New Tractor

We got a new tractor, a Kubota L3200 4x4 with front loader.  It is 2x the size of our old tractor and can lift 3x the weight with the loader.  Our old tractor also had turf tires, so the R1 tires are a big plus.  The rear work lights have been really useful and have extended my hours splitting/hauling wood.  We paid extra for the 66" bucket with quick release, which allows the loader arms to use skid loader attachments.  The only downfall is that I have to rebuild my compost bins since they are built for my old bucket which was 54".

Now I just have to find a used set of disc harrows and a 3pt moldboard plow.  I should be able to get both of those at an upcoming auction.  1 step closer to commercial garlic growing.

New tractor bringing wood to the house

Coop Almost Finished

It's been a couple of weeks, but the coop is almost finished.  Between the cold evenings, busy weekends, and being sick, things just haven't got done as fast as we would like.  Anyway, here are some pictures of the coop in progress.

Tractor picking up coop

I forgot to start the coop by building it on legs, so after I got some of the walls covered and it felt sturdy, I put the forks on the tractor and picked it up.  I also wanted to make sure the tractor could pick up the coop, since I will need to move it out of the barn.
 

View of interior

The egg box is built on the side of the coop.  It is 22"x12" and the roof goes from 12" to 16", giving a 4-12 pitch.  I should have grabbed a picture before the siding went on, but if you look at the picture above, you will see that the shingles and the roof extend inside the coop a couple of inches.  I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to have any leaks, and trying to keep the cost down, this wound up working out really well.

Egg box

Now we just need some warm weather and the chickens are just about ready to head to their new home. I added a roost bar for them to hang out on since they were jumping on top of their waterer. 

I used some scrap pine from the trim of the coop.  The legs are 4 inches long, the roost is 24 inches, and the leg supports are 4 inches.  A couple of them are starting to sleep on it at night.  We are all enjoying watching the chicks grow and get their colors.  It's funny, the pecking order was established almost on day one and the light colored bird on the left of the roost has established herself as the queen bird.

Chicken Coop

The chicken coop is almost done.  Here are some pictures of the framing done.  The coop is 4x4 with the ceiling going from 4' up to 5'4".  I have 2 walls, the roof, and the laying box, which is off the left side.  I'll get those uploaded tomorrow.

The framing is all 2x3.  The floor and roof is 7/16" OSB.  I still need to decide if I will insulate it or not and if I will cover the walls inside.  I've been contemplating covering the walls/floor/ceiling with some type of plastic, kind of like a bathtub surround, to make it easier to clean.  There is still a ways to go.  I'm going to wire it up with one light and possibly an outlet to plug a water heater in the winter time.

Floor Frame

Floor

Walls & Roof Frame Isometric

Front

A new year and new projects

We've decided to get a couple laying hens.  Our plan is to buy 3 hens that are already laying, then get 3 chicks during Chick Days at Tractor Supply to replace the older hens.  That being said, last night I started construction of the chicken coop.

After looking at dozens of plans, pre-built coops, and kits, I decided to design my own.  Our coop is 4'x4' with a roof that goes from 5'4" to 4' (16 inches of drop in 4 feet = 4-12 pitch).  The coop will be raised off the ground 16 inches on 4x4 stilts, allowing the chickens to have that 16 sq.ft. of shade as part of the run.  The whole run will be approximately 20x5 or 100 sq.ft.  The laying boxes will stick out from the main coop for easy external access.  That will also allow my wife & kids to harvest the eggs without having to enter the run or the coop.

Last night I got the floor done, the short wall and high wall, and the rafters on.  Tonight my goal is to have all of the framing done and ready for sides.  Our goal is to be ready to pick up our hens and rabbits in 2 weeks and the pigs shortly after.  So with so many new projects, hens, rabbits, pigs, commercial garlic growing, it should be a more exciting blog this year.