Whats In a Name?

What’s in a name? Everything! I really believe that a name describes you; for instance my name, Melissa, in Greek means “BEE” “HONEY”. This name fits me, I’m like a bee, never fly straight & I run into everything. Even though a bumble bee doesn’t fly into things, I do!  YES, I am that clumsy. So I need a name for my coop. I had several in mind & I finally chose one then the kid said NO!

Apparently there is an animated movie called “Chicken Run” & the farm or something is called “Sunny side up”, which is the name I chose.  I never saw the movie & maybe I need to, but for now, I decided to change the name & now I am stuck; renaming & rethinking of something cute & fun. Once I have a name then I can decorate the inside of the coop & officially have a plaque with a whimsical title. I want to paint the ceiling in the run with a beautiful blue sky & a beautiful bright yellow sun.  I want a family portrait hung in the actual coop that would make it feel a little more like home & less of a CHICKEN COOP!  So here I go again… rethink, rename & design something really fun for my girls.

IDEAS? 

MINI COOP-R

PECKERS

GOLDEN NUGGET

LADY LUCK

SUNNY SIDE UP

CHICK – INN

COOPER

CLUCK CLUB

HEN HAVEN

CLUCKINGHAM PALACE

CLUCK CLUB

BREAKFAST CLUB

HUEVOS

CORN SWEET CORN

RED DOOR ROOST

ROOST-R HEN

SUPER EGG

HEN HUTT

CLUCK COTTAGE

CLUCKSTOWN

NUT HOUSE

CLUCKS A LOT IN

STILL THINKING… Thinking that I want to use Sunny Side Up! Hmmm! Thoughts?

TIP: Name your coop, make it personal & decorate the inside with items that can be cleaned & will not harm the little chicks or house your outdoor friendly mouse. This adds so much character & makes it a little more special.

~Mel
 

Which came first, the chicken or the coop? Part One

Oh my my, the power of a child’s persuasion.

It took one episode of Craft Wars to launch a project of all projects. The contestants were to make a pet mansion using only pet supplies & items from the craft room. Tori Spelling, the host of the show, was carrying a white puff ball named “Coco” & I was intrigued. I immediately googled ‘Tori Spelling, Coco’ & there it was, a puff ball of cuteness dressed to the nines. I fell in love & immediately showed my daughter & her friends when she got home. That was it; one episode, Google & a kid with friends. What was "Coco"? It was a silkie chicken, cute as can be & the kid stated we needed one.  I sat there at the kitchen table pondering & decided to see what these things cost & how hard it was to obtain one.

Within 2 hours I was able to find them on craigslist, email an inquiry to the owner & get a response that I could pick them up tonight at 8pm. They lived in north Austin, 25 min away from us & my daughter begged me to get one, for $5, why not? So we took a drive; 3 kids, a cardboard box & I. We immediately fell in love. The kiddo’s friend wanted one too & swore that her parents wouldn’t mind.  They chose the ones they wanted & off we went to Walmart to get a small cage, some shavings & a water bowl.

We had no idea what was in store for us. For the next 2 months the silkies lived in a wooden box in our guest bedroom. I researched & learned what we needed to do to take care of these time consuming chicklets, respectfully named Mumble & Loke. Of course we ended up with both of them & little did we know that you cannot sex a chicken at a very young age.  Loke was learning to use 'HER' vocal cords & started to sound a lot like a pre-pubescent rooster.

 I searched high & low for coop ideas & finally combined a few that we liked to make it work for our space. However, while looking for items, I worked with our great finds & then the space we had. I had a little more flexibility with our space.

So off to the re-store & home depot, I went.

I didn't take step by step pictures but I will try to draw out what we did. Don't 2nd guess warped cull lumber as most of it can be straightened out by bracing it. (update, Home Depot now sells thier cull lumber by the price of the item -70%off. We purchased items when it used to be by color price point)

 

we built the coop first then attached the run.

Front view. The 3 upright 2x4's are longer then the back. Once the frame was up I added the press board & then painted it.

Nesting box - side view. The slats are important to ventilate the coop.  Easy to close during freezing  cold days & open them fully when hot. Scrap lumber is placed on the side to help them from swinging completely backwards.

Warped legs - Easy fix later. Excuse the mess, yard is still under construction.

 I went to Lowes (very limited on in stock selections) as I didn't have time to go to a flooring store. I used what I needed & sold the rest on craigslist. I have to say, it is very hard to fold linoleum.

A nesting box must be built.

Added wire to the inside of the frame to keep my babies safe. Washers & screws help secure it further than the staples.

Back side-framed. You don't have to double wall your coop, however since press board is not weather proof & Texas weather is crazy, I thought it could keep the kiddo's warm & safe as my yard backs up to a green belt. Racoons can be very nasty & I can just see them pulling open boards to get to a tasty meal. Before I add the exterior wall, I took the opportunity to screw a branch through the back side. I found a great tree limb in the woods. I made a few notches on the top so the chickens can have a better grip. Pictures coming soon

 

The grand master plan... hand drawn with no dimensions, just the materials used. Price for frame, walls, & nesting box.... 

ONLY 

$45.57 

of course this doesn't include taxes or hardware. You can buy all this stuff at habitat for humanity for WAY less then buying it at the big box store. You just need to know what you need as it is sold by the bag or pound.

Price for coop is not including the run, the wire below the coop, nor the panels on bottom. At this point it is still under construction.

Semi final finish.

Hopefully this will spark some ideas & add to your CAN DO for LESS list.

Stay tuned for the nesting box & the run.

 

~Mel

Some assembly required; assembler must have basic knowledge of tools, assumes all liability of any creativity produced by DIY blogs & that such injuries that may occur during the project. Blogger reserves the right to help you save money but in no means promises that you can get such said deals unless you take the time to walk away from the computer,  look & shop around other then the big box stores.  

 

 

The Scoop on the Coop, The Run & the Nesting Box - Part II

NESTING BOX

A nice big nesting box so we can sleep & rest & lay lots of pretty delicious eggs for our family....

NOT!!!! We have 3 large nesting boxes, do the hens love it? NO - They like to roost, the silkies from time to time will lie in the nesting box, but now that it is getting warmer they decided to lay underneath the hens who are roosting & get pooped on. WIERDO'S.

As I have been told the Chicklets are still young & immature & I need to help them out a little. Place a FAKE plastic, ceramic, wooden (painted of course) EGG in the nesting box so they can practice & decide it's time to lay eggs. SERIOUSLY?  UPDATE: A friend said to use golf balls, swears by them. Which ones? Should I research golf digest? Callaway, Bridgestone.... Nike ~ Just do it? That fits!

I haven't tried this method yet, I kind of like their immature side right now, they make me laugh. So I am going to hold off until I COMPLETELY finish the details in their COOP. - More to come on that one.

So here are the pics of their nesting box & the limb they love to roost on.

I added above storage for misc. stuff like the broom, basket & water bottle.

A ~2x6  closes back gap

B~ 1x2  brace

A branch I found from the green belt by our house & I took the saw & notched out the top

I screwed it in from the back side.

from the inside 

Cost for nesting box

* $13 for pressed board - included in the coop price

$6 - white wood board

$0.50 for pt 1x2 (cull lumber)

$0.75 X for hinges

exterior free & reused

ONLY

$20.25
this is not including hinges, screws, or taxes

NOW THE RUN -

Ever have them, “oh poop” moment? Thinking what the heck am I doing & what did I start?

We had that moment when we were starting the ramp & the run. We didn’t know how long or how far, how tall or how wide we wanted it. We did know that it must be tall enough that we can comfortably walk in & out of. So with this in mind we started to look for wire. My husband & I went back & forth on which wire we wanted to use; he wanted the typical chicken wire, while I wanted more of the square simple one. I won! We stuck with the square wire & decided on the length & width.

We opted to make the run simple & just added a flooring of wire, to keep "that their critters" out & kept the roof flat. By no means are we master carpenters, so we do what we know we can & adjust the pitch of the roof with molding & tin. The run didn't take long to make, it was flattening the wire to the ground and attaching it to the side wire that took the longest. After a few blisters, sore fingers & cramped legs (sitting criss cross), it was finally complete.

THE WOOD- We used pressure treated wood for the perimeter of the floor & WHITE WOOD for the sides (cheaper) RECOMMENDED? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! - However, we stained & sealed the wood & the roof with oops stain $5 - a little more work, but we are happy with it & our wallets are thankfull.

THE HARDWARE-  if you have a restore around go check it out. We have one in Austin & I absolutely LOVE IT & can spend hours. It could be dangerous. However, you can get a steal on items. Hardware that usually cost $6 a pop at hte big box stores ranges from $0.75 to $1.50. CRAZY CHEAP! So now for the RUN.

Side View

Einstein eating!

the roof & the connection

the connection to the coop

 the wire from the ground, attached to the side wire.

The roof

 A~ $0.75 hinge (habitat for humanity)

B~ T hinge $3.00 for all 6

C~ strap $1.75 for pkgs of 2

E~ washers & drywall screws to hold the wire

TOTAL

$65.10

this is INCLUDING the roof,  NOT including hardware (washers, hinges, taxes or screws)

I will draw my cheesy plans as soon as I can & post them up, but for now this is it. Roof & Minor details coming soon, still thinking of a name for the coop so I can add it into my plans.

Spark any ideas? 

Details, Roofing & Hardware coming soon!

~Mel

Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential ideas that spark the building of a coop or any other structure at your home, neighbors house or any family members dwelling.



The great outdoors~

Finally, it’s time to come to the great outdoors. Where to start?

 I have started, finished, restarted again & redesigned multiple times. Every time I have learned something new. Start a garden, animals will get in. Start another garden, water restrictions & a new lab will ruin it. This time 3^rd time was a charm & now we had to keep chickens, wild birds & squirrels out.

When they were cute, tiny & harmless

High possibility you may have to save a baby squirrel & nurse it back to health. It's family members, still not welcomed.

 We finally had the deck built; we researched, priced & finally decided that we should not take on this task. Our marriage was thankful for that. We had them build the base & went back & added the railings ourselves in order to save some money. 

We made a coop- Backyardchickens.com saved our rear ends & we were able to get ideas & with a little time & patience we were able to make a coop with recycled materials. Our wallets loved us  & so did our chickens.

 

We didn’t feel the investment of owning a chainsaw was worth it, so we borrowed one from a dear friend & cut down the trees we needed & made enough firewood for the indoor & outdoor firepit/place.

A pergola was made with real wood. Again, we priced, researched & eventually found a kit at a store. Took 2 days to complete it & a long time to level it, but it is finally done & way under budget.

 

I learned that pallets are hard work to reuse & repurpose. The ones found on pinterest & other DIY sites were a little over the top, we couldn't find pretty pallets with straight boards. We found that you had to invest in a few more tools + update your tetanus shot to make it all work.

 

I wish I had a bottomless wallet, but I don’t. Our yard is huge & it is a rare find in the city. I use a lot of cull lumber, repurposed a lot of items & at one point our yard literally looked like a mud pit in the middle of a Samford & Son episode. Our grass doesn’t grow due to the 20 elm trees & dogs. They love to dig, run & mark everything. We had to break them of habits by bordering areas with rocks, dirt & cacti’s. Items were purchased because of the price, function & what it can become. Placement & colors came later. You can transform your area to an amazing outdoor space with little money, patience & creativity. Hopefully I can give you the tools to be inspired & learn from our mistakes. Then afterwards you can treat yourselves to a nice glass of wine in your new backyard, maybe after a pedicure, manicure & a massage.

 

I will attach links as we move along.

~Mel    

  Guaranteed to make your head swarm with ideas , subject to change without notice.

 

 

 

 

 

IKEA -Malm Dresser turned Sophisticated.

A little lipstick goes along way, or so I like to think. I cannot stress enough the importance of reusing, repurposing the furniture you already have. It not only saves you money, but it also saves you time from shopping around for something else. Questions to ask yourself; does it function in the new space? Can I use it for storage? Can I make it match my décor?

 The kiddo has limited closet space & omitting her dresser was not an option. Ikea has great sales so keep an eye out on those fliers. The Malm dresser was purchased for only $35, great price for something new. REMINDER – if you buy it new from IKEA, you have to assemble it & believe me, assembling things from IKEA is not that fun. So the dresser needed to stay but it needed a little vavavoom. I searched online on how to repaint & revamp old dressers & found a slew of IKEA furniture hacks. I didn’t want to do a template or a mural on it & I loved the color as it worked with the room.  As you know, I am a DIY’er night owl & sadly when my ideas come to light, none of the stores are open except for Walmart. They sell fabric & though I didn’t have anything certain in mind, I decided to walk around for inspiration.

I ended up finding a clearance vinyl/ pleather textured fabric. It was perfect. It added enough detail without taking away from the green mural behind it.

ITEMS YOU NEED:  fabric, utility knife, adhesive, sanding block, dresser

 

I cleaned the area first then sanded the drawer so the adhesive can stick a little more.

Now you can measure & make a  template to size, however I just layed the  drawer front on to the back side of the fabric & traced it, cut it out & placed the fabric on. Make sure it is smooth with no bubbles or wrinkles.

I then let the fabric & adhesive adhere overnight. (7-8 hrs in my case)

 

Once it's dried, I went back & trimmed any excess fabric off, with a sharp exacto knife .

 

 here is the detail of the fabric

the finished project 

 

Now I really wanted to add some crystal knobs for some added bling, however knowing that I will change her room again while  she is off to college, I decided to keep it as is & change it up later.

~Mel

Caution; for serious DIY'ers only, if condition persists, please consult a physician.

 

Summer is coming...

Summer is coming...

              and though I don't want to jump around with all my DIY nonsense, I do want to share some things that are Coming Soon.

Mr. Croaker & his new pond or Mr. Soggy Bottoms & his new pond – For now, a preview of him carrying a stick on his back. He really needs a good name.  UPDATE: New Name - Mr. Soggy Bottoms  & the misses is Croak-her... haha

 

Meet Einstein, Spiro & our 2 nameless chickens Bertha or Helen (spotted Sussex) UPDATE: Bertha is officially Helen.  The poor Americana still has no name. & apparently Spiro should be Spyro. OOPS! Sorry kid for the mix up & not knowing my dragons. Hopefully we will have a name on the last 1 soon.

 

 

 

A couple of things left in the kiddo’s room, and then it’s on to the great outdoors.

See ya soon!

~Mel

A MEMO WALL & A DESK

Having a memo board would have been an easy solution for the kiddo’s room. However, I couldn’t find anything that would work or matched the décor. I simply decided to buy a white erase board, frame it & with $0.50 sample oops paint, add a different shade of gray to make it pop.

The molding I framed it with, came from Lowes, its called dentil molding. I painted it black &  then added a little bling to the molding & to the thumb tacks. Super glue & shiny round stones. My fingers were very sticky at the end of this project.  

I added a organizer to the side of it. One for homework/to do things & the other one for papers that mom needs to sign. I got this from Target. along with the memo board.

 

I then added 2x2 pictures of her friends, family, color guard …. The wood is so soft it is very easy to pin things to. 

 

A finished product with personal touches.

A close up with the bling & the matching molding on the opposite wall

 

I broke up the pattern mural & the Marilyn mural with a piece of molding & added a little bling.

A STUDIOUS CHILD MUST HAVE A STURDY BIG DESK

 

As I stated before, I have to draw things out for my husband as he has no idea what I am talking about, nor does he see my vision. I wanted to build a simple desk for the kiddo, but at the same time I needed something larger so she can spread out & be comfortable.

I used the dresser for one side - Functional in space & support

 

Simple L shape- printer & copier is on a roll away that goes under the left side of desk 

 A back wall brace is used for support on the left side

I can't miter to save my life, so a square it is. At 2am I tried to screw in a board across the joints & almost lost an eye. The wood screw didn't go in,

& the board flew straight to my forehead. I got new bangs out of it. & a large bump.

Thank goodness for the corner braces & the hubby.  

 

And there you have it!!! A Memo & A Desk.

 

Hope this inspired a new desk for you!

~Mel

The best things in life are free... my free advice, wear goggles, quit being a DIY'er night owl & always pre-drill.