Coop Designs - Yay Autocad!

So Dan and I have started playing around with "Google Sketchup".  It's actually pretty complicated... and very addicting! All of a sudden it's 3 hours later!

Anyway, these are our plans.  I mentioned to Dan that it would be nice to have a "chicken tractor" so we could move it around when the grass in the pen was sufficiently decimated.  So, he drew up a neat tractor for me.  Then I started playing with it and came up with another idea... Both plans are designed to fit in the back of a pick-up truck and are meant to hold about 5 chickens at the most. (We'll probably have 3 full size hens and maybe a silkie bantam.. I love those!)

Dan's plans:

My plan:

They're pretty similar huh? What do you think?

Mini-Farm Ideas are Forming!

Hi All!


So I've decided to start planning my VERY mini farm project here in the Adirondacks.  We are going to build a very small chicken coop, closer to a chicken "tractor" really.. Our yard here is very small, and I want something that can come with us when we move.  I am planning on finding 4 or 5 hens and sticking with that number until we have more land for more CHICKENS! (And, of course, other animals).

I found a GREAT little coop online that I'm going to reinvent and build myself.  I can't really see spending $400 on it from the manufacturer.  Especially when there are a few things I would change about it.


So, here it is!

Cute huh?

Online and PDA Livestock Resources

Hi All!

I know it's been a while, I plan on starting some new farming adventures this summer, so stay tuned!!

In the mean time... Check this out!  I recently got a "Smart Phone" and have been obsessed with finding animal related "apps" for it... I came across this - I am SO using this! (When I have something to enter that is...)

Anyway, I first found this...

Beetight is a free web application for beekeepers and is the best way to manage your hives and track them online or on your phone or PDA. You'll wonder how you ever survived with the old notebooks and spreadsheets!

You can use your PDA or smartphone as a data tracker while you're out in the field!  How cool is THAT?

From your computer you can print out scan labels to put directly on your hives so you can scan them with the barcode scanner on your device and get instant access to that hives records!  This is SO Star Trek!!

After I found this program I searched for something similar that would work with more widely kept livestock, and I found this... http://www.tracklivestock.net/

They don't have any graphics on thier site... it doesn't look as impressive as the Beetight site... but I might try that one out too... 

I'll let you know how it goes!!