DIY Chicken Keeping from Fresh Eggs Daily: 40+ Projects for the Coop, Run, Brooder, and More!

DIY Chicken Keeping from Fresh Eggs Daily:40+ Projects for the Coop, Run, Brooder, and More!

WHY DIY?

From a Wood and Wire Egg Basket to a Chicken Treat Bar to a Boot Cleaning Station, this book includes projects for a wide variety of skill sets and should appeal to a wide variety of chicken keepers. I hope that completing some of the projects in this book will give you the confidence to move on to other DIY projects for your life and home. Now go and make something that you will be proud of for years to come!

THE BASICS

Like any hobby or pastime, building projects require some tools of the trade. And like any hobby, there is a vast selection of tools that span a wide price range. Of course, if you’re a hard-core DIY’er, you’ll likely already have (or want!) a nice selection of top-quality tools. But if you’re just starting out, you might have just the basics. And honestly, a few basic tools are all you really need.

QUICK & EASY PROJECTS

If you’re brand new to DIY or looking for a quick project, then this chapter is for you! You’ll find these projects require only simple tools and should take only an hour or two to complete. That doesn’t mean they are any less fun or useful than some of the other more complicated projects, though! It just means they’re a great place to start—and those of you who are experts at swinging a hammer will likely be able to complete one before you finish your morning coffee. Once you complete a few of these projects that do require basic tools and beginner building skills, hopefully you’ll feel confident moving on to some of the more involved projects in this book.

HANDY PROJECTS

Now that you’ve made it through the quick and easy projects, welcome to the next level of DIY! I do hope you’ll continue on and give a few of these slightly more challenging projects a try. The projects in this chapter do require a bit more of a time commitment—and possibly some tricky cuts or techniques—but they all can mostly be made with the same basic tools. While they may be a bit more time-consuming, you’ll also find that the payoff is worth it. One of my fun favorites is the Chick Jungle Gym, while the Feed Dolly and Boot Tree Stand will make your chicken keeping easier. Try one of them first or pick your own favorite—you can’t go wrong!

PALLET PROJECTS

In this chapter, I’ll show you how to create your own Compost Bins with Hinged Front using pallets and a couple of hinges and brackets. I will also share an easy Pallet Hawk Shelter to help keep your chickens safe while they’re roaming your yard, a Chicken Salad Bar that your flock will absolutely love, and simple garden fencing that no one will be able to tell started its life as a discarded wooden pallet—as long as you don’t tell them! This chapter contains some of my favorite projects—favorites mostly because not only are they very inexpensive to complete because you’re using pallets but also because you’re repurposing and upcycling instead of having to go buy new lumber and boards!

WEEKEND PROJECTS

I’ll walk you through step-by-step and show you how to build a set of Nesting Boxes for your coop; a small A-Frame Integration Pen Chick Tractor you can move around the yard to give your chicks their first taste of the big outdoors; and even a Roadside Egg Stand you can set up at the end of your driveway to sell some of those delicious fresh eggs. I’ll show you how to make your own Wood and Wire Egg Basket—as chicken keepers we can never have enough egg baskets—so pour yourself a cold beverage, roll up your sleeves, and let’s do this!