Scrapheap Challenge

[Snadger]

Have you run out of firewood, Snadge? Have to stay busy to keep warm

Firewood warms you four times. When you chop the tree down, when you chop it into usable lengths, when you split the lengths and when you use it on the fire!

[Snadger]

In another thrilling installment of ScrapHeap Challenge I -:

• Did a bit more work on cladding my chicken coop
• Started to visualise and construct the nesting box
• Did some more work visualising the chicken run and measured and changed how I am going to build it.
• Cleared some more detritis of the path to the left of the plot and put it in a heap ready to burn.
• Sowed half a seedtray of Musselburgh leeks and the other half with TPS
• Aired the Summerhouse to try and get rid of the stench of creosote

[Snadger]

Called at homebase to try and get a few sale items. Ones I had spotted yesterday had all gone so I came away with a plastic Hawk for £2.00!

Sunny at the scrapheap, but very cold. Wasn't going to bother lighting the woodburner today, rather relying on keeping busy to keep warm!

Pulled down a branch from an overhanging tree and hung my plastic hawk on it!

Set to constructing the nestbox on the new chicken coop. I was making so many scrap wood offcuts, I lit the woodburner anyway. Warmed my chicken pie up nicely!

Once again, defeated by darkness, I remembered I had to fill the chicken feeder up on my old plot. Wheeled a bag of layers pellets along to the plot in the wheelbarrow and was like the pied piper with the chooks following me with there food.

[Snadger]

Managed to find a lunp of plywood on the plot for my chicken coop nest box lid. It was buried under soil so was soken wet. Stuck it on top of the woodburner and lit the woodburner to dry it out ready for cutting to size. Probably go to plot tomorrow and my summerhouse will have burned down!

Printed off an A4 copy of VC's avatar to use as a template for nest box cover mural!

[Snadger]

Flying visit to the scrapheap after work. After sorting chooks at other plot, I lit the woodburner to thaw out some wood I have drying in the summerhouse and to stop plants I have in there from freezing

[Snadger]

Bought some onion sets and a pink peony rose which I planted in a 7 inch pot until I decide what to do with it. Can peony's be grown in large pots?

[Snadger]

Things took a bit longer than anticipated today but still managed to get the new coop nesting box finished with hinges and hasp and also managed to get it painted.



One of the plotholders agreed to take my biggest (noisiest!) cockerel for his flock.This is a one I had hatched recently. Problem was that whilst managing to capture the cockerel two of the hens from the same clutch escaped. After a days freedom I managed to get them back late in the day.

Whilst the paint was still wet on the nestbox lid, I hand drew a sketch in the wet paint. Can't think of where I got the inspiration from?

If I am still keen on it I intend painting it in bright yellow, unles I am in breech of copyright and need to pay royalties on it.!

[veggiechicken]

I'll give your readers a clue, Snadger

[Snadger]

VC gone all evil!



Freehand rendition in microsoft paint!

[Bigmallly]

Try different colours Snadge to give you an idea of the final design.

[veggiechicken]

You've given me a very vicious beak, Snadge I'm not that evil, honest

[Snadger]

Knocked down the rotten wooden fence that is at the Summerhouse end of the plot. This will have a wire mesh clad metal fence and become the back of my chicken run.

Some of the planks could be usable but the majority were semi rotten. Had a jolly old time smashing them up for woodburner fodder. Rather utilise them this way than pile them in a heap on the plot and set fire to them!

Laid some large pieces of cardboard on the plot that my fancy vertical radiator had been esconsed in!

Oooh forgot to mention, my Musselburgh leeks are all up (all 150 of them)and about 1 inch high and five of my TPS (True Potato seeds) have also germinated!

[Snadger]

lit woodburner. Sat mesmerised by the flames until i realised i had to get cracking.

Dug a post hole and hammered post in. Tried to level land where the fence panels will go.

Went home as it got dark!

[Snadger]

Knocked in a post until it wouldn't go no more. Fastened a salvaged metal panel to it supported at the other end by the summerhouse.

After a struggle I managed to get another 6 foot panel into position and nailed it to the post. One more post to go and last panel to put in position will see the back of the chicken run framework in position.

Started to dig next posthole and hit solid stone! I now know why the other post wouldn't knock in any further!

Woodburner was burning well this evening. It must have something to do with the wind direction, down draft and wind speed as sometimes it burns very slowly.

[Snadger]

Sold my 1948 petrol/paraffin Grey Fergie today. Bit of a tear in my eye when it went as it wasn't until I hunted out the log book I realised I'd had it for nine years. It had to go anyway as my job and flat are uncertain and I haven't got room for it and my Moggy 1000 at my project/retirement hoime.

Anyway, once it had gone I went to the Scrapheap.

After using a pick to break through a stone based subsoil I set another post in for the chicken run. I then, after much digging of brambles and such like, fastened the last panel to the outer side of my chicken run.
I had three 8 X 4 plywood sheets left after my summerhouse build so used these with the four foot side up fastened to the posts in front of the mesh panels on the North external fence. As well as giving shelter to the chooks they will go some way to stopping a fox getting through the panels.
The rest of the day was spent emptying the chicken run of all the crap I had accumulated and burning stuff that was rotten. I'm now having second thoughts about the width of the run, thinking I may make it a bit smaller. Watch this space for progress.