home made chicken coop and run part 2 

Those are the luckiest chickens on earth. You have built a country club for chickens!!

use old chicken shells and grit for calcium and digestion.love chickens .very relaxing listening to them talk to each other. your chicks won't run away from your yd. but neighbor dogs can be a problem. I use golf balls in nests to encourage laying plus snakes eat the golf balls and not the eggs.happy chicks to you.

i can see it now lavimoniere plumbing heating and poultry. looks like those ladies will keep you busy every morning good luck

WOW! That's really awesome! I like what you did to make the old truck into a coop. Great job! If you fence in your whole yard, you could get a cow.... LOL!

Looks good Steve. I'm envious. If you get new chickens put them in at night under cover of darkness. They wake up non the wiser.

1 hell of a operation you have now Steve mama. loving the chickens lol. your the man you will look after them good cant wait till you get more of them keep up the good work buddy. Steve is working again mama need to have a burn chat again sometime I miss them lol.

A lot of fun Steve

Very nice project. You put much work into it, Great Job. The only drawback is, I feel The Raccoons would be able to climb on top and chew through the Deer Netting and having a Chicken dinner. I had them chew through Chicken Wire already and get into my coop.

Eggs already. Wow, they like their home for sure. That is a great set up for the chickens. You can use the chicken manure for compost. Better than the junk at stores.

That is the best and coolest use of an old work truck. It has to be way better than it rotting away in a junk yard I wish more people would repurpose stuff in ways like that. should make a cooking video with those fresh eggs haha good work Steve!

That looks like a great setup Steve, loads of fun and entertainment! Keep us up to date.

Thanks for the truck idea 👍. This will come in handy during hurricane season here in Florida. Very nice set up you have.

Steve you are going all out on this project and it is coming together very nice , Justin Henning.

the best time to put new chickens together is at night. bring them in at night add to the ones there and they are not aware and is less stress on all of them...looks good

keeps shitten on the water LOL he's a shitter Mama. He's a shitter!! WOW Steve, you have put a lot of work into this project Aren't you afraid animals will dig under the fence and get to the birds

Awesome stuff and brilliant ideas for those lucky chickens!

That looks like a lot of fun. What a way to get rid of stress.

Very nice Mr Lav. A man of many talents

I'm going to follow you, love your accent! 👌 You are hilarious! 😂

Looks Great Steve

Steve I'm really impressed with how well the truck worked as a coop. Really next level!!!

Great job Colonel !!!

What a great set up! Well done Steve.

What a great idea for a chicken coop! Great setup

So unique. Great utility of resources! Your passion for this project is evident!

Great set up! A lot of work went into getting the coop ready. Next level.

I LOVE the truck for a coop - that's pretty darn cool! Got a couple of laughs since your "new" experience equaled so much of ours. And WOW, all those chain link panels!! Couple of things - even in MA, you might want to add some more ventilation at both the floor level and roof level. More than heat, they need a large amount of ventilation to prevent frostbite of the combs, wattles and feet. They will probably always tip over those light weight tubs - they like to stand on the edge. They make heavy duty feed tubs for livestock that work well w/ that type of open feeding for chickens but if more than one is on the edge they can still tip them. You also may want more than one w/ that # of birds. 12 chickens will clean up a lot more of your leftovers than that, LOL! Once they've eaten all the grass, you can layer up to 12" at a time (or more) of compostable material - straw, mulch, leaves, twigs, limbs, bedding, garden left overs, left over food, shredded bills/paper/cardboard etc - they'll scratch it all around, poop in it and compost it down flat but you won't have a stinky, moonscape run. In the spring you can remove SOME of that for garden or even re-sale but you don't want to remove all of it. You can put your shavings from the bedding right out in the run (manure and all) to add to it. This layering will also help to keep their feet dry and they'll be more willing to venture out in the snow - when you get it. Of all the materials, wood chip bedding take the longest to break down/compost - so maybe only add from your coop, not any extra. The bare patches are probably from your Roo - mounting the girls. The ones w/ largest bare spots are his favorites - notice none of the buffs had any bare spots (or I didn't see any?). Those eggs will also be fertile. When they peck at one another, the bare spots/missing feathers usually show up in different spots first (though a heavily pecked bird will have a bare back as well). Not sure what the black chickens are - might be black Orpingtons? Your roo looks like he might be a cross bred? I've never had Orpingtons, but understand that they are a good dual purpose bird - both meat and eggs. May do some in the future and I like the Buffs, Blues & Splash - easiest way to create blues is with a splash and black... We have both Easter Eggers & Ameraucanas; Speckled Sussex; Russian Orloff - for brown eggs & white Leghorns for white eggs. Couple of mixed bantams as well - for fun and tiny eggs. Have you gotten more eggs yet? I was impressed that in NOVEMBER, after a stressful move, that you got so many! That is really great and you don't know how lucky you are. You may find that to keep eggs cleaner, you have to put blocks in your nest boxes to make them a bit smaller(might not need to - don't know - every chicken seems to be different). Enjoy your chickens - they are sure fun as well as delish!

Love your enthusiasm. Your perches do not look very comfortable for their feet. They might prefer rounded wooden poles, 2 inches or a bit more in diameter. I suggest a deep litter of hemp or woodchips inside. Start with 4 inches and add a layer when your nose tells you it is needed. You should only have to clean it out every year or two, leaving some, so the microbes will inoculate the new bedding litter. Once they clean up that nice grass, I suggest a deep layer of woodchips, at least 8 to 10 inches. Wood chips will keep your run dry and odor free and eventually breakdown making an excellent material for your garden. The carbon in the woodchips uses the nitrogen in the chicken poo to break down. Check with your local tree trimmers, and local government for a free source of woodchips, as they will often drop off as much as you can take. I would also suggest making a compost in their yard, by dumping any leaves, weeds, grass, food scraps etc for them to scratch and eat. Local supermarkets and restaurants may be a good source. On nice fine days when their is snow on the ground, the chickens will enjoy the warm compost and have fun scratching it apart. Just pile up again, adding some grains for them to find. You will get better quality eggs and save on grains. With heaps of organic matter in their yard, you should see a reduction of that feather pulling behavior as your chickens will have plenty to do and not have to fight over resources. BTW, the ground is a good place for the scraps as what they do not eat will go to feed the soil life. They also need a dust bath to keep clean, with some Diatomaceous earth sprinkled in to keep the mites at bay. I am careful to keep the Diatomaceous Earth in the dust bath, as it is likely to kill the microbes in your soil, mulch and bedding etc. Another thing your chickens require is grit; oyster shells or some people put their egg shells in a blender, then give them back to the chickens. A little bit of shelter outside is a good idea too, as they will continue to forage outside if they have protection. I think you mentioned snow, so a tunnel or simple A frame over compost would be ideal. You have the makings of a great set up. All the best from New Zealand.

Next chicken level mama, next chicken level.

Awesome Steve! I wish I could do the same, but my town wouldn't allow it. Looks like lots of fun and a good feeling of pride knowing you raised them and they provided you with food in return. Fantastic job!

Nice setup...

Very cool Steve

Like it Pretty nice set up

lol. ha ha. from AC tech to farmer ! now all ya need is some cows !

..Your accent gives me life.. (I'm from the south)

This is where Chick-fil-A get their chicken from 😂😂😉

I see you are getting back to your farmer roots, cool stuff!!

Looks good. I'm looking forward to the chicken videos. You gotta take a chicken to work with you now. *_Baby Dog, slide way over. Make room for Steven and the chicken._*

Wow very ambitious!

Great way to re-purpose the work truck(s).

Cool, makes me want to get some chickens. Thanks for the video

congratulations looking cool

nothing better than fresh cackleberries.

Steve, you could dig a shallow hole and place the tubs in it so they cannot tip it over. Best of luck to you!

You should be fine because the rooster takes care hierarchy. When you bring the new chicken. Don't forget to set a dust bath for them

Farmer Steve! That's awesome!

Steve is farming again mama!

Steve, we live in a residential neighborhood and the guy 3 house up the street has 5 or 6 chickens. The chickens frequently “Free roam” and visit our front flower beds. Down-side is neighbor’s dog killed one of chickens this past summer. Anyway, good luck.

Totally totally over the top!!!! lol...

If it is very cold in the winter there the old sheet metal body on the chicken coop might be very cool so I guess you may have to add foam insulation.

Lookin great

looks good. Pretty neat setup with the truck you got going there. Looking forward to some more vids.

Fresh eggs in the morning Baby the Dog!!!

that's awesome Steven.

Nice going! You trades guys always do things right!

Nice set up

A lot of work. You will have very happy birds.

This is just excellent!! You really use your head my man!! FARMER STEVE IS FARMIN' AGAIN MAMA!!!

On great set up you have there Steven. Waiting for more videos of the set up.

Sounds like a Boston accent. hilarious

Nice video

Very cool setup! Next level planning and execution. You could use some sheet metal to make a cone for the top of the water.

Hey Steve,,shared this video with my wife. She grew up on a farm and raising chickens was part of the life. She mentioned your food supply. Chicks need grit that helps grind and digest the food. Feeding your leftover pre cooked corn may not be the best. Best to spread the food over the ground. Chickens will pick up dirt when they peck as a source of grit. You can also buy small bags of grit at your local feed mill or supplier. Other concerns as you add more chicks is avian flu. Maybe a vet could offer advice. My wife would be more than willing to share info or use toons. Phone number provided upon request. Good Cluck ! 🐔

i go out an pluck a certain weed in the spring,, they follow waiting for that grub thats in the roots,, i weed they eat the grubs! we make a fine pair, i feed mine bugs and worms too along w veggies they love tomatoes and melon rinds!

very nice. you put a lot of work into that. I was thinking about doing a run like that.

You should get in to racing pigeons. There's probably a club where you live. You'd like it!

I'm going to suggest some curtains for the laying boxs, they like a little privacy and a little bit darker place to lay , but thats a great coop

Looks like you have been busy. Looks like a lot of work too.

When you get chicks they can squeeze through the fence. I think the neighbors cat was able to get 2 of my chicks this year that way so I ran chicken wire about 3' up and 1' out on the bottom to keep chicks in and predators out. Mink,weasels, rats can all get right through that I'm in NJ sounds like your in New England and will have the same predators.

Very nice

Nice one mate ,enjoyed your video,what about throwing in some raw meat to help stop the pecking each other or that rooster pecking i found that worked in the past .

Great job Steve, your going to have a lot of eggs if you get even more chickens. The truck will make a brilliant coop

great job i wish i had the space, eggs look good, chickens are cool and you the the space its a big pen,those chicks will be happy

I like your chicken videos.

If you put the water and feed on the other side of the fence they can not get on top of it, they can get their heads through the fence to get the feed and water.

Nice job with the coop. What did your daughter say? And how does the dog like them?

Hey Steve, Its been a while since a shout out from New York!. Been watching your videos man really awesome. The chicken coop looks great!! Steven a real chicken working man mamma!! Have a great Thanksgiving to you , baby and the family. Thanks again for all your hard work and making videos. Definitely Next level!!

Nice job Steve. They seem as smart as a bag of hammers. Hey it's a new thing for you and them. Just wait till you have to clean up all the Frtiz on everything. Be sure to wear GLOVES. Why do you wear gloves ? It's because of all the Fritz. Baby dog is gonna be jealous

Wow.... if the world ends I need you. Lol but for real I can't do ANY of this none. Naddda.

It's like a scene from rocky chasing chickens.

woodprix instructions scripts includes most of woodworking plans you can find

s reallycool steve what are you going to do with all the eggs

nice set up for them,and great job doing the work, when and if you put the 2nd truck on the other end we can call it the trump COOP towers :)

This is one hell of an operation

Steve maybe use coat hanger instead of ties, they won't last 1 year. I have used them on bird houses, crack and broke after one season.

Make a specific sound when you feed them. And they'll come to you every time is dinner

The rooster makes the feathers come off the hens when he mounts them, he's not pecking them.

check out Keith Fenner, he has a machine shop channel and lives out on the cape. he has a great coop setup

You can if you want you can probably Put security cameras so you can see what they're doing when you're on the road

hell yeah momma fauset

How are chickens doing? Layin'

Nice job. Neat hobby. But now eggs cost $50.00 a doz.

If you got them at night you could have taken them with no stress at all from their perch.

Good

Is the motor still running on the old truck, or is it the new truck motor heard running at the end of the video?

Hey Steve could you please do a video on how you did that electrical set up?

you going to run into a problem with that electric meter there what if they have two services it?

light bulbs for heat , also

You worried about Baby making those chickens a meal?

Is that truck goin' to be coupe' ?