tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post2552444548221824654..comments2023-06-28T21:53:24.312-07:00Comments on On the way to Critter Farm...: Had a party, started the coop, dug some stairs...Dannihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12623233206043947281noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-4477320488813172392008-03-15T09:15:00.000-07:002008-03-15T09:15:00.000-07:00and her Mom said,Your party looked like so much fu...and her Mom said,<BR/>Your party looked like so much fun! Dinner sounded wonderful too.<BR/>Roxy is just adorable and your new chicken coop is going to be fantastic.<BR/>Really enjoyed reading your post.Emma the Golden Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10713449942447725153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-80329323938736117002008-03-15T06:02:00.000-07:002008-03-15T06:02:00.000-07:00Chickens: Good eggsGood compostGood companyThey ju...Chickens: <BR/>Good eggs<BR/>Good compost<BR/>Good company<BR/><BR/>They just keep giving and giving!! <BR/>Give em all a pat for me farmgirl! <BR/><BR/>Hi to the troops too! Happy Birthday to you and keep up the good work...you'll be a pro stair builder in no time!Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06554593974838511759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-55876419787454030002008-03-15T04:41:00.000-07:002008-03-15T04:41:00.000-07:00I like that you said doo doo. Funny. What a fun lo...I like that you said doo doo. Funny. What a fun looking party. I am jealous of your sunshine and dry ground and manpower.<BR/>I used leftover vinyl for our coop floors and it's nice because after you get the heavy moist stuff out you can sweep the rest out the door.sugarcreekstuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13398483543918415852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-2680259235933200832008-03-14T18:24:00.000-07:002008-03-14T18:24:00.000-07:00Chocolate chip cookies and stairs. Seems like you...Chocolate chip cookies and stairs. Seems like you were very useful!Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14920326845870515381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-3782066646357644952008-03-14T18:08:00.000-07:002008-03-14T18:08:00.000-07:00About 8 inches 0f straw on the floor and you won't...About 8 inches 0f straw on the floor and you won't have any mess, unless you consider loose straw a mess. It works better than most products that I have seen for bedding. When I muck out the coop the straw goes on the garden beds in the fall. I have only had to muck out the coop once a year the last 4 years. With the small number of birds you have it would be a very affordable and easy bedding/flooring option for you.<BR/><BR/>peaceWoodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10877959836671583682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-30628602291796758252008-03-14T17:29:00.000-07:002008-03-14T17:29:00.000-07:00Okay- Once again picture a big smile on my face! ...Okay- Once again picture a big smile on my face! The first party in your house!!! How exciting is that! Makes it feel like home doesn't it?Judy@nofearentertaininghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06825595275519383264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-33100855789137900262008-03-14T17:19:00.000-07:002008-03-14T17:19:00.000-07:00What a great family. And yes the weather was beaut...What a great family. And yes the weather was beautiful in Oregon last weekend!<BR/>Now onto the floor. My neighbor, the farmer, is using these really neat thick rubber tiles that lock together on the floor of her new chicken house. But with that said I like the idea of vinyl. That would work well too.<BR/>And worry not. You can use "biddies" I googled it, because I taught it to a bunch of first graders, and it means a female chicken or chick. So use the word proudly.goatgirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05753367360714853700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-91871950801438220862008-03-14T16:18:00.000-07:002008-03-14T16:18:00.000-07:00Wow, that is going to be one serious chicken coop!...Wow, that is going to be one serious chicken coop! I agree with Twinville: look for some cheap-o vinyl flooring that comes in a big roll. We don't use that since our chickens' house is little and quite quick to clean out, but I've heard from chicken owning friends that vinyl saves you lots of time if you've got a larger coop. And I second the wood chips idea. We buy ours in a giant bag (I think it's like 3 square yards or something crazy) and it lasts a while before it starts getting gross. <BR/><BR/>I can't wait to see when it's finished!<BR/><BR/>By the way, I think your steps look awesome. I like steps that are dun into hills like that--much better than the alternative of actually building ugly concrete steps all the way down or something.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15830705259612540929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-63137728499866738522008-03-14T16:02:00.000-07:002008-03-14T16:02:00.000-07:00Gosh, those chickens of yours are going to be livi...Gosh, those chickens of yours are going to be living in the Taj Majal of chicken houses! So big and fancy. <BR/><BR/>I like that you chose to raise your floor, too. Now you won't have any problem with vermin trying to dig their way up through a dirt floor.<BR/><BR/>You're also very lucky that you had all those big strong smart guys building your house and coop.<BR/>For our house and coop it was just me and hubby....in the middle of winter with blasts of cold air and snow falling on us and our fingers going numb while trying hammer in the nails! Do I sound like I'm complaining? hehe<BR/>It's all good in the end though.<BR/><BR/>I do like your carved-into-the-hill steps. They curve so gently. I think if you just bury them down a little deeper, so they are flush with the ground, and then plant some ground cover and pretty flowers on that hill, it will be such a joy to walk up and down.<BR/><BR/>As for floor coverings, I'd be cautious using plastic or rubber, unless it's super thick and hard. Chickens have very sharp claws and beaks...and they love to scratch and peck ALL the time.<BR/><BR/>As you know from reading my own blog, we went to Lowes and bought a roll of "Oops" leftover vinyl flooring to use to cover the plywood bottom of our henhouse.<BR/>The entire roll only cost us $10.00and it covered our hen house floor and I still have plenty left in case I ever want to replace some.<BR/><BR/>It's a breeze to sweep clean and I can wash and sanitize every so often, too. I use a 1"-3" layer of aspen or pine shavings on top of the vinyl, too. Some of my hens like to cuddle up in it at night instead of roosting. <BR/>And the wood shavings do an amazing job absorbing the chicken droppings.Laughing Orca Ranchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03562627840013868980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-60424251161071479192008-03-14T15:54:00.000-07:002008-03-14T15:54:00.000-07:00I've been collecting blogs around the country and ...I've been collecting blogs around the country and was happily surprised to find an Oregon one! It looks like your chickens are going to have a palace.<BR/>Best wishes on your new adventure, I look forward to future posts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-73915395063367947472008-03-14T15:33:00.000-07:002008-03-14T15:33:00.000-07:00That Roxy is just too cute for a dog. I hope our ...That Roxy is just too cute for a dog. I hope our Cabra is as cute and as smart! Of course if she were a goat, there would be no question.<BR/>The goatmother built steps much like yours using thick-cut slices of Douglas Fir. So, if you run out of pavers, you know what to do. They look pretty nice too. We are quite envious that you can actually dig in your ground.Marigoldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10109785080000770963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-8435894961393713882008-03-14T15:29:00.000-07:002008-03-14T15:29:00.000-07:00Things look like they're moving along great! I'm h...Things look like they're moving along great! I'm hoping to have some help when I redo the tool shed into the coop. The shed right now has a plywood floor that I'm going to cover with hardware cloth (we have digging creatures around here) and run it up the sides 2 feet high. I'll cover that with plywood. I've read about some covering their floors with linleum, some using those sticky-type cheap-o vinyl tiles and others just leaving the plywood there and cleaning everything out once a week. I don't know what we're going to do yet, but one thing's for sure, nothing can get in through the floor! Darn weasels!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-52913181705098919922008-03-14T14:59:00.000-07:002008-03-14T14:59:00.000-07:00Your steps look good, and so does the foundation f...Your steps look good, and so does the foundation for your hen house. Much nicer than mine! I built mine with a plywood floor that can be removed fairly easily, but I have never removed it. I just scrape the hardened "soil" with a flat edge shovel or a hoe, put it in my wheelbarrow and transport it to my compost piles. I built that hen house floor in the Spring of 2000, so it is 8 years old now and still functioning fine. Your hen house is going to be a real classy one I can tell. I loved your photos. All of your photos!Farmer Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10333209660043535465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-45368078360156773072008-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:002008-03-14T14:39:00.000-07:00Hey solomon!! I had no idea this was a problem fo...Hey solomon!! I had no idea this was a problem for anyone - I have just now changed my comments permissions from "google account holders only" to "Registered users - includes OpenID" - I'm hoping this helps. I don't much care for anonymous comments so I didn't click that one. Let me know if this makes a difference for you.<BR/>Thanks for your comments...I hadn't thought about a plastic liner that could be pulled out and washed off...sounds like a grand idea. I'll have to see what my options are for thickness. Thank you! (oh, and for thinking my steps look good!) :-)Dannihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623233206043947281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-15456441625605530922008-03-14T14:33:00.000-07:002008-03-14T14:33:00.000-07:00Wow the coop is coming right along.. Soon those li...Wow the coop is coming right along.. Soon those little chicks will have a great home to be proud of...<BR/><BR/>Big Sloppy Kisses<BR/>Gus and LouieGus, Louie and Calliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14402650169299573994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5845299642721912499.post-51036290561890774552008-03-14T14:32:00.000-07:002008-03-14T14:32:00.000-07:00I really wish you'd open the comments section to n...I really wish you'd open the comments section to non-Google account holders. :D<BR/><BR/>Anyway, regarding the floor, it depends on how much foot traffic you'll get, but something like butyl pond liner would be very easy to clean. You wouldn't need to fix it in place. Just lay it out, and then when it gets grotty, you could pick it up in one piece, take it outside, hose it down, and put it back. I don't know how far down chickens would scratch, though, or if they'd be strong enough to scratch the liner?<BR/><BR/>Maybe even some heavy duty rubber, or the sort of thick rubberised stuff they use to make the curtains on the side of articulated lorries?<BR/><BR/>With regard to the steps, they looked great because you'd invested time and energy in building them. They don't look so good now, because you're looking at a picture of them, and not them themselves. :)Solomonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07893871234098568716noreply@blogger.com