More shed problems

[Penners]

but you will have big turds (bigger than the average dog)

Now that is big.

(I could have said, "that's a load of s... and you know it," but I'll leave that to Penners)

Oh, I shan't bother, now that you've pinched the best punchline of the day, damn you.

 

[JoceAndChris]

A muster of peacocks is only for the bourgeoisie, who can't afford a full ostentation.
.

:lol: An ostentation of peacocks sounds right up my street!

But, I've spent some time outside with my fluffy darling Orpingtons yesterday and today and I've decided it's Too Cold. It's autumn. The logs are stacked, the tweed is dusted down, the peacocks will be postponed till Spring. The breeder has a surplus of buyers anyway - obviously people who are a lot hardier than me.

I spend time with my birds, they're wonderful company. I recognise them now not just by their different appearances but also their different voices, I never realised chickens were so vocally rich. The chicken shed's quite cosy now, I've got a lovely antique milking stool in there , pictures, shelves and books. Any suggestions for insulation, heat or light as winter approaches? There's no electricity out there - it wouldn't be ever such a tricky job to lay a cable from the workshop just a few metres away, ( but it would be illegal).

How about hundreds of egg boxes to create interior walls - that would look cute and serve a purpose when they start laying. Whatever goes there gets a fortnightly spraying with PoultryShield though, not sure how egg boxes would stand up to this. I've also got an old carpet I could use, wonder how that would work.

They are huge gaps between the old timbers - I'm thinking of using Linseed Wood Filler on the interior. I know Penners says splines but I'm not sure how to make them.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Have you ever read H B Creswell's "The Honeywood Settlement", the sequel to "The Honeywood File"? (and I recommend everybody does, along with Peter Cleverly's "Drawing Together" and "Back to the Drawing Board").

Your shed sounds just like Lady Maud Brash's cosy attic...

 

[JoceAndChris]

"The Honeywood Settlement by H.B.Gresswell
This sequel to The Honeywood File continues its story of the building of a house. No one should assume that just because the house is finished, the excitement is over. The seeds of further complications (and comedy) sown by the client's numerous afterthoughts, by failure to understand the building process, and by faulty materials and human error, now all come to fruit, and have to be reaped by the harassed architect and his indignant client. Here is the same variety of episode, the same collection of forceful characters, and the same entertaining examples of what not, to do and say...."

No I haven't. But my foolish husband has allowed me to become aware of his password on his Amazon account, so I've just ordered those two H .B. Cresswell's.

And, Mr Hughes, if I find that Lady Maud Brash is anything less than flattering comparison - oooh, expect peacock evil eyes feathers in the post! :wink:

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Then I'll forewarn you that any resemblance between Joce and "Dear Maud" is entirely nonexistant. They are the two funniest books ever written about architectural practice (against very little competition, admittedly) though (with Osbert Lancaster's "Pillar to Post" as the funniest architectural history).

 

[JoceAndChris]

I look forward to reading them then, and thank you for your recommendations.

(against very little competition, admittedly)

Perhaps a niche for you?

But, goodness me, I've just spotted two errors in grammar and spelling, one from you, one from me. Let's hope Penners doesn't see. :lol:

 

[Penners]

I've spent some time outside with my fluffy darling Orpingtons yesterday and today and I've decided it's Too Cold. It's autumn. The logs are stacked, the tweed is dusted down, the peacocks will be postponed till Spring. The breeder has a surplus of buyers anyway - obviously people who are a lot hardier than me.

I spend time with my birds, they're wonderful company. I recognise them now not just by their different appearances but also their different voices, I never realised chickens were so vocally rich. The chicken shed's quite cosy now, I've got a lovely antique milking stool in there , pictures, shelves and books. Any suggestions for insulation, heat or light as winter approaches? There's no electricity out there - it wouldn't be ever such a tricky job to lay a cable from the workshop just a few metres away, ( but it would be illegal).

How about hundreds of egg boxes to create interior walls - that would look cute and serve a purpose when they start laying. Whatever goes there gets a fortnightly spraying with PoultryShield though, not sure how egg boxes would stand up to this. I've also got an old carpet I could use, wonder how that would work.

Madam, your dwelling is sounding increasingly and dangerously like H E Batesland.

And by the way, Penners sees all. On which topic, I was driving behind a double-decker bus, this morning, in Bungay (Saaaahffolk). It had a large banner on its rear end, which exhorted you to "Travel by bus and save 50% of your carbon emmissions".

There's no hope. :roll:

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh dear. No hope indeed. That just confirms my opinion that only people who can't spell would put themselves on a bus.

I love H.E. Bates though.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

"Travel by bus and save 50% of your carbon emmissions"

Unless of course you usually travel by foot, bike, horse, rollerskate or hang-glider...

Joce - on the topic of books for the library in your chicken shed (my, what clever chooks you have!), can I suggest they might like Spike Milligan's "Unspun socks from a chicken's laundry"? Hilarious, as was much of what he wrote.

 

[worms]

With regard to winter and the chooks, as I am sure you will already be aware, day length is critical to maintaining any egg production, so putting in a light and a timer is a good idea. Also, it is fairly common practice to put a little curry powder or chilli in the mash during the winter to warm the birds up, whether it actually does any good or not I don't know and the chooks don't tell...

 

[JoceAndChris]

Mmm, Nathaniel loves hot curry. The girls are less adventurous, but thanks Worms! Their favourite food is ...worms - so keep away!

Orpingtons are a huge, old fashioned breed who laze around a lot and don't give many eggs. They take nearly a year to hit puberty, they're babies still,so I won't expect any eggs this winter or any winter as they practically hibernate. The heat and light is more for me as I read them "Unspun socks from a chicken's laundry" (thanks Wiggs) or "The Honeymoon Settlement". It's just as well the laptop doesn't work in the shed or we'd have chickens so expert in lime plastering and climatology they'd be running off to set themselves up in business!

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Mmm, Nathaniel loves hot curry.

Oh dear, not...... chicken vindaloo? :shock:

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: I'm afraid so, yes. After worms, their favourite food is chicken, and eggs. They're extremely prone to cannibalism I'm sorry to say. Not my lot, but if they're in stressed, over-crowded conditions and a bird becomes sick they will peck it to death and eat it. But I'm sure you knew that, as a country boy.

It's an economical, clever solution to the problem of over-crowding or love rivalry I think. Animals don't let sentiment get in the way of survival.

 

[Flyfisher]

Birds don't have receptors for the active ingredient of chillies, so it can't help to 'warm' them up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsaicin

As for hens and winter weather, ours (Black Rock hybrids) seemed fine last winter in their unheated hen-house. Making it draft-proof is more important, I think, than worrying about heating.

As for running a cable from the workshop, it wouldn't be illegal to use a plug-in extension cable.

 

[Moo]

Joce - have a look at this: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/3360730/Bunny-Guinness-chicken-diaries.html and, if you can, get a copy of today's Sunday Telegraph where there's an article about her livestock that immediately made me think of you.

ps- She has a haha to keep the cattle away from her kitchen door - a nice touch for your estate?
pps- She, too has Buff Orpingtons

 

[MdB]

As for running a cable from the workshop, it wouldn't be illegal to use a plug-in extension cable.

Make sure it is running off an RCD.

 

[skier-hughes]

Our, I don't know what, hens, laid all winter long. They have a shed to go in, unheatd and a fenced in run, stops them being eaten by the fox, plenty of food and water and a cuddle now and then, seems to work!!

 

[Flyfisher]

As for running a cable from the workshop, it wouldn't be illegal to use a plug-in extension cable.

Make sure it is running off an RCD.

Agreed. Many reel-type extension cables have RCDs fitted to them these days.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks for the very helpful suggestions here. I hadn't even thought of running an extension lead - a brilliant, simple plan.

I know I said I was burning the Laura Ashley catalogue but I've succumbed to several metres of their wipe-clean polka dot sage green oilcloth, and I'm lining the inside of the shed with it to eliminate drafts and facilitate cleaning - not that Orpingtons are remotely messy.

Thanks for the link Moo - she makes it sound so serene! I'll try and get the article too. xx

 

[still_adrianth]

If though, I could paint it

But remember you can't rub/brush/sand it before painting. We had a plant trough outside our back door made of this stuff. The way legislation is going, I thought best to be rid of it while it's free. The local tip pounced on me and said to take it to a tip 10 miles away that had the facility. (I could have found this out online.) I had to place it (double bagged) in the secure skip myself like it was nuclear waste! My vote is to get rid of it now before it gets harder, and replace it with corrugated anything else.

A.