Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: Chicken Coop Progress

Michael and I picked up a couple bags of pine shavings at Tractor Supply for $4.49 per bag. One bag was plenty enough. We just stuck the other bag in our storage building until we need it. I read somewhere that it is best to use white wood shavings and not hard woods. I think pine is a white wood. Right? I also read somewhere that cedar is toxic to chickens. We avoided it just in case. I put some chips in the nesting boxes and will add some hay on top tomorrow.

Look like enough in the floor?

Michael found a board we had here around the house. He used an ax to make knicks all around the board where he wanted it to break, then just stomped it. It snapped and was the right size. We just put in there under the nesting boxes to give the chicks a boost so they can get in there. Does it look about the right height?

Then the piece of wood that was left from thre break he nailed in the other corner for them to roost on. I hope they will like it. If not, we will cut a limb and use.

Tomorrow we will figure out how to add a window and screen. Also we will need a door out into a run. We will work on that and the run tomorrow as well.

Wish us luck!

The board we used was FREE. The wood chips were $4.49 + tax. Total OOP so far $4.49 + tax.

Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: Installing the Nesting Boxes

My wonderful hubby Michael was able to get two more buckets at work today to use as nesting boxes. Once we cut the lids, he went to work installing them in the coop.

The first one up.  

Screws on the inside.

All four of them up. Now we just need to put something up in front of them for the chickens to stand on. We will go with something low cost. Probably a tree limb because it is FREE.

I don't know what I would do without Michael. He is such a wonderful husband. Even if he doesn't want chickens, he is still so willing to help me get ready for them. *swoon*

Our lab Peaches was laying in the drive way watching as we worked.

Doesn't she look ferocious?

Sorry about the dark pictures. It was getting very late.

Cheap Way to Raise Chickens: Homemade Nesting Boxes Tutorial

After I figure out what I was going to use for a coop, how to make a waterer and a feeder, I decided I better get started on some nesting boxes.

Like I said before, I really don't want to spend any money if I don't have to, so it was off to search on Google. I found this video about nesting boxes and thought there has to be a way to make one one my own. After searching for a while, I found this video. Ok, I can do that.

Michael was able to get a couple buckets at work, and will get a couple more when they have them. You can probably get them for FREE too. Just stop by any deli and ask.  This is what they looked like to begin with.

Here is the first one finished.

Draw a line across the lid with your  knife or a pencil.

Now cut straight across.

Then cut around the sides on the inside of the lid.

And the top.

Now you just pop out that piece of plastic and tada! A nesting box. You have a lip on there to hold the eggs in, an opening big enough for the chicken to climb in, they are waterproof, and the lid still snaps on and off for easy cleaning.

At Tractor Supply a simple metal nesting box without a top is $19.99. I needed four. My nesting boxes costed me nothing. Totally FREE. So I saved a total of  $79.96 and that doesn't include tax or shipping. Pretty great!  If you decided to make some, please share your results.