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

by Steele, Lisa

• ISBN13: 9780760366448
• ISBN10: 0760366446
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2020-02-11
• Publisher: Quarry Books

Summary

Build a better life for your chickens! Join Lisa Steele, chicken keeper extraordinaire and founder of Fresh Eggs Daily, to learn how to build just about everything you might need for your coop, run, or farmhouse kitchen. Whether you're a DIY novice looking for an easy win or a more experienced builder looking for chicken-specific projects, you've come to the right place!

The chapters are packed with a variety of ideas, covering every skill level:

• The Basics: Lisa will tell you what tools you absolutely need, the ins and outs of pallets, and a few special skills, like how to transfer lettered designs to wood.
• Quick and Easy Projects: Get started with projects that take minutes or hours, not days! From a decorative cutting board coop sign and paned window coop mirror to more functional projects like a clothespin herb drying rack and dropping board, you're sure to find the right starter project. 
• Handy Projects: Ready to take on a slightly more challenging build? Try the removable coop ladder roost, boot tree stand, feed dolly, chick-sized jungle gym, or chicken-proof herb garden.
• Pallet Projects: What's better than DIY projects? DIY projects made from free wood! Use pallets in all forms (whole, partial, and boards) for the projects in this chapter. Make a coop tool holder, chick roosting bar, swinging bench, feeding station, coop shutters, compost bin, and so much more.
• Weekend Projects: More time doesn't necessarily mean frustrating or too difficult. The ambitious, yet easy-to-follow, projects in this chapter include a sliding barn coop door, a-frame integration pen, and a roadside egg stand.

No matter what you need for the coop—or what your chickens might want you to build first!—you're sure to have fun as you create a coop and run that's the envy of your neighbor's flock.

Author Biography

Lisa Steele is a fifth-generation chicken keeper who has been around chickens most of her life, so it’s no surprise she has made her name raising her own backyard flock and sharing her farming adventures. Lisa is also an aspiring herbalist and avid gardener who shares tips and advice on both her award-winning Fresh Eggs Daily blog and Facebook page of the same name. She holds a Maine Master Gardener certification and her popular website has been named one of Better Homes & Gardens Top Ten Gardening Blogs. 

A regular contributor to such publications as Hobby Farm and Chickens magazine, as well as HGTVGardens.com and BHG.com, Lisa has become the most trusted voice in natural chicken keeping. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and on NPR, and has appeared on PBS and the Hallmark Home and Family show. She is currently hosting her own "chicken lifestyle" television show Welcome to my Farm on Maine's NBC affiliate News Center Maine. 

She is the author of Let's Hatch Chicks!, Gardening with Chickens, Fresh Eggs Daily, and Duck Eggs Daily, and tours the country speaking and signing books at the Mother Earth News and Country Living fairs. Lisa lives on a small farm outside of Bangor, Maine, with her mixed flock of chickens, ducks, and geese as well as a corgi and barn cat.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
 
1. THE BASICS
Hammer
Drill
Saw
Sandpaper/Hand Sander
Paintbrushes
Putting Together a Toolbox
Safety Warnings
 
2. QUICK & E ASY PROJECTS
Cutting Board Coop Sign
Mason Jar Grit/Calcium Dispenser
Removable Dropping Board
Chair Nesting Area
Small Footprint Countertop Egg Holder
Dippy Eggs and Toast Breakfast Tray
Reusable Chalkboard Hatch Countdown Calendar
Dowel Coop Organizer for Tools
Clothespin Herb Drying Rack
Chicken Treat Bar
Paned Window Coop Mirror
Board Swing
Bath Board
 
3. HANDY PROJECTS
Removable Coop Roosting Ladder
Chicken-Proof Herb Garden with Hinged Window
Sliding Barn Coop Door
Boot Tree Stand
Hinged Coop/Run Seat
Feed Dolly
Chick Jungle Gym
 
4. PALLET PROJECTS
Pallet Tool Holder
Pallet Hawk Shelter
Swinging Bench
Chicken Salad Bar
Chick Roosting Bar
Hanging Flower Boxes for Run
Compost Bins with Hinged Front
Boot Cleaning Station
Pallet Feeding Station
Tiered Herb Garden with Mason Jars and Chalkboard Signs
Garden Fencing
Pair of Coop Shutters from Pallets: Three Styles
Step Stool
 
5. WEEKEND PROJECTS
Deluxe Brooder Box with Heat Lamp Attachment
Swinging Screen Door for Run
A-frame Integration Pen/Chick Tractor
Wood and Wire Egg Basket
Roadside Egg Stand
Predator-Proof Window Frames
Nesting Boxes
Converting a Garden Shed, Outbuilding, or Playhouse into a Coop
 
RESOURCES
METRIC CONVERSION GUIDE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX