Ann Deveny

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Raising Chickens: Part 2 ...

When chicks get to a certain size, they have GOT to go outside. Also, when introducing new chicks or chickens to a flock it's a good idea to keep them apart but where they can get used to each other. I used conduit and Maker Pipe connectors to build a removable partition I can set up in our chicken run.

It consists of three 4'x6' panels that can be arranged as desired and are just joined to each other and the sides of the run with zip ties. Two are plain and one has a door. Where I put two panels next to each other in the same plane, I inserted a length of 1/2" conduit into them at the top and bottom to help them behave as a single panel. (I meant to get a photo of that and forgot.)

The whole enclosure is big enough to include a small coop we use just for chicks. You can see the end of the main coop in the last picture. Once all the chickens are integrated I can easily disassemble it for storage. So far it's working very well. I hope to use the latest door latch hack to put a proper latch on the door soon.

Raising Chickens ...
My two latest projects are related to raising new chicks. First up, when they're little we keep them in a stock tank (set on a bathtub in the bathroom, yes it's dusty). To make it easy to reach in for cleaning, feeding etc. and at the same time keep the chicks IN the tank I made a hinged lid (well, pair of lids).

Bending conduit on a 12" radius takes practice. The first one, left side in all the pics, I kinked it and didn't quite get the right size. The second is better but not perfect. This isn't the kind of project anyone will see so I didn't bother to try again. For my strawberry cages I had a bender with a 3' diameter. My kingdom for a 2' diameter bender!

One design requirement was that I not put any holes in the tank or attach anything permanently to it. Another was that the lids be removable for storage. For the hinges I used scraps of 3/4" pipe and some clamps I found in the electrical department that had a rubber coating. I ran out of time to figure out a good way to attach the clamps to the conduit so I used the handyman's secret weapon, duct tape.

Anyway, I'm pretty happy with these. They quickly clip onto the side of the tank, stay put while in use, and easily pop off for storage.