Chicken Molting Murder

The hens are molting.  Being their second year to molt, I thought I knew what to expect.  Unlike last year, this year the hens are really, really molting.

Molting as is one day they are loosing a few feathers on their breasts to the next day their tail feathers have thinned to one or two snarky remains.

Molting as in a week later the hens have looked like they have been attacked.  Some hens are worse than others with the three Amerucanas (Abe, Abe, and Abe) looking the worst.  Others like the Barred Rocks hardly look affected but as the egg production has gone from seven to nine eggs daily to one or two eggs, I believe all original stock of hens are in full molt.

Not wanting to be left out the experience, the rooster is molting too.  I keep watching to see if the hens are pecking at him but they all seem content.  There has not been any abnormal clucking or fighting in the coop/run when locked up, so it not boredom.  It is the roosters version of males who suffer from sympathetic pregnancy.  Did you know there is an actual word to describe this symptom? In men that is, not chickens? Couvade.

Molting is so bad this year the area around the coop looks like a chicken or an entire flock of chickens has exploded.  Like there has been a murder of chickens.  Not even the feather eating hens or doggo can keep up with this sheer amount of feathers that abound.  It is staggering and slightly disgusting.

While there has not been a murder among the chickens, there is going to a slaughtered chicken if she does not stop roosting in the tree.  This the same chicken that flew the pullet run and nested on the window ledge the first day she was brought home, this the same chicken who does not flock with the flock but goes her own way, this the same chicken who is the only white egg layer yet has not laid an egg in weeks and weeks.  Ears, as the Kid refers to her, has taken to roosting in the same exact location that B.U. (Nurple the Rooster) roosted.  If her rebel attitude continues, she will have to go as bad attitudes are contagious.   Then there really will be feathers.

Upcoming Movements

It has been so long since any progress has been made at Plan473 that these past few months worth of directional movement has refounded our enthusiasm.  Even though the progress has just been made on renovations and repairs to the chicken coop and partial installation to the Rain Water Collection System, it is progress all the same.  Much needed progress, too.  Over the next few weeks even more progress will be made, hopefully.

Today while I was in the Big City #1 for family matters, the Planner and the Kid went to Big City #1 as well.  They went for work and to collect these two 120 gallon water tanks.  Needing the capacity to hold more than 55 gallons of water at a time, these two short water tanks will fit snugly under the Work Box, one on either end.  One at either end of the boxes will allow a collection point for four PVC drains.  Once in the small tanks, the water will then be moved to the 3000 gallon tanks for storage.  With rains still averaging about one inch or so a week, now is the time to collect all the water possible. 

Other recent purchases were these four fix foot culverts.  Having been using the neighbors driveway since the day we moved in four years ago, the time has come to install our own driveway.  The sand filling, the caliche base, and the crushed asphalt all have been purchased over the last five months as money allowed.  Now we just have to work around the rain for driveway installation.  Yeah!  More forward movement.

Chicken Coop Winterized

It started out last month as just a quick repair job.  Harsh conditions caused a break in the chicken coop roof.  After replacing the one corner last month, it was decided the whole roof would need repair before winter came.  This should have been a simple one day project.  Sadly, as in most projects, this was not the case.

Bright and early Saturday morning, I climbed a ladder wanting confirmation for the decay.  I had originally thought, due to the location of the hairline crack, the break was from the above tree branches.  Much to my dismay, this was not the cause. It was just the plastic sheeting degrading. Plastic sheeting probably was not the best choice but it allowed for the most light and was load cheaper than metal/aluminum.  Metal sheeting, however, will rust over time, too.  Plus, the cost difference between the two materials still results in in plastic being cheaper. That is with labor costs aside.

What broke down the plastic sheeting so quickly?  Nothing dramatic, I promise.  Have you guessed yet?  It affects everyone, everywhere, not just Plan473.

It was the sun.  The sun has caused the hairline cracks.  The multiple hairline cracks have resulted in water inside the coop.  Water + poop laden pine mulch = GROSS.

Two and half years ago the panels were installed with screws and rubber gaskets to offer cushioning as to not crack the paneling during installation..  With time, the gaskets adhered themselves to the paneling. What was a one step process to install was now a three step process to remove.

The Planner removed and collected the screws.  Once the screws were removed, putty knifes were used to pop off the rubber gaskets. Gaskets were then reattached to the screws for later usage.  Too much knife pressure and gaskets went flying.  The panels, like the gaskets, adhered themselves to the coop and thus required the usage of the putty knife to pop off.  Too much knife pressure and brittle sheets shattered into shards and went flying.

Larger pieces were given to the Kid who broke into small pieces inside the trashcan.  This was found to be the least messy way.  Even still, shards would fly out of the can and onto the ground.  Shards of plastic will be collected from around the coop for months.  I predict the chickens will probably try to eat shards.  Ugh.

What started out as a quick replacement of the plastic sheeting resulted in a total scrub down and decision to repaint.  The inside was repainted once last year during the winter and is in desperate need of a fresh coat.  The coop is in need of some major renovations and now is the time to knock a few of those off the list. First things first, the coop has to be fully scrubbed down from top to bottom.

So with the cobwebs removed and the dirt and grime cleaned out of the corners, just the coop's back wall was painted.

Time was running out for both the me and the chickens, thus we plowed forward.  The rest of the coop will be painted tomorrow.  Painting it seems does not keep a chicken from her eggs.  One of the newer hens had business to attend to and was not going to let a little fresh paint stop her.

With the sun setting, the new washable back wall was installed.  Using a shower liner from the hardware store, this new wall will hopefully allow for easier poop cleanup in the future.  No longer will the poop build up on the back wall of the coop and in the corners of the 2x4 bracing.  Now, if this works as planned, the poop will just slide down the wall to the mulch and easily swept out. No more sticky piles of poop stuck in the corners.  No more using extra large putty knifes to remove.  No more extra stink.  Just clean sweeps with a rake over the mulch.

Sunday morning bright and early once again, we returned to finish the coop.  Not having time for the floor to adequately dry, it was left bare over night.  This was decision was done knowing it would be a mess in the am.  Knowing and KNOWING are two different things.  All these chicken do is poop.  There are more piles of poop in here than 14 chickens should account for.  Seeing this amount would lead a person to believe this was several days worth of mess.  Not ONE SINGLE night.

So with the mess cleaned up and some dried remaining nesting box hay thrown in for protection, the renovations continued.  The side wall and rafters were painted.

By lunch Sunday the renovations were almost complete.  Hens once again were not deterred by the fact that their nesting boxes were facing the world instead of their coop.  No where they deterred by people coming and going on ladders all around them.  Their door was opened and shut as rafters were painted then again as panels were prepared.  Nothing bothered them.  Egging is serious business.

Before panels were finally installed, the winter doors were installed as a northern is expected tomorrow night.  Today it is a 75.  Tomorrow, get out your parka.

New panels were measured and fitted and then numbered for correct placement.  Differences between old and new are astounding!  Had I thought about it at the time, I should have a taken a side by side picture showing the coloring differences.  But pictures were not the forefront of my thoughts as I was under a time crunch.  It was well after lunch and I needed to leave for a trip out of town and wanted to get there before dark.  Time was slipping away, quickly.

Salvaged screws and rubber gaskets were used.  And in accordance with Plan473 and its mission statement of waste not want not, only a dozen new screws and gaskets had to be used.  Not knowing the exact number of screws used, I am confident there are over a 100 total.  Having to use only 12 new is pretty darned good.

With the last screw in, I marveled at the job well done.  It may have taken longer than initially thought but the final results are worthy of the extra time. New paneling does wonders to a weathered coop.

Especially on the inside!  The poor chickens were living in a dungeon.  Rationally I know they only sleep there but I would like to think the egg layers would like to have some light on the subject.  Living in a dark box is bad on the mental health.  Everyone knows happy hens are happy eggs.  No wait the saying is happy hens are healthy hens. Either way...

In the re-installation of the nesting bars, the Kid made this remarkable discovery.  Chicken feet weathered bars.  Standard yellow pine has soft wood and hard wood.  Two years of chicken perchings have weathered the soft wood away.  Every grain of the board has been exposed yet the board is smooth to the touch.  Quite an amazing find.

Roosting bars in place, additional hay laid, and a new hen in the nesting box, the coop looks bright and shiny with it is fresh paint job, new back wall, and clear plastic sheeting allowing the setting sun fall coloring shine through.  Job well done, indeed.

Rain Water Collection System

In the attempts at naming this post as an Update to the original post, I discovered that somehow in all the work being done on the Work Box and the business housed within the box, the traveling for the Kid's sailing, and the general life busyness, I never once mentioned the day the Rain Water Collection System took effect.  The system has been mentioned several times in several posts since installation, but never the installation process itself.  Such an important key, I would even say it is the most important key to the existence of Plan473, yet it was never posted.  Amazing how that happened.  Even more amazing is the fact that this is the only picture available of the original installation.  THE ONLY ONE.  Doubly amazing.

Not wanting to go into too much detail of the RWCS without pictures I will just give a quick summary: the roof the Work Box will have 2" PVC pipe inlets on all four corners of each conex box collecting the rain that will then be transferred to the large 3000 gallon storage tanks.

Having lost our source for RODI water collection, once again yet another side affect of good ol' Uncle Harvey, and our water tanks quickly diminishing, the Planner installed one of the four collection points for the RWCS in the Work Box.  The current water collection point is this 55 gallon drum in which sits a water pump that then transfers the water to the storage tanks via a garden hose.  Not perfect or long term, but functional.  That was June of last year.

Yes, June of last year.  As in 16 months ago.  Several thousand gallons of rain water have been collected via the RWCS through just this one down spout.  Many times throughout the last 16 months, the 55 gallon barrel overflowed as the little pump could not keep up with the amount of water that flowed from the roof.

Having completely emptied one of the 3000 gallon storage tanks, the Planner was beginning to drive us crazy with his hyper awareness of water usage.  Showers! You had a shower last night, tonight it is a 1 gallon sponge bath!

When the initial 2" PVC inlet was installed for the one working down spout, all four corners were drilled out, had a metal 2" threaded pipe welded into place, and then capped.  As it turns out, PVC will adhere itself to metal rust and become impossible to remove.  No amount of handy dandy tricks would remove it.  First it was the standard blue water pump pliers that every household has in its junk drawer.  Then it was a oil filter wrench.  After much cussing and tool throwing, out came the grinding disk.

Removal with the grinding disk was not any easier either.  The hand held grinder did not fit easily against the ceiling.  If held flat, it would not cut the cap in the direction in which it would split the cap, it would only shave it flush leaving the threaded portion still intact.  To properly see what was being cut as it was critical NOT to cut into the metal down spout from the roof, the Planner had to wedge himself against the ceiling and cut at this awkward angle.  It worked in the end, it was just slightly scary in the safety department.

Once a small 2" slit was made, the usage of a large screwdriver acted as a lever, and off it spun.  Sort of.

Having sand blasted and spot painted the roof a few weeks ago, between the rust and epoxy paint, it was evident as to why the PVC cap would not simply remove.  It is good to know that the paint kept the metal insert from rusting into dust though.

The next time RWCS is installed in the Shop Box, something different will be done to eliminate this time consuming step.  What should have been a quick hour or two project, once again turned into in all day affair.  And that was just removing the caps.  PVC pipes still needed to be installed.

Next on the list of steps was to 2" holes into the shipping container deck flooring.  An 8' section of 2" PVC was lined up with the hole in the ceiling and then aligned with the floor using a level. This is not an easy task as this flooring is made with some kind of layered weather protectant and is hard as nails.  Does a great job at keeping cargo safe but can drain a cordless battery in its efforts to remove it.

The cargo flooring is 3/4" - 1" thick depending upon container and is some of the most beautiful wood in its shavings.  For all of the protectant materials inlaid into the grain structure, the wood never carries any chemical smell when drilling, never gives off an oily residue, nor does it ever burn or melt.

Lining up the PVC tubing to ensure straightness with the world not the only consideration into the design of the RWCS.  The tubings must be accessible to repair yet out of the way for work reasons.  They have to align with the flooring substructure underneath and not cramp corner box pockets.  As you can see, even with a test hole drilled, the alignment is not always ideal.  Luckily, this time, the PVC makes a bend directly below the hole and this corner pocket is avoided.

 Installing the PVC piping in the back outside corner of the box was easy as it was exactly like the front outside corner, it was a straight pipe down into the floor.  A union to the metal down spout and a PVC all the way out the floor to the underside of the box and it was done.

The inside front PVC tubing to the floor required more forethought and planning. Wanting to ensure there was little water flow restriction due to the bends in the tubing, the Planner doubled the size of the needed PVC diameter as compensation.  With eight total 2" PVC down spouts, water loss over the side of the box edges will now also be kept to a minimum.  Water overflow is always a possibility, it is nature of course. Deluges to occur but these were designed for the average rainfall over the average an amount of time.

What should have taken a less than a day to complete took two but the results are worthy.  Plan473 is two more steps closer to a completed Rain Water Collection System in the Work Box.  There is of course, the Shop Boxes, the House Boxes, and the Kid/Guest Box to complete.  But hey, one step is one step.  Did I mention that these two new down spouts only drain out in the world and are not as of yet collected to the temporary 55 gallon bucket.  Oopsies...

Potted Dancing

A green thumb I am not.  Seeing my last remaining potted olive tree turn yellow and lose all its leaves again this year, I have decided to transplant it.  It seemed to have worked well for the other olive tree way back in May.  With luck, it will work for this one, too.  These poor things have had a rough two years but they are hanging in and I want them to grow so badly.  The olive trees from which I stole these saplings are big, bold, and beautiful.  Plan473 needs big, bold, and beautiful trees.

Poor thing, no matter which direction it is admired upon, it looks pitiful.  The only saving grace is all the grass around it is dead so what little bit green it does have stands out in stark contrast.  As does its yellow leaves.

Deciding where to plant is always an issue.  With Plan473 house boxes still not in production, it is hard to know where to plant that it wont be in the way of the house, affected by the building of the house, or have its growth hindered by the house.  Using the space made available by good ol' Uncle Harvey, the tree which will grown upwards of 25' in height will be planted directly in front of this sable palm.

That is the fascinating thing about nature.  If "native" species are left to their own devices, they can become something more beautiful than one can "manage" into submission.  Cordia boissieri  are trees not bushes, have fruits that while not palatable do make tasty jelly, and are low maintenance.  In fact, they specialize in low maintenance in the watering department.

Mexican Olive trees prefer according to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, well drained caliche, sand, sandy loam, clay loam, clay, or gravel soils.  With the key word being well-drained, our excessively drought dry soil should be perfect even if not planted inside a shep tube.

Unlike the previous transplant, this baby is going straight into the soil.  Bark mulch was applied to stabilize the fresh dug soil, to allow for an area for water pool around when it is watered, and to help keep the chickens at bay.  In fact, of all the concerns about transplanting, the chickens are my biggest fear.  They are efficient and effective at scratching and I worry they will scratch the soil away. Only time will tell how this transplant will go.

These unknown plants were also transplanted.  The tall middle plant was given to me by The Sailor some months back as he has entire 5' circle planted with them.  Whatever they are they are PURPLE.  My first non red or orange or yellow plant.  I was beginning to think all plants planted were going to be colored ROY.  Doing well to remember to water them, I looked down one day to see sprouts.  Can you image my joy at seeing sprouts?  Sprouts who came willing with no effort emitted, fabulous!  Having been originally been planted within little 2-5" seedling pots, they were all transplanted into the same pot because they do better together than singular and allowed space enough for room to grow.

Having said it once within the last couple of months, I am gonna say it again.  Nature does not give a damn.  Worrying about lack of rain or too much rain, excessive heat or nor not enough heat is a human affliction.  Nature does with it does with no regards to the weather.  Haven't had rain in six months, the plants just do their thing.  If the rain continues to lack and they seem to die, chances are they are just lying dormant protecting their inner selves. 

And when it does rain, just that one inch a week, or thereabouts, watch out because BAM the plants are back.  In full force as if nothing had ever happened.  Honestly, never once before have I seen such detailed flowerings on the Turks Cap.  Never once.

Color abounds, new growth appears, and all is right in the world.  Plants hang with heavy limbs due to excessive blooms.  Birds and bees abound and life has moved forward again.  No thoughts given to once previous dry dormant conditions and countless hours worrying on the lack of rain.  Just day to day coloring the world with beauty.

And with the fresh rains, comes the mushrooms in all shapes and sizes.  Some are here today, gone tomorrow.  Others, like the above pictured, take a full week to reach maximum growth and large enough to house an entire collection of LEGO minifigs.  Mushrooms can be seen in potted plants, against trees bases, out in the wide open, in the compost bin, and hidden in dark damp spaces under heavy foliage.  The only place they are not seen are in the chicken run.  Mushrooms sprout in the most random places and amazingly are never once scratched away by the chickens either.  Once established they do not have to be relocated, transplanted, or protected to live, they just live.  Earthy, native, and beautiful.