Semi Automatic Chicken Feeder for Under 20

Here is the latest addition Todd made to our chicken coop.  The semi-automatic feeding system.  We had a difficult time trying to come up with a name for it because its not automatic, but it sure does make things easier for us.  Our chickens are the sweetest chickens in this whole world, but they can get a bit crazy when their food dish is empty.  No more walking in the coop and filling the tiny feeder that we had, and this one is much cleaner.

Here is where we fill it (the pipe comes out right by the nest boxes):

This video runs through the build process for this simple feeder design and also shows it in action. The feeder should hold enough food for 2-3 days and will cut down on the amount of time spent cleaning out and filling the smaller feeder. This is also much better than the feeders that sit on the ground as they get full of dirt quickly.  We made the mistake of thinking their dish was full of food on several occasions, but it was full of sand instead.

The 4" drainage piping used for this project is much cheaper than the 4" schedule 40 PVC. The fittings for the drainage pipe are also much cheaper keeping the cost of this project under $20.





This post was shared at:  Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, HomeAcre Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, The Backyard Farming Connection Hop, The Homestead Barn Hop

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Solar Power and Net Zero

Rainbow over the winner of the 2011 Solar Decathlon

An awesome thing about living in DC is access to events. This fall the Department of Energy held a Solar Decathlon, showcasing almost 20 homes that incorporated solar energy with various energy-saving designs to achieve "net zero" energy use.

Unfortunately, these were houses where folks would live, not greenhouses. But many of the ideas still apply. Some of my favorite ideas out of this conference:

• Grey water collection and treatment (the winning home used this in a water feature, eventually resulting in water clean enough to water their garden).
• Vaccuum tube solar water heaters (the winning home used this in a vertical wall that was absolutely gorgeous)
• Passive heating or cooling

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My Front Porch Makeover for Under 100 with Curtains!

 

 

We moved into our house a little over three years ago, and here is what the front porch looked like until just recently:

 

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Since we rarely use our front door, updating it was not high on my list of priorities.  I would think of it only when had new visitors knock on our front door, and regretfully wish it looked nicer. 

 

I finally forced myself to focus on updating the porch, and little by little, I was able to make it over for less than $100. 

 

1.  Front Porch Skirt $25.00

 

The porch looked more like a deck to me, and you could see all the way underneath it from the road.  We bought some deck boards, cut them, and screwed them in around our porch to give it a more homey look. 

 

 

 

2.  Paint & Stain ($40.00)

 

The least fun part of this whole project was prepping the porch for new paint and stain.  I recruited our two oldest daughters to help me scrape as much of the old paint off of the porch railings and floor.  I bought a very dark resurfacing stain called Behr DeckOver for the porch skirt and floor, and a white exterior paint for the railings. 

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I also painted our front door in a red oil-based paint.  Let me tell you, that was a MESS.   But it turned out better than I expected.  This picture doesnt do the color or sheen justice.  Id do it again if I had to, but beware, oil paints are messy!

 

 

3.  Curtains and Rods ($30) 

 

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My favorite part of this whole project was adding curtains to our porch.  Because I was on a budget for this project, I knew I would have to make my own curtains.  I even found an idea on Pinterest how to make my own curtain rods with eye hooks and electrical conduit.

  

I got really lucky and found four white panel curtains at a local resale shop.  Then, I found four sheer panels to sew to the bottom of the solid panels to get the length I was looking for.  All of the curtains and materials to make the rods cost right around $30.

 

 

Im really happy with how the porch turned out, and Im not ashamed anymore when visitors use our front door!

 

If youd like, please take a minute to watch my video below to see just how it all came together.

 

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This post was shared at:  Homestead Barn Hop, Simple Lives Thursday, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday, Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop, HomeAcre Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

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15 How Much does this Cost Under 1000

Heres a run down of the amount I paid for this system, with suggestions on how you can reduce costs even further.

Tanks - $440 - I was able to get the Rubbermaid stock tanks at a local farming coop for $70 and $80 for the 50-gallon and 100-gallon tanks, respectively. I think youd need 3 IBC units to make something similar out of IBC, so that wouldnt save much cost. However I understand that its possible to get 55-gallon barrels for free from local beverage processing plants. The downside of 55-gallon barrels is youll have to spend more on plumbing, youll have a lot more cutting to do, and the end result will look like hack-sawed plastic. But free is free.

Hoop house - $100 - If you use pressure-treated landscape lumber for the base, 3 mil sheeting, and 1/2" EMT conduit, the total price rolls in at around $100. You could slightly reduce costs for the frame by using PVC. Or you can decide you dont need protection at all, if youre in a climate that doesnt require protection from excess sun, rain, or cold.

Pumps and timer - $110 - I was able to find my 800 gph pump at a local hydroponics store for $60, and you can get an air pump sufficient to aerate 100 gallons for $30. Tubing and air stones round the total amount upwards to $100. One option is to dispense with the air pump, if you pump some of your water over the surface of the fish tank, oxygenating the water the way a pond fountain does. There are ways to use wind power to drive something like a rope pump, but I dont think that is cheaper than an electric pump (though awfully fun to make). I do use a timer to turn my water pumps off at night, which is another $5-10.

Plumbing - $100 - I used 3" pipe for media guards (4 feet), 2" pipe for bells (4 feet), 1" pipe to connect the tanks (10 feet), and lots of 3/4" pipe for upstands and drains (10 feet). Add in the elbows and adapters, caps, and o-rings and youre up around $40. I used garden hose that is drinking water safe to carry water from my sump tank to the grow beds, so two 50 foot lengths, adapters, and Y splitters ran me $60. You could reduce cost by having a simple standpipe and using a timer to turn the water on intermittently, though your water pump capacity may need to increase. As for plumbing between the sump and the beds, you could plumb that with PVC pipe and elbows. If you find a cheaper way to do it, after tallying all the costs, go for it.

Grow bed supports - $60 - I used cinder blocks (16 @ $2.50) and 2x6 planks (4 @ $5) to support the grow beds. If you are able to dig your tanks down into the ground, you can cut back on the number of cinder blocks required. If you can find such materials second hand, thatd be great.

Floating Raft - $40 - I was able to get a 2x8 sheet of 2" extruded polystyrene for $15, and the 2" net pots cost $0.39 apiece. I suppose you could come up with some kind of wood float supported on empty water bottles and used (drilled) plastic containers.

Media - $ to $$$ - If youve got a pile of 3/4 gravel out back, this could be free. If you fill all four grow beds with Hydroton (@ $40 per 50L bag), you could be spending about $600.

So the basic system as Ive got it here (including a floating raft bed) is $850. I love Hydroton, but I know of a friend who got an entire truckbed full (1250L) of expanded shale for under $60. So you can create an extended-season, vegetable-growing, fish growing water storage system for under $1000.

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