Babe, I want Chickens.
That's where it all started.
I'd like to say this is a work in progress and we have many other plans to finish and make this place a fun home for our little chicks! We built this starting with left over wood from our many other projects and we actually made it quite far before having to make a good ol' supplies trip. It took a little over a month during nights and weekends to get this whole thing setup and operational. The birds seemed to really thrive the minute they were let loose inside. We do let them out all the time in the yard as well and spend time with them, so we will call them partial roaming, Ha.
As of this date November 3, 2024 we haven't had any eggs yet. They are about 3 months old so we still have a little time. Out of the 12 eggs incubated on the second round, we had 6 hatch and out of the 6, only ONE rooster. Crazy odds there!
We built this with a main goal of maintaining minimal maintenance and giving the birds everything they need to thrive. So we built an Auto Feeder, Auto Door, and Auto Waterer. All DIY besides the door, and very simple builds.
We will back back more to share as we continue to build out and evolve our current setups!
DIY Features
Auto Feeder
One thing we really needed to figure out was the food. Now we did see many things online and there were such rad ideas out there but we opted for this creation! We took a storage bin and put it on a wooden frame about 12 inches off the ground. With large pvc drainage pipes coming out of the bottom of the storage container. You fill the bin up with food and the food runs down those pipes. They took a liking to it immediately and we check it about once a week!
DIY Features
Waterer
Using PVC Pipe and and plastic bin, connected our pipe to our elevated bin located outside of the run and sealed the connection. We then added 5 red poultry nipples to our pvc pipe for the birds to have access at any moment. You can see a closer look with the birds using it in the gallery below! Needs checked at this size about once every two weeks so far.
Our Team
Solar Powered Door
One thing we know we wanted to start was this door. Autmatically timer set or with remote control, the birds learned quickly when it's time to go in and opens right when they need it to in the morning. We never have to worry about anything getting into their home at night.
