Saturday 17 December 2011

The Chickens Sally Port

I wanted the chickens to be able to have free access to the property during the day, and to be locked away safely at night. Since I made the chicken run from an old swimming pool enclosure, the best answer to this was to cut a door into the side of it.

This meant getting the angle grinder out (woohoo … loud toys!).

I made a simple rectangular frame from square tube steel and welded it together, then I simply clad the frame with a piece of galvanised tin.

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Then I fitted a pair of hinges to the bottom of the door and a slide bolt to the top.

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The door remains open during the day, and locks up tight at night to keep those pesky cats out.

The first time that I opened the door to the chicken run, the chooks were very pensive about using it.  I had to encourage them through with tasty treats.

Once they got the idea, they really got the idea! Now when we walk anywhere near the door (and if it is closed) the chickens get quite excited.

Since giving the chickens their door, the chickens have been much more content. They get more variety in their diet and they get lots of exercise running back and forth between the chicken run and the next door neighbours property.

By the way, a sally port is a small door that is usually cut into a larger door and is used in castles to allow the people inside to get in and out to make a sortie against besieging troops without being observed.

Thursday 15 December 2011

Sheep Pen

I built this pen on our property so that I could manage the sheep a bit better. I needed to get the sheep sheered but I didn’t have any sheep pen to make this possible. The need was to have a smallish yard so that the sheep can be held in and for the sheerer to be able to get the sheep and … well … shear them.

The basic design is a bunch of fence posts and some rails with a chute into the pen. The pen I designed is 6m x 6m and high enough so that the sheep don’t just jump over the top of the pen.

I had to use a bobcat to level the land first and then it was out with the auger to drill holes in the ground for the posts.

With the posts in the ground, I set up a simple guide that I clamped on the posts to set the rails while I screwed the rails in place.

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Our donkey, Jimmy, decided that the pen was a great place for a good old scratch. So before the posts could “season” into the ground, they got wobbly.

I fixed this, somewhat, by fixing some corrugated iron sheeting. This has the additional benefit of providing the sheep with some shelter from the wind and shade from the heat.

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When the sheep are being sheared, it’s high summer, so shelter is certainly appreciated.

Since putting the pen in … it has weathered well and the design is quite satisfactory.

Of course I still need to put in fencing to help direct the sheep into the pen.

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The pen is close to the feed shed so that there is access to water and electricity. The shearer likes the setup and, with his approval, I’m happy.

Saturday 10 December 2011

Milk Stand

I needed to build a milk stand for the goats so that I can milk the does when they are lactating and also so that I can perform other tasks on the goats when I don’t have enough hands. Jobs such as: hoof trimming, injections, inspections etc..

I had seen a couple of good designs for milking stands on the internet but nothing that was just so.

I needed something timber because I am leaving the milking stand out in the garden and I don’t want it to rust, also the timber needs to be thick enough and weather resistant enough to cope with Tasmanian gardens, while also being able to cope with the weight and strength of the goats.

Milking Stand 01

I’ve used fence rails for the top of the milk stand and to construct the stanchion while the rest of the base frame is made from DAR framing timber.

Milking Stand 02

The head stock is made from one piece of timber fixed in place and the opening piece pivots on a bolt at the base of the stanchion. I’ve also got a bolt that goes through the head stock to lock the stock in place (holding the goat in place). On the other side of the stock I have screwed an ice-cream container that I have drilled holes through (so that rain water can run out).

So far, only Minnie has used the milking stand and she is quite comfortable in it so long as there is some food in the bucket for her.

I may have to modify the head stock for Holly as she is a much bigger goat with a thicker neck.