[euge]

That is monstrous! 

Even though it's illegal to keep them here I'd like some for the backyard. However, it also seems to be some sort of nexus point for all the neighborhood cats. 

I don't think the chickens would survive for very long.

[tumarkin]

That's a great idea, Tom.  There's a CSA down the road from me that does that with both chickens and ducks.

Denny ..... ok so what is a CSA (confederate states of america, chicken s*** amalgamator?)??

Tom - when I lived in Alvadore many years ago (not that far from Denny), I used to do what you're discussing. I built a frame out of 2x4's so it was a bit more solid & heavy. It was 8' square, and about 2' high. covered with chicken wire, and I'd throw a few plywood scraps over the top to provide shade & cover from rain for part of it. Moved it over 8' to new grass every few days. I used it for raising chickens for the bar b que so didn't have to deal with eggs, nests, etc. had a regular coop for that. Worked great, go for it.

[denny]

Denny ..... ok so what is a CSA (confederate states of america, chicken s*** amalgamator?)??

You've been gone from OR for too long, Mark!  It stands for "Community Supported Agriculture".  It's like a subscription farm.  This is the one down the road from me that I was referring to...

http://www.wintergreenfarm.com/

[capozzoli]

Cool, glad to know it will work   I might have to start leaving the dog out during the day to keep an eye on them, but I don't think she'd like it much.  She's a people dog.

I'm considering adding a duck, I've heard they're good with slugs.  I don't know what they'd do with this guy though . . .

Three words. butter, garlic, wine.

http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/how-to-prepare-and-cook-slugs_p_1.html

[tschmidlin]

OMG is that real?
The ick factor went way up there just now.

Yes, that is a real slug.  And yes, it is real pictures   Two of them to be exact, one taken in my backyard with the slug next to my hand to show the scale to a friend from MA, the other taken in my front yard to try to match the background when I cropped the first one.  If you look closely you can see a horizontal line running through it, it actually clips one of the leaves from the little plant on the right.

Here's the original.  This is a medium sized Pacific banana slug, ~6 inches - they can get up to 10 inches long, second largest slug in the world.

[tubercle]

I'm thinking about a bunch of 1x3s to make a lightweight frame...

 PVC pipe might be easier and cheaper.

[tschmidlin]

I'm thinking about a bunch of 1x3s to make a lightweight frame...

 PVC pipe might be easier and cheaper.

Hmmm . . . It will hold up better with our weather, and I already have the pvc cement . . . I'd have to design it a little differently to account for the great flexibility of the pvc, but that's no big deal . . .  harder to attach the chicken wire, but I have some rebar wire I could use to hold it in place . . . harder to take apart than if I use screws to hold the boards together, but I can dry fit parts of it and just take it apart in sections . . .

I doubt it will be easier or cheaper, those 1x3s are less than $1.50 each and don't require any special fittings to connect them to each other, just a screw.  But strictly from a longevity standpoint it might be the way to go.

Great idea tubercle!   

[MrNate]

With chickens you get chicken $hit. I ran around at my Grandparents barefooted too much to ever want any of my own.

I had to clean out the coop, collect the eggs, and feed those little bastards my grandma had. I will never feel bad about eating a chicken as long as I live.

[boulderbrewer]

Yeast... Bees... Chickens. It's a natural progression.

don't forget the goats after that

 And cheese...

And Ducks, Turkeys ......and I can't wait for what is next.

[EHall]

I'd stick with wood, but use either treated, redwood, cedar etc... they'll hold up alot longer.
If you choose to go with PVC, you can always add thinner rebar or dowels to the inside to reinforce.. but you'll just up your cost to do that... Guess it just depends on how much time you want to spend maintaining it...

[boulderbrewer]

Don't get cockerels unless you plan on butchering them. They will piss off your neghbors when they start crowing at 4 am. They usually start crowing around twelve weeks, for good laying breed the boys  dress out around 2 to 3 pounds at that age. The amount of manure depends on how many chickens. The biggest pile will be under the roost poles.

[jaybeerman]

OMG is that real?
The ick factor went way up there just now.

Yes, that is a real slug.  And yes, it is real pictures   Two of them to be exact, one taken in my backyard with the slug next to my hand to show the scale to a friend from MA, the other taken in my front yard to try to match the background when I cropped the first one.  If you look closely you can see a horizontal line running through it, it actually clips one of the leaves from the little plant on the right.

Here's the original.  This is a medium sized Pacific banana slug, ~6 inches - they can get up to 10 inches long, second largest slug in the world.

LOL, nicely done

[Mikey]

With chickens you get chicken $hit. I ran around at my Grandparents barefooted too much to ever want any of my own.

I had to clean out the coop, collect the eggs, and feed those little bastards my grandma had. I will never feel bad about eating a chicken as long as I live.

The best chicken is a barbecued chicken.

[blueskies]

Hi tschmidlin - I live just down the road from you. We have kept chickens for a long time now.  A couple of area specific tidbits for you - the predators we have problems with are racoons and hawks.  Racoons mostly at dusk and at night.  We have not found an enclosure that is truly racoon proof.  In our case it has to be sturdy enough that the racoon can't get in without waking the dog.  The hawks only seem to take the chicks and pullets.  Once they are full grown we have not lost any to hawks.  Having a top to your enclosure will help keep hawks out and will help keep chickens in.  Ours will fly over a 6 foot fence just fine if you don't clip their wings.

And they don't seem to be interested in eating big slugs.  The little ones are OK, and other bugs are fine.  Throw a big one in there and I think they don't recognize it as a bug.  Go figure.  Guess with fencepost sized slugs the racoons at your house might not be hungry for chicken anyway!

Back to your regularly scheduled beer programming...

Bruce G

[weithman5]

tom, you must be a small guy  actually i used to live in port orchard, wa and i remember those creepy things.  somehow slugs used to make it into the window ledge in my shower.  scare the crap out of me picking up the soap in the morning.  also for your chicken coop.  it is hard to beat cheep replacable wood.  but another thought would be lightweight aluminum angles. bolted up they will be plenty rigid.  will allow you to attach chx wire, should last well, and you can modify your design well.