Chicken Feed Improvements and Making a Stainless Steel Screen Box for the New Water Spring Tap

Wednesday August 21, 2019 Guerneville CA.

Some easier stuff to do today

I needed a stainless steel screen for my new spring collector I’m installing so I rounded up some materials to construct a small box.

I cut out a square and made a pattern to cut the box out.

The box

Then I bent the sides to form the box like this.

Then I used some hot glue to finish forming the box sides so things where tight and well sealed like this.

I put the box aside for later.

New feeder construction

Then I got some wood out and cut two 2×2 foot boards to make a new rat proof feeder for the big bird’s pen.

Don’t like the Grandpa’s feeder

I’m not liking the Grandpa’s feeder I bought awhile back. Smaller birds are getting caught in the door and the birds are also knocking feed out onto the ground so it’s just not doing what it’s supposed to do so I’m replacing it with one of my own designs.

Here’s the Grandpa’s feeder I’m going to replace.

Little guys feeder area

My other goal was to make a feeder place where only the small little chicks can get to eat so big guys won’t bother them and I can give the smaller guys special food to help them grow better. I’ve lost a number of the smaller birds so I need to do something to improve the smaller birds food and make sure they are the ones that get the food, otherwise the larger birds take it all.

I needed some fence wire for the new feeder area so I cut a piece out of this piece to fit the spot. My tape measure went south on me and won’t roll up anymore. Time for the trash can. I need to buy several more of them just so I can find one when I need it.

Chick feeder

I put the wire in and put some dirt on the floor. Right away the chicks were in there digging through the new dirt and no big birds got in there so that’s working. The new feeder pen is on the left with all the little chicks in it.

I installed my original rat proof feeder in there with another box too. It didn’t take the little guys long to find the feeder and feed.

New feeder for the big birds pen

Here’s another new rat proof feeder for the big birds pen to replace the Grandpa’s feeder. It still needs a top but this is good enough for now.

Rooster comes by

Carmelo the rooster came by to check out the new chick feeder.

Then he went over to check out the new big birds feeder that was in heavy use already.

Reunite the flock

Another one of my goals was to reunite the flock. I had the big birds separated from the nursery area which means I had a divided flock. So I opened up this door between the two pens so now every one can get together and all the chickens can go in both sides but only the little ones can get into the new little chick feeder area.

The little chicks can’t get outside until they can hop the hop gate so they will be safe in the enclosed pens

Up in the hills

Around 6 PM I rode the dirt bike up the hill to the new spring work area and installed this stainless steel screen box on the water outlet in my clay dam. Now it’s ready to be rocked in and covered up but not tonight.

I worked on the water pipe trails a bit improving their downhill slope so the water flows better in the pipes.

Didn’t want to work too hard

I came up the hill late in the day so I wouldn’t be temped to work too hard and continue to wear myself out. I got home just before dark and put the chickens away for the night.

And that was my day. I tried to do some work but not wear myself out any more doing it so that’s why I worked on the projects I did today.

Nice day.