Thursday, August 27, 2015

Chicken Coop at Last

After building 15 coops in the Dominican Republic during 2012/1013  HHEF finally constructed a Chicken Coop, but using a different design----an "A" Frame.



The PVC pipe is suppose to be a feeder.  It remains to be seen if it will work as planned.

The nests are 5 gallon buckets with a moon shape cut out of the bottom.  

Two doors open at the back so you can reach in and get the eggs.  I expect the hens to be so contented with this coop and with the macho rooster picture as the final touch that they will lay 2 eggs a day!

This is the final resting place for the coop under a tree.

The 55 gallon barrel is the water tank for the coop.  The chickens will get water by water nipples.

There are things I would change in this design, but it turned out pretty decent I think.  Further updates will be given as I gain a little experience.



Friday, August 7, 2015

Rocket Stove and Storm Wall

We have been busy at HHEF the last 2 weeks.  We built a Rocket Stove and a Storm Wall along the north side of the house to protect the basement window wells from the big storm if we ever have one again.  The huge storm that hit Mesa last year came very close to sending tons of water down our window wells to the basement.  That would have been real bad.  The following a few pictures of our activities and the beginning of a chicken coop.
Rocket Stove.  
Pipe on the side for lifting and carrying.
Removable tin wind shield
Metal stove top embedded in concrete

Storm wall with flower pots
"A" Frame Chicken Coop
I have just started this project.  After analyzing 4 different designs including the famous Dominican Republic design, I concluded an "A" frame suits my budget and purposes best.
Future posts will so how it turned out.