Les Larson, (aka Bert)
Chicken_art@yahoo.com
651-777-6510
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Links to articles about the keeping of Chickens, eggs, etc.
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Chicken diseases.
http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/poultry/feed-health/five-chicken-diseases-and-symptoms/
Do eggs need to be refrigerated or washed ?
http://countrysidenetwork.com/daily/poultry/poultry-poultry/do-eggs-need-to-be-refrigerated-and-washed/
Five reasons to eat eggs.
http://www.backyardpoultrymag.com/egg-facts-5-reasons-eat-eggs/
There's more to an egg than what meets the eye... Interesting egg facts.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/there-is-more-to-an-egg-than-meets-the-eye-interesting-egg-facts
Showing posts with label coop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coop. Show all posts
20160131
The Absurd Adventures of Simon Pigeon... Chickens and coops too.
Solar powered Aviary and Coop
The Solar Chicken Coop-Aviary (for Pigeons too) sometimes gets up to 80+ degrees, works good even on cloudy days.. free heat. The surplus heat is drawn into the coop to keep it above freezing at all times. At minus 20 degrees at night, the radiant floor heat is sometimes needed in the coop, ... cost less than $5 for the entire winter. No frozen water, no frozen eggs, no frozen Chickens. Exceedingly easy to clean, everything mostly automatic, .. bright, clean and sanitary. Many internet cams. Can be left unattended for up to a month. Ordinary costs to construct.
. . With foil panels in summer, the aviary the coolest place the Chickens can be.
Simon Pigeon LOVES to be loved and massaged.
Simon was anxious to open his Christmas presents (a leaded glass crystal food bowl)
Simon gets excited when going to the cabin... or anywhere else too. He loves to ride in the car.
In winter, when Simon comes in from outside, he heads for the fireplace.
Or if the fireplace isn't going, he finds other ways to warm his feet.
Whenever I yawn, Simon yawns too.
Henry loves Simon too, just like I do.
They let me know when they want to come in the house.
But, sometimes Simon can't make up his mind.
Simon was upset when discovered that the hiking trail was for foot travel only.
At the campground, Simon likes to hang around the food.
At Grand Marais MN, Simon pretends to be a seagull.
It was the first time in his life that Simon ever saw a wave. He went running from the water swearing all the way. 
At our Wisconsin cabin, Simon admires the mushrooms.
Simon like to be included at play time.
and knocked down all the blocks.
Simon often visits Senior homes too, to make the residents smile.
Everyday the Pigeons come to the door for permission to come inside.
Velcro and 2.5 love to take baths together. They are madly in love.
CHICKENS - This is Bert.
Bert is not too fond of the spin cycle.
Cat ?? ... What cat ?
NASA apologized to Bert for improperly naming this the Eagle Nebula.
Bert loves holidays.
Truffles loves to sing Opera ... very LOUD and off-key. At stop signs, other drivers stare at her, then roll up their windows. She only knows one Opera, "La traviata".
Truffles is also know as my "Chicken Helper"
Shmoo is a Silkie breed of Chicken
Alice is a Polish Silver Lace.
Beep Beep is a Polish Golden Lace.
but with it, she can fly.
My classes, "The Art of Keeping Chickens", are designed to make it as easy and efficient as possible to keep Chickens.
How to conform to city ordinances, How to keep the neighbors (and the city) and the Chickens happy,
Chicken comfort, safety and sanitation.
Techniques for ease of maintenance (it's SO easy).
Chicken poop is one of the three best compost materials,
And many other Chicken related topics.
END
20150831
Automatic Chicken coop/aviary door
1508531 Aviary coop auto door
I FINALLY did it (low priority). ... Fully automatic door on the Chicken/Pigeon aviary. Opens at 8:30am, closes at 9:30pm... also can open/close it from the internet while watching it on a net-cam.
. . This way, if gone overnight, the Chickens/Pigeons can still be outside during the day instead of being confined to the aviary until we get back.
IN THE video, I am manually operating it from the house with a remote.
. . Closing the door at night is only to protect the birds from predators.
comments -
Made entirely from scrap parts including a coat hanger, some aluminum strap, two 110v timers, some limit switches, and a gear reduction motor mechanism. It has a spring so no animal will get trapped if in the way of the door closing. - PIC =
150831a 2731 Aviary coop automatic door.JPG
... I've been meaning to do this for 9 years, finally got around to it. . . It will be nice when we're on vacation, I can monitor on cam, count chickens, open/close when appropriate OR let the timers take control. They ALWAYS go in 1/2 hour before dusk so it's very safe to assume they're all in when door closes ... but I can count them on cam to make sure
... Those are reflectors on the door so door position is very visible on net-cam or from the house. The rotation was important so there is never down-thrust on the bottom of the sliding door.
. . . There ARE auto doors on the market but they're $300.
VIDEO = 150831b 2731 Aviary coop automatic door.MOV
FB LINK = https://www.facebook.com/BertTheMensaChicken/videos/10153493512505295/
I FINALLY did it (low priority). ... Fully automatic door on the Chicken/Pigeon aviary. Opens at 8:30am, closes at 9:30pm... also can open/close it from the internet while watching it on a net-cam.
. . This way, if gone overnight, the Chickens/Pigeons can still be outside during the day instead of being confined to the aviary until we get back.
IN THE video, I am manually operating it from the house with a remote.
. . Closing the door at night is only to protect the birds from predators.
comments -
Made entirely from scrap parts including a coat hanger, some aluminum strap, two 110v timers, some limit switches, and a gear reduction motor mechanism. It has a spring so no animal will get trapped if in the way of the door closing. - PIC =
150831a 2731 Aviary coop automatic door.JPG
... I've been meaning to do this for 9 years, finally got around to it. . . It will be nice when we're on vacation, I can monitor on cam, count chickens, open/close when appropriate OR let the timers take control. They ALWAYS go in 1/2 hour before dusk so it's very safe to assume they're all in when door closes ... but I can count them on cam to make sure
... Those are reflectors on the door so door position is very visible on net-cam or from the house. The rotation was important so there is never down-thrust on the bottom of the sliding door.
. . . There ARE auto doors on the market but they're $300.
VIDEO = 150831b 2731 Aviary coop automatic door.MOV
FB LINK = https://www.facebook.com/BertTheMensaChicken/videos/10153493512505295/
20141124
141124 Chicken Mini Coop
This very small Coop is modeled after my 10yo larger coop and is somewhat of an experiment although it is a very real usable Chicken coop. I intend to measure it's efficiency and performance thru the winter (NOTE: I did, ... very successful)
It's 4x4, enough for 2 or 3 Chickens but CAN be made in ANY larger size for dozens of Chickens. My existing much larger coop/aviary is plenty large enough for me to walk inside, and the Chickens can fly. Short sleeve shirt is all you need and be warm on a sunny cold winter day.
.. This is NOT the way I would usually build one. This one is built in 3 detachable pieces so I can bring it to my "The Art of Keeping Chicken Classes" in my van. One built to not be portable would have much less material and would look less complicated and it can easily be made to look "cute".
The idea is to gain as much energy from the sun as possible while at the same time make the coop very efficient to maintain with Chickens in it. Even with NO sun the aviary portion is usually 15 degrees warmer (free) than outside while the coop is always above freezing. The angles and proportions are important. The ventilation, fans, sizes, timers, lights, etc are also very important. Many other details are also very important to it's success. It's mouse-proof also. Snow usually slides off of the solar surface, if not, a gentle tap usually causes the snow to slide off.
. . The solar surface area ratio to the cubic feet is much smaller than my other coops so it will likely cost about the same or more in electricity to heat as my MUCH larger coop (maybe $5? per year for the small one?). Other aspects of the coop are the same as my larger coop (Easy to clean, etc).
NOTE - It actually only cost 24 cents to keep this mini coop above freezing for the entire winter.... my large 20 Chicken walk-in coop only costs $5 to stay above freezing.
Most of my Chicken keeping methods and techniques are not apparent from the photos.
. . In winter the entire outside area is covered with inexpensive 8mm clear plastic (shown in the photos) over the 1/2" wire cloth. That retains the solar gain and protects the Chickens from drafts of any kind. In summer, the solar surface is covered with foil backed foam panels to give the chickens the coolest place they can possibly be on hot summer days.
It is almost December ... about 25 degrees outside, but quite warm in the aviary (100 in sun). That excess aviary heat gets drawn into the Coop warming it for the night. In summer the solar surface is covered with a cheap reflective panel making it the coolest place the Chickens can be.
It's 4x4, enough for 2 or 3 Chickens but CAN be made in ANY larger size for dozens of Chickens. My existing much larger coop/aviary is plenty large enough for me to walk inside, and the Chickens can fly. Short sleeve shirt is all you need and be warm on a sunny cold winter day.
.. This is NOT the way I would usually build one. This one is built in 3 detachable pieces so I can bring it to my "The Art of Keeping Chicken Classes" in my van. One built to not be portable would have much less material and would look less complicated and it can easily be made to look "cute".
The idea is to gain as much energy from the sun as possible while at the same time make the coop very efficient to maintain with Chickens in it. Even with NO sun the aviary portion is usually 15 degrees warmer (free) than outside while the coop is always above freezing. The angles and proportions are important. The ventilation, fans, sizes, timers, lights, etc are also very important. Many other details are also very important to it's success. It's mouse-proof also. Snow usually slides off of the solar surface, if not, a gentle tap usually causes the snow to slide off.
. . The solar surface area ratio to the cubic feet is much smaller than my other coops so it will likely cost about the same or more in electricity to heat as my MUCH larger coop (maybe $5? per year for the small one?). Other aspects of the coop are the same as my larger coop (Easy to clean, etc).
NOTE - It actually only cost 24 cents to keep this mini coop above freezing for the entire winter.... my large 20 Chicken walk-in coop only costs $5 to stay above freezing.
Most of my Chicken keeping methods and techniques are not apparent from the photos.
. . In winter the entire outside area is covered with inexpensive 8mm clear plastic (shown in the photos) over the 1/2" wire cloth. That retains the solar gain and protects the Chickens from drafts of any kind. In summer, the solar surface is covered with foil backed foam panels to give the chickens the coolest place they can possibly be on hot summer days.
It is almost December ... about 25 degrees outside, but quite warm in the aviary (100 in sun). That excess aviary heat gets drawn into the Coop warming it for the night. In summer the solar surface is covered with a cheap reflective panel making it the coolest place the Chickens can be.
20110327
It was 30 degrees outside today but it was 109.7 degrees inside.
Houses should be build like this....well, kinda. Free heat, lots of it. Yet in summer it will be as cool as under the shade of a tree (Reflective insulated covering). Inside, the coop will be even cooler with free "air conditioning". (30F = -1C,... 109.7F = 43C)
This is the first winter for my new aviary addition. The Chickens and Pigeons love it. It's safe, dry and warm. They love to take dirt baths and they lounge around laying in the warm sun like tourists on a beach. They're free to go outside, but prefer inside.
Whenever the aviary is over 50 degrees a thermostat turns on a fan to draw surplus heat inside to the insulated coop to warm it so the coop will remain warm all night long (free). The pigeon nests near the top are the warmest...the sand floor (about 85F degrees, 30C ) acts a bit like a heat sync during the day so at night the aviary is always about 10-15 degrees warmer than ambient, the inside coop remains well above freezing. It's all free heat. Even on cloudy days it's about 15-20 degrees above ambient. On those minus 40 degree nights a tiny elec heater (40w hair curler) keeps the coop above freezing. The elec bill for all winter is less than $5.
For more information click on Coop Design (temporarily disabled)
This is the first winter for my new aviary addition. The Chickens and Pigeons love it. It's safe, dry and warm. They love to take dirt baths and they lounge around laying in the warm sun like tourists on a beach. They're free to go outside, but prefer inside.
Whenever the aviary is over 50 degrees a thermostat turns on a fan to draw surplus heat inside to the insulated coop to warm it so the coop will remain warm all night long (free). The pigeon nests near the top are the warmest...the sand floor (about 85F degrees, 30C ) acts a bit like a heat sync during the day so at night the aviary is always about 10-15 degrees warmer than ambient, the inside coop remains well above freezing. It's all free heat. Even on cloudy days it's about 15-20 degrees above ambient. On those minus 40 degree nights a tiny elec heater (40w hair curler) keeps the coop above freezing. The elec bill for all winter is less than $5.
For more information click on Coop Design (temporarily disabled)
20080613
“Solar Powered Chickens” - 11/11/2006
“Solar Powered Chickens” coop, coop-design, solar, aviary, chickens
It’s a smashing success.
Ace just built this Chickens solarium/aviary for Bert and the hens. It’s connected to the coop inside the pole barn via a skyway with a gravity airlock. The coop always remains above freezing day/night. The Solarium gets too hot during the day, heating the coop for free in the process. At night the solarium cools to the ambient temperature, but the insulated coop stays warm. In summer there are numerous vents and windows and it keeps the coop cooler by keeping the hot sun off the shed wall and dissipating the heat.
The floor of the solarium is covered with 5” of dry sand so is like a huge litter box for very easy cleaning with a long handled rake/scoop. The Chickens are free to roam the yard anytime except on days when the temp does not get above 20 deg the Chickens will be confined to the draft free warm solarium where they can still fly just a bit and take sun-baths. The Chicken door is a sliding glass door.
Today it’s 30 deg but the aviary air temp is 82 in the shade, 122 in the sun. It will double as a “greenhouse” for plants in the Spring. In Minnesota it can get down to minus 40 (C and F deg).
Houses should be build like this.
UPDATE 10/2010 - Solar Aviary addition
The entire aviary-coop is mouse proof. Even on a overcast day the temp is 10-15 degrees warmer, with sun 60-90 degrees inside. When the sun comes up a thermostat/fan blows hot air from the aviary into the insulated coop so the coop stays warm the next night without any additional head source. It remains above freezing for almost no expense ($5 per year for elec heat at temps lower than 20 below, otherwise free)
With twice the floor space the Chickens are very content to stay in the aviary when the weather it too nasty for them outside. The sand floor is very quick and easy to clean and keeps it very sanitary for the Chickens, and it also acts a bit like a heat sync to store heat for evening.
The sand floor has roofing "Ice-Shield" for a waterproof basin for the sand. The Chickens love to take dirt-baths and lounge around in the sun.
For INFO and specs on the insulated coop inside the pole barn, see :
http://bertthemensachicken.multiply.com/journal/item/190/What_happens_in_the_Coop_stays_in_the_CoopView the Chickens in the back yard anytime via Live Chicken Cam... you control the camera
http://bertthemensachicken.multiply.com/journal/item/217/CONTROL_Berts_CHICKEN_CAM_search_for_Chickens.
It’s a smashing success.
Ace just built this Chickens solarium/aviary for Bert and the hens. It’s connected to the coop inside the pole barn via a skyway with a gravity airlock. The coop always remains above freezing day/night. The Solarium gets too hot during the day, heating the coop for free in the process. At night the solarium cools to the ambient temperature, but the insulated coop stays warm. In summer there are numerous vents and windows and it keeps the coop cooler by keeping the hot sun off the shed wall and dissipating the heat.
The floor of the solarium is covered with 5” of dry sand so is like a huge litter box for very easy cleaning with a long handled rake/scoop. The Chickens are free to roam the yard anytime except on days when the temp does not get above 20 deg the Chickens will be confined to the draft free warm solarium where they can still fly just a bit and take sun-baths. The Chicken door is a sliding glass door.
Today it’s 30 deg but the aviary air temp is 82 in the shade, 122 in the sun. It will double as a “greenhouse” for plants in the Spring. In Minnesota it can get down to minus 40 (C and F deg).
Houses should be build like this.
UPDATE 10/2010 - Solar Aviary addition
The entire aviary-coop is mouse proof. Even on a overcast day the temp is 10-15 degrees warmer, with sun 60-90 degrees inside. When the sun comes up a thermostat/fan blows hot air from the aviary into the insulated coop so the coop stays warm the next night without any additional head source. It remains above freezing for almost no expense ($5 per year for elec heat at temps lower than 20 below, otherwise free)
With twice the floor space the Chickens are very content to stay in the aviary when the weather it too nasty for them outside. The sand floor is very quick and easy to clean and keeps it very sanitary for the Chickens, and it also acts a bit like a heat sync to store heat for evening.
The sand floor has roofing "Ice-Shield" for a waterproof basin for the sand. The Chickens love to take dirt-baths and lounge around in the sun.
For INFO and specs on the insulated coop inside the pole barn, see :
http://bertthemensachicken.multiply.com/journal/item/190/What_happens_in_the_Coop_stays_in_the_CoopView the Chickens in the back yard anytime via Live Chicken Cam... you control the camera
http://bertthemensachicken.multiply.com/journal/item/217/CONTROL_Berts_CHICKEN_CAM_search_for_Chickens.
"What happens in the Coop, stays in the Coop" - 7/15/2006
(The title refers to the fertilizer).
This is my HI-TECH HOME. We're probably the most pampered Chickens around. The coop has to withstand temps from minus 40 to 120 above.
For Winter: It has thermostatically controlled radiant floor heating for the Minnesota Winters. The fully insulated coop never goes below freezing and the nests stay at 45 deg so the water does not need to be heated. Thanks to the gravity air lock to the outside thru the skyway (Door is always open), the expense of heating is a mere $5 per year. With a small draft-free muffin fan providing negative air pressure, frost never forms around the doors, and all ammonia laden exhaust is ducted to the outside, also removing dust and the very high humidity (98% down to 45%). In Winter I use a 40 watt standard light bulb on a timer which adds a bit of extra heat.
Summer: On 100 deg Summer days, a programmed set-back thermostat cooling system with cool air ducted from the cool cement floor in back, keeps the temp between 73 and 86 degrees even though the pole barn which contains the Coop, reaches 120 deg. On really hot days the coop is always cooler than outside in the shade. When the large cooling fan is not needed, a small muffin fan is automatically switched on to force a small amount of fresh air in which is then vented outside thru the skyway. Wireless remote alarms sound if the temperature exceeds the set limits (32-86). Summer and Winter, the inside always has 13 hours of “Daylight” on timers (for maximum egg production). In Summer I use a 25 watt (3watt) LED bulb on a timer which add NO heat to the coop. During the day, the lights are automatically switched off and soft outside light is provided thru the skyway (somewhat darkened, good for nesting).
30 remote controlled wireless color cameras monitor inside the coop and the entire yard, front/back. The remote controlled pan/tilt cameras are all wired to the computer for broadcast on the internet, and also to every TV/VCR/DVD recorder. This also provides CCTV surveillance of the entire property, all activity anywhere day or night can be recorded on the computer or VCR. From any TV, we can watch the full-time “Chicken Channel”. At nite the infra-red cameras allows a normal view even with no light at all, or just a small 1.5 watt nite light. It’s easy to see on TV the instant any eggs are laid and need collecting.
Cleaning is nearly automatic. All “fertilizer” drops into the waterproof hopper where it then falls into the trough. Every 2 weeks or so the trough is slid out and a clean trough put in it’s place. The trough is emptied into the compost pile. If necessary, the hopper is easily cleaned with a “Mr Swifter” using paper towels. The inside of the coop is always shiny clean white with no “aroma” at all. It helps keep the Chicken healthy and free of any diseases or ailments. The coop is designed so it would need no attention/cleaning at all for up to a month if desired. It has automatic food/water.
UPDATE : THis picture is before the Solar Aviary addition,
(Ace L ) ----- Although Chickens don't like snow, the cold doesn't bother them so they are free to leave the coop and roam around the back yard all day (Our Roving Lawn Ornaments). Below 10~ degrees, their combs can freeze so then they are not allowed outside. They LOVE to eat any bugs they can find (we have none left) and they also cultivate all the weeds. Unfortunately, they also LOVE tomatoes in the garden. They have no fear of machinery and the lawnmower discharge will send them rolling across the yard (Scrambled eggs). I have to be careful while using the leaf blower and the weed whacker (naked Chickens). When I'm working on things/equipment, they will climb all over my tools and equipment, they are very curious and get in my way, I have to keep pushing them aside. Sometimes they will land on my shoulder or on my head. Bert (the rooster) gets very upset whenever one of the hens is missing and crows until they are all together again. They keep us entertained. The German Shepherd Diesel, and the Cat Tuna, and the Chickens, are all good friends.
This is my HI-TECH HOME. We're probably the most pampered Chickens around. The coop has to withstand temps from minus 40 to 120 above.
For Winter: It has thermostatically controlled radiant floor heating for the Minnesota Winters. The fully insulated coop never goes below freezing and the nests stay at 45 deg so the water does not need to be heated. Thanks to the gravity air lock to the outside thru the skyway (Door is always open), the expense of heating is a mere $5 per year. With a small draft-free muffin fan providing negative air pressure, frost never forms around the doors, and all ammonia laden exhaust is ducted to the outside, also removing dust and the very high humidity (98% down to 45%). In Winter I use a 40 watt standard light bulb on a timer which adds a bit of extra heat.
Summer: On 100 deg Summer days, a programmed set-back thermostat cooling system with cool air ducted from the cool cement floor in back, keeps the temp between 73 and 86 degrees even though the pole barn which contains the Coop, reaches 120 deg. On really hot days the coop is always cooler than outside in the shade. When the large cooling fan is not needed, a small muffin fan is automatically switched on to force a small amount of fresh air in which is then vented outside thru the skyway. Wireless remote alarms sound if the temperature exceeds the set limits (32-86). Summer and Winter, the inside always has 13 hours of “Daylight” on timers (for maximum egg production). In Summer I use a 25 watt (3watt) LED bulb on a timer which add NO heat to the coop. During the day, the lights are automatically switched off and soft outside light is provided thru the skyway (somewhat darkened, good for nesting).
30 remote controlled wireless color cameras monitor inside the coop and the entire yard, front/back. The remote controlled pan/tilt cameras are all wired to the computer for broadcast on the internet, and also to every TV/VCR/DVD recorder. This also provides CCTV surveillance of the entire property, all activity anywhere day or night can be recorded on the computer or VCR. From any TV, we can watch the full-time “Chicken Channel”. At nite the infra-red cameras allows a normal view even with no light at all, or just a small 1.5 watt nite light. It’s easy to see on TV the instant any eggs are laid and need collecting.
Cleaning is nearly automatic. All “fertilizer” drops into the waterproof hopper where it then falls into the trough. Every 2 weeks or so the trough is slid out and a clean trough put in it’s place. The trough is emptied into the compost pile. If necessary, the hopper is easily cleaned with a “Mr Swifter” using paper towels. The inside of the coop is always shiny clean white with no “aroma” at all. It helps keep the Chicken healthy and free of any diseases or ailments. The coop is designed so it would need no attention/cleaning at all for up to a month if desired. It has automatic food/water.
UPDATE : THis picture is before the Solar Aviary addition,
(Ace L ) ----- Although Chickens don't like snow, the cold doesn't bother them so they are free to leave the coop and roam around the back yard all day (Our Roving Lawn Ornaments). Below 10~ degrees, their combs can freeze so then they are not allowed outside. They LOVE to eat any bugs they can find (we have none left) and they also cultivate all the weeds. Unfortunately, they also LOVE tomatoes in the garden. They have no fear of machinery and the lawnmower discharge will send them rolling across the yard (Scrambled eggs). I have to be careful while using the leaf blower and the weed whacker (naked Chickens). When I'm working on things/equipment, they will climb all over my tools and equipment, they are very curious and get in my way, I have to keep pushing them aside. Sometimes they will land on my shoulder or on my head. Bert (the rooster) gets very upset whenever one of the hens is missing and crows until they are all together again. They keep us entertained. The German Shepherd Diesel, and the Cat Tuna, and the Chickens, are all good friends.
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