Here we go again...

[Inor]

Spring has sprung and I must be bored. So what the hell, I turned my trailer back into a mobile tool crib and drug it out to a spot I had flattened for a Chicken Shack.

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Fortunately, this one is going to be nothing fancy. I am not even going to put in footings. It is just going to be an 8 by 12 building with a couple windows and a door surrounded by a 6 foot hardware cloth fence. Think something like those Mennonite storage sheds they sell all over the place.

HOLY CRAP has lumber gotten expensive though!!! I was half tempted to frame the thing with red oak because select red oak is actually cheaper than #2 pine right now!

[Inor]

And of course, I had an audience...

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[Piratesailor]

Read an article about lumber in the Denver area. Prices up 180% for some types

[Inor]

I finally got some time to finish framing the walls of the Chicken Shack this afternoon. (I hate it when work intrudes on my building plans.)

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I figured out a neat trick on this one. Most of you guys probably figured this out years ago but I thought it was cool.

Historically, whenever I have built buildings I always framed the walls then squared them up on the ground and tacked a scrap board kitty-wumpus across the studs to hold it sort of square when I raised the walls. Then Mrs Inor and I would spend several hours horsing everything into final alignment before nailing on the sheathing and visiting our respective divorce attorneys.

A few weeks ago Mrs Inor took a dive off a ladder and did a nasty break on one of her fingers. So she has been running at about 80% since and there is no way she would be able to help me doing the pushing and shoving necessary to get all of the walls plumb and square. So I decided to try something a little different on this one.

Instead of squaring the walls before I put them up, I just got them all raised and clamped together at the corners with Bessy clamps to keep everything mostly vertical. Then we used ratcheting cargo straps to pull everything into perfect alignment. It worked absolutely beautifully! First off, there was very little muscle work, it was all done with the straps. Plus, it only took about an hour total and we had everything perfect. That is definitely a trick that I am going to use in the future!

So this week, as time permits, I will start framing the roof.

[Slippy]

Can't wait for more pics Inor!

[Big Ken]

Looks good enough to rent out for weekends.

[Inor]

Looks good enough to rent out for weekends.

HAHAHA!!!

Mrs Inor and I started the rumor that we are building it because we got a deal from the government to put 4 illegal children in it. The government is paying us $1000 per kid per month to house them!

(There are a couple people in town that work harder than I anybody I have ever seen at not working. They are the type that are always looking for the quick score. It should be freakin hilarious when the rumor finally gets to them!)

[Dwight55]

HAHAHA!!!

Mrs Inor and I started the rumor that we are building it because we got a deal from the government to put 4 illegal children in it. The government is paying us $1000 per kid per month to house them!

(There are a couple people in town that work harder than I anybody I have ever seen at not working. They are the type that are always looking for the quick score. It should be freakin hilarious when the rumor finally gets to them!)

Forget the pics on the chicken roost . . . keep us up to date on that rumor.

Just wish I was there to promote it.

May God bless,
Dwight

[Piratesailor]

Ok...

Now come on man.. that’s a damn nice looking building... for chickens...

Is it for chickens or for you when mrs. inor puts you out?

Where does the AC and big screen TV go?

[Inor]

It has been very windy this week, so I did not get as far with the Chicken Shack as I had wanted. But you can at least tell what it is going to look like when completed. All that is left for the building is the siding, moldings and roof.

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From the inside, I think it looks like a smaller version of Notre Dame (without the ashes and the hoards of smelly French people trying to surrender).

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I think I will call it "Poulette Dame" because that is French and stuff.

[Dwight55]

There you go . . . insulting half of my documented heritage.

Just don't go after the Scots.

May God bless,
Dwight

[Sasquatch]

It has been very windy this week, so I did not get as far with the Chicken Shack as I had wanted. But you can at least tell what it is going to look like when completed. All that is left for the building is the siding, moldings and roof.

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From the inside, I think it looks like a smaller version of Notre Dame (without the ashes and the hoards of smelly French people trying to surrender).

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I think I will call it "Poulette Dame" because that is French and stuff.

Wee wee! I don't know what I just said in French but I think its what they call their Weiner.

[Slippy]

It has been very windy this week, so I did not get as far with the Chicken Shack as I had wanted. But you can at least tell what it is going to look like when completed. All that is left for the building is the siding, moldings and roof.

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From the inside, I think it looks like a smaller version of Notre Dame (without the ashes and the hoards of smelly French people trying to surrender).

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I think I will call it "Poulette Dame" because that is French and stuff.

Excellent, as Expected!

If you haven't thought about it, ventilation is important in a chicken shack, especially in your climate. You want the air to move freely through the coop but not necessarily pass over the chickens when they roost. Chickens can handle cold very well, but heat with no circulation is not a good thing.

[Inor]

Excellent, as Expected!

If you haven't thought about it, ventilation is important in a chicken shack, especially in your climate. You want the air to move freely through the coop but not necessarily pass over the chickens when they roost. Chickens can handle cold very well, but heat with no circulation is not a good thing.

There are going to be 2 vents on the top back side. (The right side of the top picture.). That should give decent cross-flow from the windows on the front to the vents on the back. I do not think they will need fans. Read that to mean "hope". But if they do, the fans will be easy enough to add in the future; the power for them, not so much.

I am just waiting to cut the holes until after I have the siding in place. They will be easier to cut then.

[MountainGirl]

There are going to be 2 vents on the top back side. (The right side of the top picture.). That should give decent cross-flow from the windows on the front to the vents on the back. I do not think they will need fans. Read that to mean "hope". But if they do, the fans will be easy enough to add in the future; the power for them, not so much.

I am just waiting to cut the holes until after I have the siding in place. They will be easier to cut then.

Fans. Small solar powered fan. Tom uses one in the greenhouse.
Round fan about 8" dia mounted near peak, blowing outwards; 6' attached cable to 12x12 inch solar panel mat tossed up on greenhouse roof. It runs when the sun hits it. Easy peasy. :)

[Prepared One]

And of course, I had an audience...

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You gotta wonder what them critters are thinking while watching you bust your ass in the hot sun, while they just eat grass, drink water, and let the time slide by.

[Piratesailor]

Yeah MG, that’s about what we have on our coop. A small solar fan, similar to what we use on a boat, to circulate some air.

Inor.. looking at the pics I had two reactions. The first was that it’s going to be a great chicken coop.. the second was looking at the lumber and thinking about the cost.

Looking forward to seeing the end result.

I have a feeling I’ll be building a new chicken run this summer.

[Inor]

Inor.. looking at the pics I had two reactions. The first was that it’s going to be a great chicken coop.. the second was looking at the lumber and thinking about the cost.

So here is the rationalization Mrs Inor and I have been using for the cost of the chicken shack. (I am not saying it is correct or "smart", just this is the process we use to rationalize the expense.)

The whole effort that has become M. T. Acres is a project we have been planning and working on for a LONG time, close to 15 years. Most of the major projects we have built (including the chicken shack) have been part of the plan almost since the beginning. Some parts of it have been more expensive than we anticipated and others have been cheaper. But overall, the whole project of setting up the homestead has been within a couple thousand dollars of what we anticipated. The original plan for the chicken shack was to just buy one of the Mennonite sheds and put a couple windows in it. So even with the extreme cost of building materials now, the end result is going to be about the same as buying prebuilt due to the fact that I am building it myself. (And hopefully, the shack will end up being a little better quality too.)

So am I deluding myself? Probably. But what else am I going to with my free time anyway?

[Inor]

Score a HUGE win for the home team today!

When I started this project I knew building materials would be expensive but I never considered the possibility they might just be unavailable at any price.

I only have a bit of trim to make and hang, then I will be ready for paint and the roof. So I thought I should get some steel roofing ordered this morning. I called all 3 steel companies in Tucson and none of them had anything and they all told me they were at least 2 months backlogged! They also quoted me prices ranging between $900 and almost $1200 just for the roofing materials for an 8X12 shack!

I resigned myself to the idea that I was going to have to temporarily use that crappy green corrugated fiberglass roofing until steel availability came back and prices dropped back to earth.

I had to go to Tucson today for some other stuff so I decided to stop by a Lowes and get the crappy green fiberglass while I was there to be able to finish off the chicken shack this week. While there, I decided to check to see if they had steel roofing hidden in the back. Not only did they have it; they had it in the same color to match our house and other out buildings! AND, the price was the same price as before all the craziness started! So I got all the roofing material for the chicken shack for about $150! They even had the ridge cap!

They did not have the drip edge or the trim for the gables, but I do not much care about that. It is just a chicken shack and I can just use an extra layer of felt along the drip edge to keep the water out (assuming we do eventually get rain again someday).

WOO HOO!!! I love it when I get lucky!

[Sasquatch]

Score a HUGE win for the home team today!

When I started this project I knew building materials would be expensive but I never considered the possibility they might just be unavailable at any price.

I only have a bit of trim to make and hang, then I will be ready for paint and the roof. So I thought I should get some steel roofing ordered this morning. I called all 3 steel companies in Tucson and none of them had anything and they all told me they were at least 2 months backlogged! They also quoted me prices ranging between $900 and almost $1200 just for the roofing materials for an 8X12 shack!

I resigned myself to the idea that I was going to have to temporarily use that crappy green corrugated fiberglass roofing until steel availability came back and prices dropped back to earth.

I had to go to Tucson today for some other stuff so I decided to stop by a Lowes and get the crappy green fiberglass while I was there to be able to finish off the chicken shack this week. While there, I decided to check to see if they had steel roofing hidden in the back. Not only did they have it; they had it in the same color to match our house and other out buildings! AND, the price was the same price as before all the craziness started! So I got all the roofing material for the chicken shack for about $150! They even had the ridge cap!

They did not have the drip edge or the trim for the gables, but I do not much care about that. It is just a chicken shack and I can just ]use an extra layer of felt along the drip edge to keep the water out (assuming we do eventually get rain again someday).

WOO HOO!!! I love it when I get lucky!

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[Slippy]

So here is the rationalization Mrs Inor and I have been using for the cost of the chicken shack. (I am not saying it is correct or "smart", just this is the process we use to rationalize the expense.)

The whole effort that has become M. T. Acres is a project we have been planning and working on for a LONG time, close to 15 years. Most of the major projects we have built (including the chicken shack) have been part of the plan almost since the beginning. Some parts of it have been more expensive than we anticipated and others have been cheaper. But overall, the whole project of setting up the homestead has been within a couple thousand dollars of what we anticipated. The original plan for the chicken shack was to just buy one of the Mennonite sheds and put a couple windows in it. So even with the extreme cost of building materials now, the end result is going to be about the same as buying prebuilt due to the fact that I am building it myself. (And hopefully, the shack will end up being a little better quality too.)

So am I deluding myself? Probably. But what else am I going to with my free time anyway?

Budgets are good, they are always part of our decision making process.

But the "bottom line" is a finished product that makes you happy.

I call it the "Pursuit of Happiness" Clause...usually to help me justify what I want to do!...:biglaugh:

[Inor]

Well, the chicken shack is about done!

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Mrs Inor still has to paint the door blue to match the rest of the doors at M.T. Acres. (I'm not sure why all our doors are blue, but Mrs Inor seems to think it is important. And since she is the one that paints them anyway, I don't care.)

Mrs Inor also bought some brightly colored metal chicken shapes to screw to the outside. We figure we cannot be true rednecks without a bunch of brightly colored metal shit hanging all over the place.

I even got the vents on the back side (across from the windows) so the chickens will have a nice cross ventilation and there is no danger of the chicken farts breaking the glass in the windows.

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All that is left on the outside is to put up a fence with a gate around the whole mess and get some of those really cool lights like Slippy has on his chicken shack!

Tomorrow I will start making the nesting boxes and some kind of perch or roost or whatever it is called for them to sleep on.

[SGG]

Really nice. Glad you secured materials.


Can't wake the banned. :pirateflag:

[Slippy]

Well, the chicken shack is about done!

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Mrs Inor still has to paint the door blue to match the rest of the doors at M.T. Acres. (I'm not sure why all our doors are blue, but Mrs Inor seems to think it is important. And since she is the one that paints them anyway, I don't care.)

Mrs Inor also bought some brightly colored metal chicken shapes to screw to the outside. We figure we cannot be true rednecks without a bunch of brightly colored metal shit hanging all over the place.

I even got the vents on the back side (across from the windows) so the chickens will have a nice cross ventilation and there is no danger of the chicken farts breaking the glass in the windows.

14826

All that is left on the outside is to put up a fence with a gate around the whole mess and get some of those really cool lights like Slippy has on his chicken shack!

Tomorrow I will start making the nesting boxes and some kind of perch or roost or whatever it is called for them to sleep on.

Another Home Run build, Inor! Its damn sure just like a steak I'd never eat...EXTREMELY WELL DONE! :bigthumbup:

[StratBastard]

Well, the chicken shack is about done!

14825

Mrs Inor still has to paint the door blue to match the rest of the doors at M.T. Acres. (I'm not sure why all our doors are blue, but Mrs Inor seems to think it is important. And since she is the one that paints them anyway, I don't care.)

Mrs Inor also bought some brightly colored metal chicken shapes to screw to the outside. We figure we cannot be true rednecks without a bunch of brightly colored metal shit hanging all over the place.

I even got the vents on the back side (across from the windows) so the chickens will have a nice cross ventilation and there is no danger of the chicken farts breaking the glass in the windows.

14826

All that is left on the outside is to put up a fence with a gate around the whole mess and get some of those really cool lights like Slippy has on his chicken shack!

Tomorrow I will start making the nesting boxes and some kind of perch or roost or whatever it is called for them to sleep on.

Damn! What's the rent on that place? I can move in next week. Full disclosure: I don't produce a lot of eggs.

[Prepared One]

Looks really great Inor. If I get there before Strat and agree to milk the chickens can I move in?

[Piratesailor]

Damn nice coop! Luxury box for chickens.

[Inor]

We had to move the chickens into the shack today. They were getting too big already for the garden box in the garage and they were starting to fight. So far they seem good in the shack. I do not have the chicken yard fenced yet so they are just inside the shack. But so far, they seem okay with it.

My post hole digger just came a couple days ago and this afternoon was the first chance I had time to put it together.

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It is a TSC special, so I am sure it is just a Chinese piece of crap. But I only have 12 holes to dig for the chicken yard and about 35 more for a fenced area Mrs Inor wants around her berry patch. So I am sure it will hold up well enough for those.

I dug a test hole with it today and it digs like a shit banger! The only thing I might need to slow down the speed for lowering the 3-point hitch on the tractor. I am afraid it might screw itself into the ground if I keep it set to the current speed.

The absolute best thing about tractor accessories are the warning labels!

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[Slippy]

We had to move the chickens into the shack today. They were getting too big already for the garden box in the garage and they were starting to fight. So far they seem good in the shack. I do not have the chicken yard fenced yet so they are just inside the shack. But so far, they seem okay with it.

My post hole digger just came a couple days ago and this afternoon was the first chance I had time to put it together.

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It is a TSC special, so I am sure it is just a Chinese piece of crap. But I only have 12 holes to dig for the chicken yard and about 35 more for a fenced area Mrs Inor wants around her berry patch. So I am sure it will hold up well enough for those.

I dug a test hole with it today and it digs like a shit banger! The only thing I might need to slow down the speed for lowering the 3-point hitch on the tractor. I am afraid it might screw itself into the ground if I keep it set to the current speed.

The absolute best thing about tractor accessories are the warning labels!

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My only tip on using the post hole digger is to use the UP/DOWN lever on your 3 Point Hitch and move it up and down while you're digging the hole. Bringing the 3 Point Hitch up will also bring some dirt out of the hole and make digging the next few inches/feet much easier.

Also, I built a stand for my post hole digger to help get the implement on the tractor.

Be safe and have fun!

[Inor]

My only tip on using the post hole digger is to use the UP/DOWN lever on your 3 Point Hitch and move it up and down while you're digging the hole. Bringing the 3 Point Hitch up will also bring some dirt out of the hole and make digging the next few inches/feet much easier.

Also, I built a stand for my post hole digger to help get the implement on the tractor.

Be safe and have fun!

This one came with legs. But I think I am going to make a couple wood blocks to set the front on. I think it will be easier to connect/disconnect.

[Coastie dad]

This spring we ran about 2/10 mile of fence and used the auger for the wood corner posts. You may not have this problem where you are, but I have rock teeth on mine. If the teeth break through a large flat rock and the auger bites like a screw......
You will have your front end in the air quicker than you can react. Then the REAL bitch is getting unhung from that mess.

[Inor]

This spring we ran about 2/10 mile of fence and used the auger for the wood corner posts. You may not have this problem where you are, but I have rock teeth on mine. If the teeth break through a large flat rock and the auger bites like a screw......
You will have your front end in the air quicker than you can react. Then the REAL bitch is getting unhung from that mess.

Rocks are a problem here too. The first thing this morning, I broke a shear bolt on the auger hitting one. Even worse is the hardpan. I got down about 16-18 inches and hit hardpan and even the rock teeth would not cut through it. We are soaking the holes now. We drilled as deep as we could, then filled the holes with water. Tomorrow I will fill them again. Hopefully by Sunday the water will have loosened the hardpan enough to get through it.

[Coastie dad]

When you hit hardpan have you tried pulling the auger out and using a pinch bar to chip a notch in it for the teeth to bite? That works here often.

[Inor]

When you hit hardpan have you tried pulling the auger out and using a pinch bar to chip a notch in it for the teeth to bite? That works here often.

That works if the hardpan is not real thick (and I am motivated enough to pound on it for a while with the bar). Water seems to work about the best, but it is slow. When I was digging the irrigation trenches I used my pressure washer to blast through it. That worked great. Unfortunately, my pressure washer gave up the ghost and I have not yet replaced it.

[Slippy]

That works if the hardpan is not real thick (and I am motivated enough to pound on it for a while with the bar). Water seems to work about the best, but it is slow. When I was digging the irrigation trenches I used my pressure washer to blast through it. That worked great. Unfortunately, my pressure washer gave up the ghost and I have not yet replaced it.

Inor, reckon their might be some Illegals around that you can hire?

I'd loan you some of mine but I'm afraid you'd pay them better than me and I'd lose the little brown burrito eating bastards! :(

[Coastie dad]

Think of how fortunate you are to experience these things. Some city dwellers and office cubicle troglodytes will never know these joys!

[Inor]

Think of how fortunate you are to experience these things. Some city dwellers and office cubicle troglodytes will never know these joys!

I spent 30 years of my life working my ass off in an office 70-80 hours per week to be able to afford to come out here and spend my days digging holes and shoveling shit. What a fool I was! I could have been perfectly content coming out here at 25 and spent my whole life digging holes and shoveling shit. I probably could have dug to the other side by now if I had put my mind to it!

[Prepared One]

I spent 30 years of my life working my ass off in an office 70-80 hours per week to be able to afford to come out here and spend my days digging holes and shoveling shit. What a fool I was! I could have been perfectly content coming out here at 25 and spent my whole life digging holes and shoveling shit. I probably could have dug to the other side by now if I had put my mind to it!

And at the end of the day all have is a bad back and bunch of holes you can shovel shit into. :biglaugh:

[Big Ken]

Think of how fortunate you are to experience these things. Some city dwellers and office cubicle troglodytes will never know these joys!

I've never owned property where this type worked needed to be done but growing up I worked on some horse farms, it was a never dull and it was dusk till dawn, always a fence to repair or install, shoveling manure, feeding and watering, then when winter hit a whole different work schedule, to me the most strenuous was when it was time to get the hay out of the fields, it always seemed to be 90 plus degrees, throwing that hay on the wagon, hay chaff getting everywhere I swore I'd lose 10 pounds of sweat and when it was all loaded you get to go stack it in the barn, next day, repeat.

[Inor]

Inor, reckon their might be some Illegals around that you can hire?

I'd loan you some of mine but I'm afraid you'd pay them better than me and I'd lose the little brown burrito eating bastards! :(

You're supposed to pay them?!? Huh... Who knew? When they came to me with their hand out I thought they just wanted to wash off the brown. So I handed 'em a bar of soap. Oh well, serves 'em right for not having the courtesy to speak English...