Building a new run

Don't think you need the washers with a screw to hold the wire on Castara. Looks secure enough to me. I've bought an electric staple gun. Only a small one to fit 12mm staples. You can get large ones to bang in 25mm deep staples but that's overkill. The staples do rot though, even zinc plated, much faster than the old type hammered in staples you have used. So on balance I will probably go back to the traditional method you have used when the gun breaks down.
 
The beauty of staples is that you can do a quick fix to hold the wire in place before putting in the traditional staples and an electric gun is on my wish list. I agree with Chris, screw and washer is probably overkill . What a good and versatile job this is. The panels need never be wasted as they would have a variety of uses other than for chickens. My internal pens are made this way using 2 x 1 roofing batten, made up then slotted into place.
 
I've got a staple gun , tried a few , but I didn't like the way they sat over the wire , ? Their were little gaps just big enough to get a claw in , The U nails fit snug over the wire , I did think of using them as guide but my wife just got on with it, bang bang bang , But I think Ill try staples first on a few just to see if I can get the wire mesh tauter , So you think the washer idea is too much?? Ok I'll go with that , I figure , If old Vulpes vulpes tries to get in I think it will show before he gets in so Ill have time to reinforce
 
Well After Watching the Old Man Use "The Old Method" On my Old garden table :-)04 . It was time to borrow the 'Festool' The Ultimate in Circular Saw 8-) , If you ever have a silly amount of money to spend on a saw :-)07 , then this is the one 8-) 8-) 8-) ,
So floor ,back, sides, roof ,and front Sheets cut, Now just cut out the doors , pop hatch , windows and ventilation holes, Paint and assembly ;)
 

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Oops!!!

Would be a lot quicker just with a new handsaw Castara -£12 Spear and Jackson 'Predator'. I rarely use my circular saw because of the time taken to get the power leads out, unbox it, set it up and then rush to put it away before it rains.
 
True, And the old man did try n but me a shiny new hand saw that very mornin, But to be honest I only saw railway sleepers n trees n such like normally . So my cutting skills can be a bit hit n miss , And the Old mans gettin on now , hes eyes and all that . We did cut down a sheet with that old saw in the picture , but it takes time and the offer of the circular saw was their , Which cuts such a nice line with that guide rail system , I just couldn't resist
 
Cut the hole with the circular saw and finished with a NEWish SHARP hand saw ;)
Cheap timber , I gonna have to pack a few places with some wood filler :-)09
 

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Nest box hole cut :D
Time for some framing
 

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Chickens :-)11 ? Oh yeah :lol: , and I was havin such fun :lol: . None lined up as such , I had been in touch with someone about some Silver laced wyandotte bantams, They said May . but no word as yet. And now some in the family are falling for 'Gold laced Wyandotte bantams' instead :roll: So I might have to start searching :-)19 again.
Sadly with work, family n rain, and all that, I dont seem to get a good stretch at coop building (very frustrating ) . Its even more of a wind up when you consider how much Ive built at work in the same period of time.
It also has to be said that I am enjoying working with no pressure/deadline. Lots a cups a tea ,chat, procrastination , and debate on the exact best way to go about whatever it is we were doing, before we started chatting etc. :lol: I rekon 3 clear days and I'll have it built. and I did read the other day their are 250 billion chickens in the world so their must be 3 out their for me :D
 
Give some thought to egg laying Castara. We had laced Wyandotte Bantams and they were useless. 50 from one and 20 from the other in a year. White Leghorn Bantams have got to be the best, but our Browns are good as well. Trouble is 'pretty' and 'layers' is an unobtainable combination it seems.
 
Arrrrgh In Total confusion now , the damn book said 150 a year. Gonna have to think on that one :-)19 ., Cheers for pointing in it out though :-)17 .
Can any one else raise on Chrismahon's 50 a year ???? Do I hear 100? any takers ????
 
Just been to see a mate he just got 4 hybrids Saturday , gave him an egg the day he got them , and 1 every day since , The run and coop are taking shape now. Looks like it'll be about a 6' x3' . The run 6' x 9' . Is that big enough for 3 Large fowl ??
 
You have 6 sq. metres of run space, so at 2 sq. metres per LF hybrid you would be OK with 3. Garden hybrids do vary quite a bit in size so it might be best to choose fairly compact ones. Columbian Blacktails are very nice birds, lots of character, quite small and elegant, golden brown with cocky little black tails, and they lay very large eggs for their size. Alternatively, not a hybrid but if you can get genuine Cream Legbars from a good blue-egglaying source they are ever such pretty, small birds and mine lays as well as my hybrids, now well into her second year. There are also lots of hybrid breeds which are actually bred to be calm in more crowded commercial conditions, so they are friendly and gentle birds, such as my Amber Star and Silver Star. Some hybrids lay like mad but can be flighty, like the White Star leghorn crosses, so less suitable for an enclosed run. Speckledies, Black Rocks and similar such as Bovans Nera, Black Star etc have been bred specifically for organic free range use so are best kept where they have more range and space. Also Speckledies are quite large birds. Whatever you get, do enquire closely from the breeder about their probable laying performance. Most of the commercial hybrids will lay well, but if you buy them a generation or so down the line from a private breeder who has been using his own stock, not consistently chosen for egglaying and hardiness, you may end up with something less satisfactory. On the other hand of course, if you get a hybrid that gives you a satisfactory number of eggs per year (200+) she may well go on longer than one bred to go mad laying 300+ in the first two years and then succumb to prolapse etc.
Most of the breeds with pompons, fluffy bits or other special features will have been bred that way for showing - just as with dogs, breeders tend to exaggerate some features at the expense of other more useful characteristics. Personally I think that, in both chickens and dogs, there is more beauty in a less showy breed, hardy and in good health, with glossy plumage or coat, enjoying life in good conditions. Whatever you get they will soon impose their own individual personalities, but you might as well have lots of lovely eggs as well, after all that hard work!
 
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