Finally I decided that this thing will never be done if I only use scrap materials. Recycling is a noble goal, but not if you never get to the finish line.
A quick trip to Lowe's and now I finished the roof (used leftover shingles from when the house was re-roofed after a hailstorm) and the floor. The floor is made from 1" thick white oak floating over a dirt bed. I was originally going to have a dirt floor with chicken wire to keep predators from digging in, but the wood was already there (my wife gave up on the bridge she was building for the little stream at the bottom of the pasture)
Tomorrow the birds should be moving in. The chicks are getting to be pullets now (hopefully no cockerels) and are almost too big for the cabinet-turned-brooder. The ducklings have been living in a big doghouse for a week now since they are definitely too big for the brooder.
Should post some pix if I can find my camera!
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4 comments:
mate, you need photos :)
what he said ;)
FarmBoy,
I got here from SlashDot.
Having successfully done what you're undertaking, I might be able to provide assistance as your venture evolves. In 1988, I built a sustainable, low-impact, organic farm from scratch ... including some 18 structures. It was/is a mixed-bag technologically, ranging from high-ish-tech (e.g., geo, solar) to centuries-old, traditional farming practices.
The farm is in the mountains of NYS near the Canadian border. It drops well below -40 (take your pick, C or F !) every winter for weeks on end with snow possible from early September through early June. So, it's a climate similar to (or, perhaps, even worse than) yours.
Cornell U., the NYS agricultural agency deemed it a sufficient success to run tours of the place. In no doubt poor taste, it turned a profit from its first production year.
BTW, pre-MBA, I was a scientist for a computer manufacturer with a, then, substantial presence in the Twin Cities. Point being, I "speak" several dialects of "engineering" fluently ... so communicating, should you choose, should prove a breeze. Hmm, and, more latterly, I've been a graduate school professor of applied mathematics to some 2000 engineers over the course of 8 semesters. "Quant-speak, anyone?"
Cheers,
Jim jcmatpcmisadotcom
I know I need photos :-) Can't find my digital camera, so I guess I'll have to use the camera phone until I buy a new one.
Jim:
that sounds really cool. It normally doesn't get below -25F here in central/south MN, but that's cold enough for me to already start planning for it if the hens are to survive. I would definitely like to communicate with you as this progresses.
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