Saturday, March 23, 2013

Pallet Chicken Coop! Don't Laugh! ;)

I have had several people ask me about pictures of my pallet chicken coop.  I have intentionally not posted them because . . . . . well, as the pictures will show, it leaves little to be desired; BUT, it serves the purpose!

The roof is not complete and I continue to pray nightly for the safety of those hens! A friend from our church has some metal sheeting that we can have; we just haven't been able to arrange getting it with Chris' school/work schedule; HOWEVER, with spring break this week, I am hoping to get that taken care of!  There is a huge gap all the way around for predators to easily enter in, so when that is finished,  I will update with another picture.

The coop cost less than $30 to build and that was for screws.  I had to use screws with the drill because when I tried hammering, it killing my shoulder, or it would have cost less.  My mother purchased the mesh, so if we had to carry that cost, the total would have been $50.

I DID NOT try and level this thing.  I eye-balled it.  I did that because with pallets and not have any electrical saws, I would have stressed myself out trying to make it "perfect," so I set the standards from the beginning that this was to keep the hens warm and dry from bad weather.  Nothing else mattered.  OK.  OK.

I originally wanted to have an enclosed run as well, but changed that to keep cost down.  They free range throughout the day and return to their spot nightly.



























 Front of coop

 Inside.  It's funny how God provided.  The beam in the middle standing up, was buried on the side of the yard.  We needed a central support for a roof.  There ya go!

 The nesting box, is an old toy box of mine from 1976!  Removed the front two panels and turned them vertical, giving them an entry.  The hens slept in it until they learned to roost!  The ladder was made out of pallets as well.

 This is the back of the coop.  

This is the window in the back of the coop.  It is not screened it yet, but will be for summer time breeze.


 
All the research I did said most chicken coops (especially in the south with the heat) are not ventilated enough.  One site said, "take whatever you think is enough, and double it and even that might not be enough."  Soooo, I left the entire top left of the coop open (facing my neighbor's garage . . . hehehehehe) and put up mesh.  I was storing the feed inside, but quickly moved everything out after cleaning poop off the lids!  Ick! lol


This is the side view.  I use a pallet to keep the food bins off the ground to keep moisture under control and another pallet I use to contain the tools I use for the hay and cleaning.  In other places, instead of filling in the spaces that didn't line up plum or where pallets were split or broken, I left them open and put mesh up.  As mild as our winters are, I was more concerned about them having fresh air than I was being warm.  

So, there ya have it.  Not finished, but getting there and serving the purpose!  This coop can easily hold 12 hens, so that is a good thing ;)



Sunday, March 3, 2013

Young Living Essential Oil Give-A-Way




Essential Oils have been wonderful for me and my family.  I look forward to the day when I can rely on using Young Living Essential Oils for complete wellness in my home.

The oils are not only used on the people in our home, but also our animals.  I have used ThievesPeace & CalmingPurificationPeppermint, and Lemongrass (just to name a few) on the dogs we foster.

Because I know they work, I would like to give away one 5ml bottle of YL Essential Oil Lavender  and one 5ml bottle of Lemon.

To enter in the give-a-way, please leave a comment with your name and either your email address or phone number, as well as which oil you would like to be entered in; either Lavender, or Lemon.  If it doesn't matter, type in the word, "both."

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, March 6th at 3:00 p.m.

You must enter on this blog. 

DO  NOT POST A COMMENT ON FACEBOOK.  Because of privacy settings, I can not see all comments when a post is shared.  By posting a comment on this blog post, it ensures I see every entry and no one is missed.

I have added links to both oils so you can research the benefits of each oil.

The purpose of this give-a-way is to bless someone and encourage those that are skeptical to give it a try.

The scriptures are full of example of anointing with oil.  I've listed just a few below.

James 5:14, "Is anyone among you sick?  Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord."

Mark 6:13, "They drove out demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them."

Psalm 23:5, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Good luck and PLEASE feel free to share this post!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Stacey