bad freeze that busted our water lines.
Rob-
Ranger Rick
Gold Member
Hi Rob
Instead of trying to insulate the water lines you could put in a tee with a shut off valve. At the end of the Tee you can have a air hose nipple that could hook up to your air compressor to blow the water out of the lines before the winter. Rick
Instead of trying to insulate the water lines you could put in a tee with a shut off valve. At the end of the Tee you can have a air hose nipple that could hook up to your air compressor to blow the water out of the lines before the winter. Rick
