Ramblings... Chicken Update!

Howdy Folks,

I have been extremely busy but have been working on my preps and other things.

I also wanted to publically thank Jack Spirko of "The Survival Podcast" for reading my 'Green Rant' on Episode 237 on his podcast. If you don't listen, then you should! If you do listen consider joining the members support brigade as it is worth it with lots of extras for members.

The chickens are laying 5 eggs almost every day so far, but I am wondering if I should be getting six or maybe all six are laying with one taking a break... Dunno but I am happy for the 5 a day I ususally get.

I plan on getting 6 more and possibly a rooster in the spring to ramp up production.

5 eggs works for now, but if I am going to feed my family and dogs, it will not provide for our needs if we need to provide MORE of our own food!

For those of you who 'Twitter' I am ZombieAxe and for those who use AOL AIM I am ZombieAxe there as well...

This weekend I hope to have up that solar panel test that I have been working on. I had it ready to go, but it did not work out as planned during testing so I had to build a battery pack to stabilize the voltage to charge an iPhone as it would not do it directly.

As for the iPhone, I am now able to do more online and even access Blogger whereas I couldn't with my BlackJack II. Gotta love that puppy :)

Hope you have a great evening and a great weekend!

This is Radio Free Zombie Axe sigining off... for now!

Ramblings on being 'GREEN'...

First of all I am just not buying the whole "Man is causing climate change" debate. I do believe that the Earth warms and cools through NATURAL cycles that have nothing to do with if man drives an SUV or not.

I do believe in the conservation of resources and to be wasteful is counterproductive, however I do not feel that ANYONE should force their beliefs on ANYONE else. Pollution of our water and air IS a bad thing, but not every time a cow farts in Argentina or a deer takes a whiz in a stream is that bad.

There are a ton of environmentalists/green movements that would love to go back to living like a bunch of vegetarians in the Stone Age... and they want YOU to do the same... You know the old adage, "Misery Loves Company" ???

I am FOR alternative energy, lessening our dependence on other nations' resources, but also for USING what we have. You really think the Chinese, if given the chance, would really give a crap about pumping crude just off of our shores. I still want my gas guzzler truck for big chores but I also want my compact car for commuting to work. I want an electric car that goes 120 miles between charges that has a reasonable price to change out the battery packs, but I don't want that to be my only choice! Why, because I want to save the sea urchins or New York from flooding??? NO because I want to save MY MONEY!!!

I am also for those ugly little compact fluorescent bulbs as they save a BUNCH of POWER but I prefer incandescent for certain lighting. I also like turning off lights when not in use, but not because it saves the polar bears (as Jack Spirko often says), but because I want to save on my power bill!

I want to install solar panels on my home, maybe a windmill too... but I don't want to sell it to the power company, I want to use it ALL for myself!!!

I conserve water not because I am trying to save the salamanders, but because I am on a well. If I use too much water during a drought, I have to pay to dig a NEW well ($3-5K in my area) so I don't waste water! I don't waste my water on keeping a green lawn, but I do water my garden to provide my family with food that is not imported from 3,000 miles away.

I recycle aluminum cans not because it makes me feel good, but because the guy at the scrap yard pays me by the pound. Someone is making some money off recycling why not YOU???

Does it make me an environmentalist or not that I chose to save money instead of supposedly saving the humpback whales?

You feel good saving the California Condor, I feel good saving money by making my own natural pesticides... Are you superior to me or not?

I chose to do these things because they make sense to me in an economic sense... If they really do save the spotted owl then great, but like Jerry Maguire says, "Show me the money!"

I really think if the environmental folks spoke of the great benefits to ones wallet instead of forcing everyone to comply with what they claim 'Mother Earth' told them to say, more people would be green...

For the record, ZA is green, green with saved money!

Thanks for reading!

later,
ZA

Ramblings on I want my portable digital TV!!!

Back on June 12, 2009 the FCC made many of our preps obsolete with the introduction of digital ONLY transmission of TV signals. Many of us had purchased and stashed away several B&W TV's. I remember picking up five for $25 several years ago at a sale.


Well when the FCC mandated the switch many of us were left without any means of watching news on EMERGENCY POWER... and lets face it moving pictures convey a bunch more information than words. There is nothing wrong with radios as they have their place too!

I was not aware of any small LCD TV's that would receive digital TV signals until I saw the weekly Big Lot sales paper. In it they had listed a Curtis 7" Portable LCD TV for $99. I was not quite sure if this would pick up the new digital TV signals, but if you look on the box you want it to have an ATSC/NTSC tuner which is the standard for digital signals (ATSC here).





The Curtis LCD has a very sharp picture and is very well made (for something from China). I like the fact that it has a 12V DC power cord (great for running it off of the solar power battery banks). I really like that it has a a CATV antenna input that allows you to tap into your cable or satellite signals, providing that you have the power to run them.



Also it has a built in rechargeable battery (unsure of the run time as of yet) and a remote (how lazy do you have to be to sit far enough away from a 7" TV to use the remote??? LOL)



The stock telescopic whip did not pick up any station in my area (would work well in a large metro area), but the RCA 'rabbit ear' antennas that I got for emergency use with the main digital TV worked really well in receiving stations 50-60 miles away. With some of the higher end yagi antennas I bet you could bring the signals in from longer distances.

I was pleasantly suprised that by using the rabbit ears that 2 stations had special WX (weather) only stations. I will be tuning in to them when we have severe weather in our area to see what info they convey. They look like a variation of the Weather Channel with mostly National coverage.

When you are on emergency power you don't wanna run a 25" or larger TV, so this 7" will draw minimum power and still give me the info that will paint my situational awareness picture.

Now you DO have an option to watch the breaking news on a small portable low power draw TV set... maybe one of these days, they will be $5 a piece again!

Thanks for reading!

later,
ZA

Ramblings on fresh eggs...

Yesterday we found that we had 3 fresh eggs waiting on us when we went to let the chickens out! So my chicken bunker has became a 'producer' instead of a 'consumer'! This morning we had 2 so the girls are ready and it is is nice.

As for me I have been working tons of OT, and it appears that summer is my 'dry season' for blog posts.

I will be working on a blog entry comparing the Blackhawk Gladius to the Leatherman Serac LED light.

Also I will be FINALLY giving my impressions on that nifty folding solar panel.

And for you iPhone freaks out there I will be doing a review of apps for the iPhone that S&Pers might find handy (barring and EMP attack of course).

So take it easy, thanks for reading and 73!

Later,
ZA

Ramblings on the Epic Chicken Coop/Bunker Fiasco problem solved scenario...

When I was a young kid many moons ago, the old farm I grew up on was slowly becoming just a piece of land. The mules my Grandpa plowed the fields with had been sold. The old milk cow that my Grandma called, Easter, was sold as well as now she had to work in a town and couldn’t take care of cows anymore. The one thing I remember that was still left on the farm was an ancient barn that had weathered many seasons and still stood like a solid oak tree was chickens.

My Grandma kept a few chickens mostly for eggs but one would occasionally find its way into the stew pot when the need arose.

When the last chicken on the farm disappeared I felt saddened as they were always some very fun critters to watch. It wasn’t until I built my house (which I am trying to turn into a homestead) in an old cotton field that my Dad and Grandpa worked that I decided to bring back pieces of the farm that I enjoyed as a child. Chickens are one of the first critters I decided to bring back with more to come as time goes by.

My wife and I read as many chicken books and magazines as we could find on the subject and we eventually settled on the idea that chickens were what we wanted. I would like to give credit to “Backyard Poultry”, “Countryside” and “Grit” magazines as they are invaluable resources for the homesteading lifestyle.

For some reason, the chicken coop never got built as they was always, “ I gotta get this prep finished before I start on another”. Well this year we killed procrastination cycle on the chicken acquisition once and for all!

After looking at portable coops, fixed building, and chicken tractors, we decided on an 8’x12’ DIY type building from our big box Hardware store. I modified it to fit on an elevated platform which it adapted to nicely. We came up with the size because it would easily handle 24 birds in the 8’x8’ chicken area. It was also decided we would start out with six pullets and eventually work our way up to 12 laying hens with a rooster for perpetual rearing of chicks in case the SHTF… but for now six it is.



I laid out the foundation in late April but the rains prevented me from opening the box the shed came in as I did not want the OSB to get warped!

My foundation consists of 9 6”x6” posts (buried 30” in the ground with concrete) supporting 3 12’,4”x6” runners that support the subfloor of the building. Overbuilt??? Probably but I am not gonna hafta worry about it being weak am I?
When I finished the foundation and subfloor I noticed on the inside there were these nice ledges and so I added DE (diatomaceous earth) to the ledges to safely kill any creepy crawlys that may decide to take up residence there.

I painted the OSB flooring with ‘porch paint’ (both sides) as it was gonna be my floor. For some reason we added a nice piece of vinyl flooring as we figured it would be easier to clean. It sure is easy to install a piece of vinyl flooring when there are NO WALLS or obstacles to cut around. It installed in about 15 minutes. Underneath the OSB I added a piece of plastic sheeting to provide a vapor barrier from the ground below.

I differed from the instructions in that I opted to use decking type screws instead of using the standard nails that came with the kit. My reasoning was this; it is much harder to pull out something that is ‘barbed’ than something smooth! I tried to maintain this detail from foundation to roof panels. I don’t wanna see something I worked so hard to build, roll across my yard on a windy day because I didn’t take some extra precautions! Do it right the first time… and I know all you men who read this blog will love to hear this validation… THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE BEST WAY TO DO THINGS! They are more for just a general reference… we know usually know better than the person who wrote the manual!!! ROTFLMAO!





The walls studs I tied in with hurricane ties (top and bottom) and the OSB panels for the roof were screwed versus the ‘crappy nail option’.

So all in all this ‘chicken bunker’ was beefed up. I refuse to say that it will survive ANYTHING Mother Nature dishes out, but for most weather events it should still be where I put it.

I want to credit Jack Spirko of the Survival Podcast for giving me the inspiration to ‘home brew’ my own structure. Sure it was pre-cut, but the guy who is really good at making the cuts must have took the week off as I had to fix and hide his apprentice’s mistakes! When you build something on your own you learn about how things go together. The more you do, the more your skill grows… Up until building this coop, I had never built anything out of wood more complicated than some shelves! Not to mention I gained some muscle and stamina as well as lost 20 lbs of me I didn’t need. Best work out I ever had!

So now for a tour of the coop/bunker...



We liked the idea of the double door. When you open the first door on the right you enter the nesting box, food storage observation area. The left side door stays latched unless you need to enter the chicken area to shovel out litter/manure. There is a screen door where you can enter the chicken area from storage area. It swings toward the outside door so if some chicken decides to ‘bail out’ the screen door will stop her/him.



In the storage area (gonna call it a foyer from now on) the nesting boxes protrude inward. You can easily flip a latch and check the top 3 or bottom 3 nests for eggs WITHOUT entering the chicken area. We did this to be easy for folks that will take care of our flock when we go on vacation, and it is a really cool feature in my opinion.





The design came from searching the web for nesting boxes, commercial options and many other blogs on the web! It turned out pretty well and I even had the nice guy at the big box hardware store cut them for me… (How else was I supposed to get it home in my compact car???). Then it was a matter of screwing them together and painting them. For a cost of $30 I easily beat the $100+ price of a poultry supply company made one.








My wife stumbled across some folks that had made litter boxes for their perches. The idea is that when the birds perch they crap and it falls below. The litter box approach is an idea to solve two problems. One is to make the litter below stay cleaner longer and two, give more floor space for the birds. I used this sheltered space to place my inside waterer and feeder.

I used some multipurpose tubs 2’x3’x8” deep (available at Tractor Supply, Home Depot and Lowe’s… the latter two in the concrete area) that are light, strong and big! One the back wall I drilled two holes per tub into the stud on the back wall. I then put in nails (to fit loosely in the holes) to hold them against the wall. This step saved me building a large support system to make the tubs slide in and out like drawers. They still do but you simply remove the two nails and slid it between the 2 2x4’s in front and take it to the compost heap! EASY! I also added a piece of chicken wire between the roosts and tubs, so the chickens wouldn’t use them for nesting. I also added two slanted pieces of particle board (what I had on hand) to prevent the chickens from roosting anywhere but over the litter boxes. One of the roosts is strategically placed over where the two tubs join.



I wanted some good ventilation so I added one of those wind power ventilation turbines. I have some vents I need to add and my goal is to have the fresh air drawn in from the outside and pulled through the foyer/storage area, through the chicken area and out the turbine. Think of a hospital room for a TB patient…

I added a screen to the hole under the turbine to keep out flies. Had to wedge it with a furring strip because those long screws should go through your shingles!!!!Will have to reduce this airflow in the winter so as to not be to drafty!




The building came with a nice window with a decent screen… for flies. I added a piece of hardware cloth to ‘beef up’ the window from any predators that come calling at night! I will be adding some trim and make it look nicer as I finish the details later on. Will be adding an awning as well so water will not blow in the window.



The fence is buried one foot under the ground and turns outward to prevent any diggers from burrowing under the fence. I think Shep can take care of THOSE problems though. I added some garden fencing to beef up the lower four foot of the fence from strong animals. I still hafta cover the top with poultry netting but for now it is operational. I have the left side of the run covered with a large tarp as well as the center until I can build a sheltered area in the fall.



For the gates I was worried about anything I could build from wood might warp, so I went with a 6’x42” readymade chain link gate. I got some bolts to attach it to the wood posts and instant gate. I added one for the left side as well. When eventually I split the run I will have a separate access. This worked like a charm and saved me a bunch of ‘fabrication hours’ doing it with wood!








For the chicken door I used a 2’x2’ piece of pre-cut plywood, some stainless steel hinges, treated 2”x4”, furring strips and 2 hook eyes. The idea for the chicken door was based on my version of an airlock. The hole was cut and a furring strip was placed around the hole. The 2’x2’ plywood was nailed to 2”x4” flat side down. The idea is the 2x4’s seal up with furring strips and prevent air and critters from gaining access when closed. It worked well except I had to remove the top furring strip to make it work correctly!

I will be painting this as well as adding some shingles to shed any water and to protect the wood.




I added a gutter on the rear and will be adding one on the front with a rain barrel to water my nearby orchard in the dry season. Gonna be VERY COOL to not hafta drag out 200’ of hose to water my apple trees.

I do plan on adding some power later on in the fall so my egg production will not fall off in the winter months. I am also sure that I will be adding options or features that make the operation run smoother.

I would like to double my layers to 12 as it would be nice to have the extra protein. In a SHTF scenario if I have enough surplus eggs, it will be a good source of food for my ‘Sheps’ as well!




So there is a tour of the ‘bunker’ and I hope it has given some folks ideas of how to build your own. I do plan on building a few portable coops to place over my raised beds in the future, but for now I am done building any more ‘chicken housing’ for the next few months. I will let you know when I start getting eggs!

Thanks for reading and thanks for still being here!

Later,
ZA