OP
Tororider
Veteran Member
Yeah, the more I think about it and the more I call people to see if they can do it, the more I think if I can't take it apart, it isn't worth it no matter how good a deal.
Chickens, and things related
- Thread starter Tororider
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tony123
Platinum Member
That usually ends up being the case doesn't it. 
OP
Tororider
Veteran Member
Ended up deciding that it was going to be too much work. I will keep looking for that great deal.
dooleysm
Platinum Member
I'm heading to Shelbyville, KY to pick up 25 chicks tomorrow. I moved the week and a half old ducks out of the brooder I built and into a giant box my dad scored for me from work. He works in the packing department of the custom furniture division of OFS. I asked him if he could get any boxes for me and he showed up the other day with a 3'x6'x40" bottomless and topless box. That should keep the ducks happy for a few weeks until it's warm enough to boot them outside.
The ducks are growing at an amazing rate. It'll be 2 weeks tomorrow since I picked them up, so they are probably 15/16 days old. They have more than doubled in size since I got them. 5 of them are going through over a gallon of water per day and a 20" chick feeder full of feed every day. They seem to splash out a good bit of the water, but I think they eat most, if not all, of the feed.
I'm hopeful that they can figure out how to live on their own on the pond without any help from me. We got them just for 'decoration'. If they become too much of a nuisance or too much trouble to care for, they're going from 'decoration' to 'dinner' in a hurry.
The ducks are growing at an amazing rate. It'll be 2 weeks tomorrow since I picked them up, so they are probably 15/16 days old. They have more than doubled in size since I got them. 5 of them are going through over a gallon of water per day and a 20" chick feeder full of feed every day. They seem to splash out a good bit of the water, but I think they eat most, if not all, of the feed.
I'm hopeful that they can figure out how to live on their own on the pond without any help from me. We got them just for 'decoration'. If they become too much of a nuisance or too much trouble to care for, they're going from 'decoration' to 'dinner' in a hurry.
OP
Tororider
Veteran Member
I am sure they will do ok, they may need food for awhile after you put them out, until they figure where they can get it from naturally. You should ask Eddie, unless he's still reading this thread, as I think he raised some ducks and put them in one of his ponds.
Isn't it amazing how fast they grow? I got mine when they were bigger and they still get big. Pretty crazy.
Isn't it amazing how fast they grow? I got mine when they were bigger and they still get big. Pretty crazy.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I bought my ducks when they were alreayd full grown. Then I just let them go on the pond and hoped for the best. One got ate fairly quickly. Then they started wondering off further and further. The second one was eaten by coyotes a few months later. Luckily, that scared the other two so well that they haven't left the pond ever since!!!
Eddie
Eddie
scgargoyle
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2007
- Messages
- 364
We had ducks (many) years ago at my mother's place. I built a duck house and kept them in there until they had their hard feathers and were nearly full grown. We let them loose on the pond, and they NEVER went near that duck house again! The ducks would have babies in the wild every year, and Momma would have them out on the pond within a few days- so much for all the care we gave them. Once in a while a turtle or frog would take one of the babies, but plenty of them survived.
bmac
Veteran Member
Tororider said:
Here's the first draft of the chicken coop plan.
A couple of things might not be obvious from the diagrams. On the front elevation, below the windows, there are structures labeled "litter clean out". On the floor plan, you'll see items identified as perches. Essentially, what I plan to do is build open-top boxes inside the coop. There will be welded wire covering the top opening of the boxes and above the wire will be the perches. The access doors are the "clean out" things on the front elevation. The logic here is that if the chickens spend most of their time on the perches, then most of the poop will be under the perches. I'll put wood shavings in the box and, when needed, I'll clean the poop from the outside of the coop.
The "screened foyer" seen on the floor plan is nothing more than a small screened area to keep the birds from "escaping" when someone enters the coop. The rear door will go directly to the pen, so no need for a similar thing for the rear door.
A couple of questions. For a 12' x 10' shed, can I get by with 2x4 roof rafters (6/12 pitch) or do I need 2x6s? Should I stick-build the roof or make trusses? Advantages / disadvantages of each? I'll be building this next week - essentially by myself. I'll enlist help from the wife and kids as necessary but it will pretty much be me alone. I've never done anything like this before so it should be a real adventure.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
bmac,
Is the coop something that you plan on having for awhile? Or is this sort of an expriment that you don't want to put allot of money into?
What type of foundation do you have planned? Cement is the best, easiest to clean and the most secure to build on. If you do it yourself, it's also allot more work then wood and will require help. Wood is pretty common and should last for years. It will wear out and require maintenance that cement doesn't. You can build the floor on top of blocks, or sink posts into the ground. If you sink posts, you can make a small scale pole building. Do you have a post hole digger?
What were you planning on using for the exterior siding? Plywood type products are the cheapers per sq ft, but require the most maintenance. Mostly paint. The most commmon is T1-11, which some people like, and other hate. It's really personal taste. For higher quality and longevity, it's hard to beat James Hardi siding. You can choose between 4x8 sheets, or lap siding. The Hardi siding takes a few specialized tools, so that might be a problem. Cutting it and nailing it are the main concerns.
As for your roof, it depends on how you plan to cover it. Shingles or metal? Both have different requirments and skills.
For such a smal building, I would use 2x6's on top and a 2x4 on the bottom to create your triangle. Then I would use a 2x4 standing straight up in the middle. That will give you a very simple truss that will be plenty strong.
Don't forget to use headers with jack studs next to your king studs and cripple studs above and below your openings. It's the simple little things that people leave out of their outbuildings that cause them to fall apart so quickly.
Eddie
Is the coop something that you plan on having for awhile? Or is this sort of an expriment that you don't want to put allot of money into?
What type of foundation do you have planned? Cement is the best, easiest to clean and the most secure to build on. If you do it yourself, it's also allot more work then wood and will require help. Wood is pretty common and should last for years. It will wear out and require maintenance that cement doesn't. You can build the floor on top of blocks, or sink posts into the ground. If you sink posts, you can make a small scale pole building. Do you have a post hole digger?
What were you planning on using for the exterior siding? Plywood type products are the cheapers per sq ft, but require the most maintenance. Mostly paint. The most commmon is T1-11, which some people like, and other hate. It's really personal taste. For higher quality and longevity, it's hard to beat James Hardi siding. You can choose between 4x8 sheets, or lap siding. The Hardi siding takes a few specialized tools, so that might be a problem. Cutting it and nailing it are the main concerns.
As for your roof, it depends on how you plan to cover it. Shingles or metal? Both have different requirments and skills.
For such a smal building, I would use 2x6's on top and a 2x4 on the bottom to create your triangle. Then I would use a 2x4 standing straight up in the middle. That will give you a very simple truss that will be plenty strong.
Don't forget to use headers with jack studs next to your king studs and cripple studs above and below your openings. It's the simple little things that people leave out of their outbuildings that cause them to fall apart so quickly.
Eddie
The colored eggs taste the same and the kids get a kick out of them.I dont think gathering the eggs every few days is a problem.If you find it to be a hassle in the winter have a fall barbeque and get more chicks in the spring.I bought chicks from Murray Mcmurray hatchery.It was a lot of fun for the kids and the young ones learned to count the eggs.I would highly recommend you give it a try.Other than building a pen its really cheap and a good experience for all.