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View Full Version : My chicken coupe, automatic water, automatic feed, and automatic chicken door, etc.



helomech
12-09-2011, 11:09 PM
Here is the coupe before it was painted and the run was built. All the sides open.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_0494.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_0498.jpg

Coupe with run finished.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_0980.jpg

helomech
12-09-2011, 11:11 PM
Automatic chicken feeder. Used a old deer feeder and made a PVC bottom to direct the feed to a plate.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_1045.jpg

Automatic chicken door, it is solar powered and opens and closes at which ever time you want to set it.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_1137.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_1138.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_1139.jpg

helomech
12-09-2011, 11:20 PM
Here is the automatic water. Inside the bucket is just a regular toilet float. As the float drops the water flows and fills the bucket. The chicken nipples do not work with much pressure on them. If you hook them to regular water pressure the chickens can't drink from it, so you either need a bucket like this (cheap) or a pressure regulator that will go down to about 3 lbs.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_0777.jpg

I don't have a good pick of the water nipples, can get some tomorrow if yall want. This is a old pic.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_0773.jpg

And here is a pic I took while building the run. You can see the chain link laying on the ground. It is wired to the chain link on the sides using stainless steel wire. BTW I got all the chain link for free. Ran a add in the local paper looking for old fencing material. Got lots of calls. Ended up with about a thousand feet of chain link.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_0597-1.jpg

bacpacker
12-09-2011, 11:28 PM
Nice set up. Looks like I gotta set up a feeder system to. That'll hold a bunch of feed.

helomech
12-09-2011, 11:32 PM
It will hold five 50 lb bags, but I usually only put 2 at a time. It lasts to long if filled up. If anyone wants to see a certain pic better I can take more tomorrow.

Evolver
12-10-2011, 12:10 AM
I like the auto watering set up and a simple one at that... Very cool!

bacpacker
12-10-2011, 12:18 AM
More pics are always better. The water set up really intrigues me, it looks like you are running water to what 3 different locations. Can you show anything from the inside of the bucket, how you mounted the float?

Evolver
12-10-2011, 12:28 AM
I'm pretty sure he just drilled through the bottom of the bucket and installed toilet a flush valve. :confused:

helomech
12-10-2011, 12:32 AM
More pics are always better. The water set up really intrigues me, it looks like you are running water to what 3 different locations. Can you show anything from the inside of the bucket, how you mounted the float?


Yes I have one set going inside the coupe, one on the outside the coupe inside the run, and one on the outside of the run. I think there are about 60 different water nipples for them to use. I can take some pics inside the bucket tomorrow, but all I did was drill two holes in the bucket. Put a PVC fitting for the drain, and a toilet float like this one. Just the vertical part, not the flapper. Walmart.com: HydroWorks Water-Saving Toilet Repair Kit: Plumbing & Fixtures (http://www.walmart.com/ip/HydroWorks-Water-Saving-Toilet-Repair-Kit/16563575)

The Stig
12-10-2011, 12:49 PM
Chicken nipples? What the hell kind of smut is this? :)

This is very cool. I especially like the add asking for materials. The rest of us would be wise to copy that maneuver for other projects.

Please continue to post pics.....while I will likely never have chickens, and have no desire for them, seeing the evolution of this is awesome. It also puts ideas in the notebook that can be tweaked for use in other ways.

Thanks for sharing them with us.

realist
12-10-2011, 01:53 PM
I am assuming that you are putting the chain link on the ground so that critters can't dig underneath the fence. Okay now for the watering tank. I understand that the nipples will not take much pressure so the tank is just gravity feed? Could you explain how the water nipples work? I see a thermometer were the chicks are is that area heated?

helomech
12-10-2011, 01:57 PM
Chicken nipples? What the hell kind of smut is this? :)

LMAO, that does sound weird huh? For those that don't know what I am talking about here is a link.

Chicken Nipples (http://www.avianaquamiser.com/chickennipple/)

helomech
12-10-2011, 02:01 PM
I am assuming that you are putting the chain link on the ground so that critters can't dig underneath the fence. Okay now for the watering tank. I understand that the nipples will not take much pressure so the tank is just gravity feed? Could you explain how the water nipples work? I see a thermometer were the chicks are is that area heated?

Yes the chain link is to stop critter from digging in. Most people put it on the outside of the enclosure, I just did it on the inside.

Yes gravity feed, or very low water pressure will work. The nipples have a small metal rod that sticks out, and when the chicken pecks this rod, water flows. They learn it very fast, we don't have any water our for our chickens, they get all their water from these nipples. Chicken Nipples (http://www.avianaquamiser.com/chickennipple/)

I try to keep it as warm as possible in the area where the chicks are, it really isn't necessary with the moms in their taking care of them, but every little bit helps. I have a heater in there, and a heat lamp.

realist
12-10-2011, 02:20 PM
Thanks for the information on the chicken nipples, I thought they would be more firm........ We used to use a brooder with the chicks but it has been years since I raised chickens. Chicken nipples.....go figure.

bacpacker
12-10-2011, 03:07 PM
Chicken nipples? What the hell kind of smut is this? :)


Farm Porn

helomech
12-10-2011, 03:13 PM
Thanks for the information on the chicken nipples, I thought they would be more firm........ We used to use a brooder with the chicks but it has been years since I raised chickens. Chicken nipples.....go figure.



Your welcome, got to make life as easy as possible. Cleaning chicken water everyday was unacceptable.

bacpacker
12-11-2011, 01:34 AM
It's just damn nasty! I found some feeders like you are using Helo. Some fancy one's for close to $300. The one I scoped out was $80, holds 300# of feed. That should do me just fine.

helomech
12-11-2011, 01:38 AM
I think I paid 90 bucks for mine years ago.

helomech
12-11-2011, 01:45 AM
Got another automatic water set up in my broody hen shed, momma chicken is already showing the little ones how to drink. Still got to set one up for the rabbits, but have to buy some fittings first.

Here is a pic inside the bucket. The round thing around the drain is a de-icer.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_1830.jpg

Here you can see the valve (yellow near the dirt) for the water coming into the bucket. There is also a line sticking out not hooked to anything, it is a drain so I can drain the bucket down for cleaning.

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_1832.jpg

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/ii247/helomech1973/home/IMG_1834.jpg

helomech
12-11-2011, 01:48 AM
It's just damn nasty! I found some feeders like you are using Helo. Some fancy one's for close to $300. The one I scoped out was $80, holds 300# of feed. That should do me just fine.

I bought a pvc toilet flange from the hardware store and screwed this to the barrel. Then I attatched the pvc to the toilet flange. I used screws instead of glue so I could take it apart for cleaning.

Evolver
12-11-2011, 02:09 AM
That is just the slickest setup thank you for sharing.:)

bacpacker
12-11-2011, 02:15 AM
I second that motion. I was out at the coop feeding today, thinking thru how and where to start putting some of this stuff together.

helomech
12-11-2011, 02:25 AM
Thanks guys, I like having the animals, but want it to be as easy as possible. The automatic chicken door has been the best thing. We can leave and know that all the chickens are safely locked up inside the coupe at night.

I got my chicken leg bands in today. Marked all my original chickens with a orange leg band on the right leg, and also put a green band on the left leg of my hens that have hatched chicks. Going to get a different color for all the new chicks. Tha way when I go to slaughter them I know which ones have hatched eggs (will leave those alone for a long while) and which ones are older. Since all my chickens look the same I had no way to tell which ones where which.