The Word-Nerd’s Homestead-2022, #3- Breeder Pens, Medical Snags & Unexpected Delays

Howdy, Happy Readers!

Obviously, I DID NOT get the other planned Homestead Update posts completed on here as originally promised, but let’s see if I can make up for it by generating post spam!

As for the the ‘Why’ of the delay, the initial one was my laziness kicking in. Unfortunately, the subsequent delays revolved around some serious medical issues with my mother (she’s doing fine), but we spent two back to back weekends in a hospital room and many tiresome days traveling back and forth between doctors.

Keeping up with ongoing homestead activities have sucked up the time since. This weekend (typing this on a Friday) is the 1st one I have had free to do anything. So, here’s the promised blog on the Breeder Coop build.

It took a bit to determine how I wanted to proceed on this one. I had the box on the bottom built already (that’s the grow-out box I showed a while back), but I didn’t have a definite plan for the upstairs. I started with tying everything together and putting the lower rail on the back side. That was a known because I did have a plan for the nest boxes.

I scrounged around and figured out how I could use some old 1″ aluminum angle to give me a pitched roof. Once I got that layout done, I framed the back side and dropped in the 1st roof board.

Here’s the same stage from a different angle.

3rd angle.

And from the back.

Before I went any farther on the roof, I decided on the front doors. I have it in my mind that I may eventually divide this thing up into a 2 section or even a 3 section coop. I left put frames and doors in accordingly. The other feature I have is a clearance gap under the front frame. This is for clean out and eventually some trays that will pull out for dumping out the poops. Future project.

Doors made from pallet wood.

Improvised latches.

Everything swinging.

After the roof got put on, I threw the roost board in the center and covered the ends with some of the scrap pvc lattice I had.

Another angle.

Back side. I sealed the top section, leaving a 1 foot gap for nest boxes. The plan at this point was to put a 12 x 12 x 12 box in each section and be able to shift them around if needed. I’ve only actually built one at this point, though.

Next, I got the end caps done.

There are gaps, but so far, it has been working well on even the coldest nights.

It should be nice when the weather gets hot.

This took me two weekends to get finished since I was vamping the project. Other than the ripped 2×4’s for the framing, I used scrap materials for the whole thing, so I made it on the cheap.

Unfortunately, I was using my hand planer the next afternoon to trim up the doors so they would close easier, and smacked my hand into the blade.

Public Service Announcement: Don’t try to unclog your hand planer by smacking the bottom of it with the blade turning. It hurts muchly.

So, with that, I sliced my palm open through my gloves and had to get 4 stitches the next day. As you might imagine, the extra Dr. bill ate right into that money I saved. *sigh*

Outside projects went on hold for two weeks afterward.

Once I was healed up sufficiently, I finished off the back side with lattice and the nest box. Below is a gallery of pics of the nest box build.

Finally, I stapled some cardboard boxes down and threw in some cut-off creamer cans as feeder trays and put the birds in.

Here’s Blue & the girls eating their first AM meal. [Blue Laced Red Wyandottes]

That was on Feb. 20th. Since then, I’ve let them stay separated for 3 weeks to make sure the genetics would be pure, then I collected eggs for two weeks before I finally incubated those eggs.

They are now 10 little nuggets!

They are for sale if you are willing to come get them.

Email me at jedseggs @ zohomail dot com if you are interested.

There are other things to blog on, but I’m saving that for another day. In the mean time…

Happy Reading, Prepping & Homesteading!

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