“Rodney we’ve only had it on the fence for a few days and already the tui are treating it like a newly opened McDonald’s.” I knew from the excited tone of his voice that we had a convert and that ultimately the two of us would have to get together.

During our last telephone chat Pat mentioned that he was looking forward to this happening plus he had an idea to share.

I didn’t want to steal his thunder but was 95% sure that I already knew what he was thinking. As I had a few days up my sleeve I set about making up “our” idea. The day we agreed to meet was a Friday and I set off mid morning with “our” idea in a box on the back seat.

I’m not that familiar with the North Shore but with a little help from a recent hand me down GPS I reached Pat’s place within 45 minutes.

After he had introduced me to his lovely wife Diane I was directed to a nearby window from where I could see the tui visiting the feeder. Being attached to the top of fence just a few metres away meant I was able to enjoy a birds eye view of their comings and goings. Unlike at our property where the tui drop by every hour or so they were continually in the adjacent trees or on the feeder.

Its was truly amazing seeing so many tui touching down on the feeder for a quick snack and then taking off again. It was almost like a tui version of London’s Heathrow. After taking some photos and video I decided it was time to get the tui feeder from the car to see if Pat and I were thinking alike.

As I took it from the box he just smiled and commented …. “yep that’s pretty much what I had in mind”.

The idea of the two way feeder occurred to me about a year ago but it wasn’t until after I’d spoken to Pat that I became motivated to put a trial one together. This feeder allows tui and other birds to feed from either side whereas our other models only have access from the front. The other difference is that the bottle holder has sight holes on two sides.

It now hangs in a tree adjacent to our family room and was being frequented by the local tui within hours of it being set up. During the past week we’ve sold a Deluxe Two Way Tui Feeder and expect that it will be the first of many. Rather ironically the lady who placed the order is a friend of Pat and Diane.

As I’ve been so busy with orders of late I haven’t had time to list this new model in our “Garden Shop” on the web site but will do so shortly. If you would like to order one in the meantime please let me know via our contact page above.

Feeder now available as this page was re edited (14th October) … click here for more info.

The idea of making a bird feeder from an empty Just Juice bottle occurred to me on a wet Saturday afternoon as I was disposing of “our plastics” in the recycling bin. Plastic is one of my pet hates therefore I’m often thinking of other ways that it can be put to good use. I figured that if an opening was cut in the side or bottom of the bottle birds may venture into it to feed.

At the time I didn’t know what birds if any might be tempted.

After carefully fashioning the entrance with a sharp stanley knife (need to be very careful doing this) I cut three pieces of waste timber to make the stand. This would hopefully keep the bottle stable and prevent it from being blown away. The halves of mandarin shown in this video are kept in place by 3 x 30mm screws protruding from the lengthwise piece of timber within the bottle.

These feeders are positioned on our front deck and we love watching the antics of the silver eyes. To date they are the only birds brave enough to enter.

If you’re thinking of making a feeder like these its only a twenty minute job and costs next to nothing to make.

It’s now 20 weeks since we collected our day old chicks from the hatchery and I have to admit that I’m growing just a little weary of waiting for these girls to produce the missing ingredients for our much awaited breakfast fry up. The experts advise that we should see some results somewhere between 18 and 20 weeks so hopefully it wont be too long now.

Two weeks ago I removed the real estate signs that were closing off the nesting boxes so the hens could become familiar with where they should be laying. Some months back these had been sealed off to prevent the gals from setting up home in them and to encourage use of the perches.

They seem pretty relaxed about the layout, no pun intended. Jessie also likes the look of the boxes from the inside of the coop. It may change but at this point in time all the hens are called Jessie.

Lastly as I’m not one to leave anything to chance I discreetly placed a few fake eggs about the nesting boxes to hopefully get my message across.

Bacon is in the fridge and the potatoes are in the pantry so “c’mon girls” the rest is up to you!.

Each working week my days are mostly taken up with the making of tui feeders whilst tuning in to Leighton Smith mornings on Newstalk ZB. Much of what I do is repetitious so radio talk back breaks the monotony and helps to keep me informed with whats happening in the world.

If I’m going to be totally honest I do “occasionally” sneak away from the workshop to check on the veggie patch, chooks and bees. If my dear wife reads this I’m in trouble as she has the impression that I conscientiously toil away from 9 till 5.

That aside between talk back, machining, assembling and finishing I have plenty of time to think about how our bird feeders can be enhanced or improved.

The time frame for a new idea to get the “olde grey matter”churning to when it becomes a reality is usually about 3 to 4 weeks depending on how busy I am with orders.

Some time back it occurred to me that feeding the birds would be much simpler if the various suet feeders scattered around our garden were attached to the tui feeders. It was so obvious and within 15 minutes I had created our latest product which we have decided to call the “tui feeder combo”. That same day a customer dropped by to collect a deluxe tui feeder for his Mum for mother’s day and upon seeing the combo thought it would work well in her garden.

This recipe to attract more birds to fewer places and to have them competing for the same food made sense and seemed like such a good idea. Combining the feeders around our back yard has resulted in many more birds dropping by and has made watching them more entertaining.

If tui could talk yes I know some can, mimic at least, I’d  imagine responses something along these lines.

“You idiot look what you’ve done …  now every bird in the district will be making a nuisance of themselves around our feeders”.

“This is such a dumb idea … you should know that these common garden variety type birds will be hell bent on stealing our food”.

“Standing watch ….  really we have better things to be doing”.

Tui being very territorial and unwilling to share will chase and harass birds that come too close to its domain. Watching their antics can be very amusing and any bird seeking a snack has to be very quick. The tui in the photo at the top of the page can often be seen standing watch over the feeder.

If you have previously purchased our standard tui feeder like the one above attaching a suet feeder is as  simple as drilling two 5 millimetre holes in the base. To ensure a good balance these should be positioned approximately 125 mm in from the rear edge of the base, 25 mm in from the side and equal distance from the side roof supports.

Hole positions for adding a suet feeder are shown below.

We use a thin wire bent over at one end to form a small hook to drag the string through the tui feeder base, suet feeder roof and body.  A simple knot tied at either end of the string is all that’s required to keep everything in place.

Our range of suet feeders can be viewed by clicking here or visiting the “Garden Shop”.

We have recently added the deluxe tui feeder combo (includes suet feeder) to our range of hanging and pole mounted models. They include a water or food dish plus a  feeder block which keeps pieces of apples and citrus in place.

During winter a half cut mandarin or tangelo attached to the feeder block will result in birds like the silver eyes arriving en mass.

Position a deluxe tui feeder combo in that favourite spot or tree in your garden and the birds will love you for it.

]]> http://www.justaddworms.com/2011/05/26/would-you-like-a-suet-feeder-with-that/feed/ 0 http://www.justaddworms.com/2011/03/30/how-to-build-a-chicken-coop-that-will-give-you-healthy-hens-and-heaps-of-eggs/ http://www.justaddworms.com/2011/03/30/how-to-build-a-chicken-coop-that-will-give-you-healthy-hens-and-heaps-of-eggs/#comments Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:57:24 +0000 Rodney http://www.justaddworms.com/?p=9743

Now that the chicken coop is completed and the pullets are in residence I thought it time to share a few photos and to briefly describe how the project came together. Building the coop proved to be a lot of fun but I was a little apprehensive at the outset.

I needn’t have been as it all went very smoothly and was finished in just two weeks.  Thanks to those members of my family who held things level, square and in place and Roger our builder who dropped by to professionally install the roofing iron.

In writing this post my hope and intention is to encourage anyone who is thinking of building their own coop to “give it a go” as it’s really not that difficult.

However before you rush off with your skill-saw and hammer you may wish consider these points.

• How many chickens and what size coop ? … minimum standards are set out in the animal welfare code. Hens that have access to free range ( 10 birds per sq metre )  and those permanently housed ( 7 birds per sq metre ). Give your hens plenty of space and they will be happy, healthy and most importantly productive.
• Its a good idea to keep your hens well away from your house as they will mess on your decks, paths, lawns, anything and everything else. It’s just one of the joys of having chooks. Besides this, there is the smell and the inevitable flies especially during summer.
• Position your coop to avoid the prevailing winds whilst capturing the warmth of morning and afternoon sun. I intend to enclose the area underneath the floor of our coop to provide a cool space in summer where the hens can dust bathe and retreat from hawks and other predators. Trees with low level branches work equally well.
• Have a good sized entry/exit door for your hens. This needs to have a robust catch or lock to stop predators.
• Good ventilation is also important to ensure the well being and health of your flock. You may need to make provision for some or all of these areas to be closed off during bouts of extreme weather.
• As the photos below show, our coop has a large human size entrance door as well as a generous door at the back for the removal of old litter. Simply open the door and its all raked straight into a wheel barrow, what could be easier.
• Obviously if you have hens you will need some nesting boxes, one box for every four hens. Making these boxes removable will make life much easier when its time for house keeping or should that be “coop keeping”.
• I made both the feeder and waterer, however these are “cheep” to buy so it’s probably not worth the effort.
• One of the last tasks on my list was to set up a couple of perches. These should be fixed securely but removable for cleaning.  I pushed a surplus piece of 6″ by 2″ timber through my bench saw at 5cm square and then again to remove the sharp corners.
• Depending on the contour of your site, ours slopes away, you may wish to install an access ramp to make it a little easier for “the girls”.
• I chose to put a corrugated iron roof on the coop as it means less maintenance but a ply roof or similar would suffice.
• Within a month or so I will complete a closed-in  run which will further protect the hens and more importantly keep them out of my veggie patch.
• For long life and durability all timber and ply should be tanalised.

Concrete around the piles was left for few days to harden.

Floor area below is 2.8 sq metres which means we can increase the number of hens if we choose to. We are fortunate in having a large lifestyle section so the hens will have plenty of space to free range.

When drawing up the plans I decided on a large door as this makes for hassle free access when attending to the hens and when topping up feeders and waterers.

This door will make the job of cleaning out the coop a breeze.

Loosen these three nuts and the nesting boxes are off …

With the nesting boxes removed cleaning and refilling them with wood shavings is an easy 10 minute task.

We’re outta here … ramp also detaches and hangs on a hook at the back of the coop when it’s time to cut the grass.

Plenty of perching space.

We installed building paper under the corrugated iron to prevent the build up of condensation. Dry hens means happy hens and hopefully more eggs.

Our eight 12 week old shaver brown pullets enjoying their new coop, one seems to be camera shy.

If you’re thinking of getting your own hens and building or buying a coop I’d suggest purchasing this magazine as it covers all aspects of keeping hens. At only $19.99 its worth every cent.

This post should have hit the blogosphere 3 weeks ago but things have been rather hectic of late so I’m running “a little” behind schedule.

The chickens or as I should rightly call them now “the pullets” are nine weeks old and thriving in their new digs.

So luxurious that even I was tempted to kip down there amidst those aromatic macrocarpa shavings …. just kidding.

One afternoon a few weeks back when I disappeared for 40 minutes or so my better half asked me if I had been taking a nap in the coop. With some indignation I replied that I hadn’t and that I had climbed the fence to have a chin wag with our neighbour.

I was amazed and amused that she even thought that of me … slept in hay barns, tents and other strange place in my youth but a chicken coop, no thank you.

When the pullets are not in the coop they’re enjoying what remains of our vegetable patch. I’m not overly worried about that as the season is mostly over and the cabbages and broccoli are secure behind bird mesh.

Raising these girls from day old chicks has been totally uneventful and the eight we started with have so far evaded disease and predators. One of the secrets to raising chickens is maintaining good hygiene standards.

One of our biggest concern has been our neighbour’s cats however now they are pullet size we feel our brown shavers should be able to fend for themselves. Having said that we don’t let them free range for too long and always keep an eye out for unwelcome visitors.

Two weeks after getting the chickens I began building the coop and a further two weeks later we moved them into their new digs. At that point they were six weeks old and very much in need of more space. Now that the coop is fully functional looking after our feathered friends is certainly much easier and less time consuming. All that remains to be done now is to build a fixed plus a mobile run so that they can be truly free range.

We’re really looking forward to the first eggs which I estimate to be about another nine weeks away.

I’ve never built a chicken coop before and upon commencement was a little apprehensive but I needn’t have been because it all went very smoothly. The coop was constructed mainly after work and on a couple of very long Saturdays. It proved to be a challenging but yet a fun project. So much so that I have grey matter plans for making another.

No not more chickens, it will be for sale.

If you’re interested let me know ….

When time allows within the next two to three weeks I will publish some photos of the new hen house and how it went together. The photo below shows pullets at 9 weeks.

Since picking up our chickens some 17 days ago all has gone well and our feathered friends are adapting well to their new home. The chicks are growing quickly and have changed from cute and cuddly to gawky and awkward.

At night they occupy the make shift brooder however during these warm summer days they get transferred to a garden cold frame come mini chicken coop that sits on our back lawn beside the strawberry patch. This gives them the opportunity to spread their wings a little and to acclimatise to the outdoors. It also means that we can switch off the heat lamp for approximately 12 hours of each day.

Each morning around 9.00 am I move them from the brooder to the mini coop. Once inside they frantically run from end to end flapping their wings. It’s rather surprising to see how well they can fly at just 17 days however the roof of the coop prevents them from gaining any real altitude.

The enclosure is pretty much predator proof however it’s placed within easy view of my workshop just in case any uninvited visitors drop by thinking they can help themselves to some fresh country grown chickens.

Last week I spotted the neighbour’s cat Leo having a quick peek but he soon realised that it was all going to be too difficult. He loitered for 15 minutes or so and then wandered back home to an easier meal of “Whiskas” I suspect.

The roof netting at the far end of the coop is covered with an old real estate sign that provides shade from the hot midday sun as well as a place of retreat in the event of any calls from cats, dogs, pukekos or hawks.

To date I’ m happy with the progress our poultry is making whilst being well aware of the havoc chooks can create. Namely wrecking my veggie garden and leaving their calling card on almost anything and everything imaginable, decks, paths, driveways, out door furniture, barbecues, patios, family room carpet and kitchen tiles when someone forgets to pull the door.

Perhaps having these gals isn’t such a great idea but I keep thinking about all those wholesome tasty free range eggs.

It’s too late to turn back now (what was that song?) as the chickens are steadily growing and the concrete around the piles for the new coop has already set.

With a little help from those members of the family who are not allergic to bees I hope to have the majority of the coop completed within the next couple of weeks. The chickens will be sharing the back section with bees from our three hives.

As we near the end of week three I’m looking forward to the day when the chickens take up residence in their new digs as I’m growing a little weary of continually shifting them about.

According to the chicken experts out there that should be about 3 weeks away.

More updates will be appearing soon re our hen adventures so please check back.

]]> http://www.justaddworms.com/2011/02/01/raising-chickens-and-building-the-coop-week-three/feed/ 0 http://www.justaddworms.com/2011/01/19/raising-chickens-week-one/ http://www.justaddworms.com/2011/01/19/raising-chickens-week-one/#comments Tue, 18 Jan 2011 11:22:48 +0000 Rodney http://www.justaddworms.com/?p=9303

For more than a year now I’ve been toying with the idea of getting chickens and once again experiencing the satisfaction of wandering down to the “chook house” to collect some “real eggs” for breakfast.

Funny how needs and attitudes change as the last time I did this … about 45 years ago ..  I’m sure it was accompanied with groans and grumbles about it not being my turn. On the farm locking up the hens and collecting the eggs was just another unwanted after school chore.

When my dear old Mum hollered “get the eggs” my brothers and I knew what she meant and the consequences of not doing so.

Won’t go there … now back to the present.

These shaver brown chicks can’t grow up quick enough as I’m really looking forward to some flavour some free range eggs.

I’m certainly no expert when it comes to raising chickens but having grown up on a farm with hens and roosters about much of whats required will be second nature.

Over the next few months I hope to document the progress of our friendly fowls with the finale being a more than generous breakfast of eggs, bacon and fried potatoes.

Yum I can smell it cooking already … well almost.

Over the next couple of weeks I will also need to design a coop and work out the materials needed. I have a little time up my sleeve however after just five days I can already see these chicks growing.

The photos below show progress made so far in respect to the all important requirements of food, water, accommodation and maintaining the right temperature.

This large storage bin makes for an ideal temporary brooder as its easy to clean and has high sides. Wooden chick starter feeder was a bird feeder I made for a client however it was never collected. After a few minor changes it becomes a nifty chicken feeder.  A plastic container placed upside down provides plenty of clean drinking water.

Comfortable and content in their new digs.

Last but not least this heat lamp keeps the chicks warm.

After 5 days all the chicks are doing well so it seems that we’ve covered all the right bases.

Good night little chicks …

I’ve stop counting the number of times I’ve refilled the 3 feeders we have about the place but the thought has often occurred to me that there must be an easier way. Well there is and it means that you can throw the blu tack and tape away.

I’ve always been a strong believer in the old “KISS” principle (keep it simple stupid) and this was so so obvious. It was about a month back I decided to trial a tui feeder with the bottle inserted upside down to see how well it would perform. Not surprisingly it worked just fine and the hassles and mess associated with those weekly refills were gone.

Yes, so simple … why didn’t I do this from day one?

Any how that doesn’t matter now, the main thing is that it works and the time has arrived for “you” to “turn the bottle up side down”.

Don’t worry … it’s only a five minute job and this is what you or your handy person needs to do:

• Firstly and obviously you need to find another 1.5 litre bottle eg Coke, Sprite, L&P or similar.
• With sharp scissors or a stanley knife “carefully” cut off the cap locking ring as shown in the photo above.
• Drill 4 x 3.0 mm holes at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock directly beneath the first upper ridge as shown above.
• That’s it, all done  … now refill the bottle in the usual way and insert “up side down” into the holder.
• Ensure that the bottle is pressed down firmly within it’s holder as this determines the level of the mix and keeps the feeder tray in place.
• The mixture within the tray can be brought up to the correct level more quickly by inserting your little finger into one of the sight holes and pumping the bottle.
• The sugared water that remains in the bottle will slowly flow into the feeder tray on it’s own accord.
• If you wish to achieve a more rapid flow just increase the size of the holes with a larger drill bit.
• After much experimentation I have found that 3mm holes work well.
• For reasons of hygiene the bottle should be replaced periodically.

Making this change will make the task of refilling your tui feeder a whole lot quicker and easier and is certainly worth doing. If your have any concerns, questions or you just need help feel free to contact me as I’m always happy to assist.

In the meantime …  happy tui watching.

Since purchasing my first bee hive in January, my fascination for bees continues to grow so to learn more about these amazing creatures, I’ve made this observation hive. Now I will be able to watch my Italian friends up close as they go about their many and varied tasks.

After undertaking considerable research on the web and consulting with fellow members of the Auckland Bee Keepers Club and others, I’ve come up with my first trial hive. I would also like to thank Trevor and Peter at Ceracell for all their help and advice.

When the club has its next fortnightly meeting, I will take the hive along so those members more experienced than I can pass judgment. At this stage the only aspect that I’m unsure about is how well the feeder that’s positioned to the right will function. Some bee keepers are saying that I may need to feed the bees through the top of the hive rather than the side, time and trial will tell.

This observation hive has been designed to be used by schools, technology institutes, universities, agricultural shows, rural field days or by down to earth folk like myself who enjoy promoting bees and bee keeping.

For those selling honey or bee products at country markets and the like I’m sure it will work “just like bees to honey”.

Recently we used an observation hive at the Auckland Bee Keepers Club stand at the Royal Easter Show and it certainly attracted those curious about bees and helped us with our honey sales.

Features of the observation hive include:

• Lower compartment to house brood frame.
• Upper compartment to house frame from honey box/super.
• Queen bee excluder separates the two frames and prevents the queen from moving to the top.
• Hinged front door allows for easy installation and removal of frames and bees.
• 4mm glass panels front and rear for easy viewing.
• Remove 4 screws and glass can be removed for cleaning.
• Sliding covers on both sides keeps the bees in the dark when not being observed. These also provide protection during transportation.
• Ventilation ports at each end help to provide adequate aeration and moisture levels.
• Easy access built in feeder.
• Top cover with easy to use reach over catches.
• Wide base ensures maximum stability.

Like all new products I intend to trial the observation bee hive to ensure that it works correctly. When I’m satisfied with the results they will be for sale via JustAddWorms “Garden Shop” as well as Trade Me and Sella.

Hopefully that won’t be too far off. In the meantime, expressions of interest are most welcome.