Fatjay picks up chicks!

[fatjay]

I figure that'll happen as well, but that's ok.

Got the last truss built and started to put them up, only to realize I'm 4 short on the hurricane ties. I swear I can't count to save my life. And I can't find any of my claw hammers. So back to HD to buy a hammer and more ties, which ate up the night. Still, slowly but surely.

Chickens are getting big too. They've got feathers and are chomping at the bit for some freedom. I'll paint the T1-11 walls both sides before putting them up, tie the end trusses into the body with the t111, then each one will be tied in on the ends. I'll get some fencing for the run as well this weekend. Maybe by sunday?

 

[lman]

Chickens by the pool. Could be interesting.

 

[fatjay]

Chickens by the pool. Could be interesting.

I am told they are not drawn to bodies of water, and will drown easily. So hopefully it won't be a problem.

 

[dodge man]

To bad you don’t live near me. I went to a garage sale last week in a large machine shed. The guy must have been a hammer collector. He must have had 50 to a 100 hammers and a greater number of wooden handles.

 

[fatjay]

I have hammers. Probably at least a dozen. I have no idea where the hell they are.

 

[fatjay]

Finished truss install, put the plywood up. Dead square, i was shocked. I had to nail and screw it all because one nail gun bit it and the other i couldn't find 34 degree nails. And my buddy currently has my metal connector nailer so I had to do it all by hand. Arthritis is pretty horrible at this point, it started with screwdrivers, but has moved on to hammers.

 

[fatjay]

After many errands, partially to beat the heat, I got to play with the coop. After much debate with myself on which to cut first, I decided with the man door wall. The issue, is simple. The rear wall, bottom to apex, is 8'1", so I can't use one panel. I don't want to have 1" gap, I don't want to cut a 1" piece either. So I'm going to use a foot section from another panel cut off and put it on the bottom, then cut the angles for the roof pitch. That way i have the truss tied to the frame adding strength. I'll be leaving the eves open and putting hardware cloth in there so I have adequate ventilation. Painted until I couldn't see anymore, then called it an evening.

 

[Raul-02]

Nice build~!! You going to do an old school drop gable overhang? Nothing makes a shed look noble like that feature does.
I got a question:
What was the purpose of the metal mesh (hardware cloth?) you laid down before the floor went on??

 

[fatjay]

Nice build~!! You going to do an old school drop gable overhang? Nothing makes a shed look noble like that feature does.
I got a question:
What was the purpose of the metal mesh (hardware cloth?) you laid down before the floor went on??

Yes, it'll have a drop gable. With the chicken door being open during the day rain or shine, I wanted to minimize rain going inside. And I like the look.

The hardware cloth under the floor was a suggestion by a chicken farmer who said he had racoons clawing up through the floor.

 

[GLyford]

For future reference, palm nailers aren't too bad to use, especially for connectors. They even make cordless (hoseless?) ones now.

 

[Handloader109]

Looking good. I know it's a late question, but you appear to be in a subdivision. I'm sure that it is legal to keep chickens and there isn't a limit to the number you can have.... just sayin. I'm in Arkansas and most towns here allow a few hens, and zero roosters.

 

[fatjay]

I got all the walls up, window fitted, painted, and ice and water shield up. I am completely worn. I was hammering the roof in the dark. Everything is heavy, and exhausting. But it's supposed to rain tomorrow so I needed to get it done.

 

[fatjay]

Got the eve skirts cut and painted. Top front trim installed as a test. Bottom walls done. And the rear wall removed and flipped so it would line up right. Little slower than I'd like but getting there. Tomorrow I plan to throw on another coat of paint, finish the egg boxes, and trim. Trim boards are already painted before going up. Then I'm thinking of getting shingles.

And the auto-chicken door closed at 8:52. Light sensing, in the morning it comes up, in the evening it shuts. So far it's working. Runs off AA batteries with a claimed life of a year, but I'll replace them every 6 months.

 

[fatjay]

Bottom of the egg boxes and fronts are on and painted. Started trim work. I hate trim work. So much. All the angles cutting and if it's not perfect I hate it.

The holes in the front of the egg boxes are where the mail-box style doors will be, they'll fold down so my wife can collect the eggs.

 

[EddieWalker]

You might want to rethink the roof over the nesting boxes and install shingles or metal there.

 

[fatjay]

I am thinking about that, I'm not sure what to do yet. I can revise that when I figure out a better solution.

I went to TSC and to my surprise, they had 15% off for active duty and veterans. So I picked up fencing, posts, and 3 bags of feed. Came home and made my own post driver. Then finished up some trim. Strung a line for the chicken run and marked 8' for the posts. Put 3 in and realized I think I want to do 6', I bought 4 extra just in case. I'm going to do a 3' door in 4x4's. I was surprised how well the post driver worked.

https://imgur.com/ntO8aqz

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Looking good.

 

[fatjay]

Did fence today and got the window screwed in and adjusted. Need to do window trim. That 100' spool of fence is a real ******* to drag around. Caught my fingers more than once. Nailed it to the coop and installed post. Those post ties are a pain to figure out but once I got going it wasn't bad. I think I need to install an anchor to the first post so I can pull it tight.

 

[fatjay]

I hate dealing with fence. But it's 95% done. Picked up landscape timbers to pin to the ground and nail the fence to to prevent critters digging under. Picked up rebar so I can nail it into the ground to hopefully deter predators from digging under it.

 

[fatjay]

Bought 240 ground pins 6" long. "Do home fix easy way" strait from china. Stuck them in to tie the fence to the ground all around. Drilled some holes in lanscape timbers and pounded rebar in to tie them to the ground. Finished the fence on the perimiter, and the bottom piece of trim screwed in to hold the fence secure to the bottom of the coop.

I'll fence in the rest of the coop bottom as well. Tomorrow I hope to get the fence door framed and fence door in so I can stop climbing through the window.

Then coop doors which I painted this evening, finish man door, and hopefully move the chickens in friday.

I know it doesn't look like much has changed but it was about 4 hours this evening.