Heeeyho Readers! It's time to lay down concrete for our chicken coop!
Twenty-four chicks entered the woods; twenty-two came back. Who the hell stole our poultry? It remains a mystery whether a predator is lurking around (unlikely) or the chicks got lost. Regardless of the suppositions, such an event reinforces that we need to rush with the Mother Bunker of a Chicken Coop.
Our ranch is consuming a heck ton of energy. Everywhere we look, there's work to be done―thank God! Hard work makes us humbler, energetic, and alive. It also revigorates one of our most desirable values: gratitude. I no longer bargain at the local farmers market since I know how hard it is to produce stuff; I'm grateful they exist. And not only that, I'm saving a few hundred bucks in the gym {laughs}.
In the last Off to the Ranch, we began by finding a place for our new chicken coop and placing the main posts for the structure. Since then, we waited a couple days to receive all the material to continue building. Now that we have everything we need, it's time to continue.
Today, we'll prep the floor with debris, pour concrete, and fertilize the fruit trees with compost. I hope that you enjoy this step-by-step. Cheers.
Before and After
Why concrete? It's expensive and permanent and... our neighbors think we are crazy. It's simple. Our goal when choosing concrete is cleanliness. We want a chicken coop that is as healthy for our poultry as possible, free from fleas and other pests, and that we can pressure wash whenever it becomes nasty. Other than that, we plan to collect all the chicken poop for the composter, which is easier when we can just sweep the floor and done.
Concrete Slab
There's no secret to pouring concrete. Most of the work is done before the actual pouring to guarantee the floor is solid and humid enough, thus avoiding cracks. The only phase missing here ― because I was not there to record ― is the two-layer brick wall dad built around the chicken coop. This little protection, as seen in the pictures, will prevent rainwater from invading the space.
Step 1: Fill the floor with debris
I threw all sorts of debris inside the 'box' to create a solid base for the concrete and, then, smashed them all with a huge mother f&#$ing hammer. This anger-driven process took countless wheelbarrow trips to the debris pile and a sore arm. Thanks, dad!
Click any image to enlarge!
Filling with debris
Bare soil
Done
Step 2: Mix water, aggregate and cement
If I recall, we used one scoop of cement per three scoops of sand; gravel gave the mix some volume. Lastly, we added water until achieving a certain consistency. Dad has worked in construction for many years, so he could tell the 'right' amount of ingredients by feeling. All I did was obey orders. "More sand!" More sand I added.
More sand
Looks good
Step 3: Water the soil
We poured concrete on a hot summer day, so it's crucial to water the soil beforehand to avoid cracks after everything dries out.
It's not pee!
Step 4: Pour concrete and smooth it out
It took three loads and a half to fill the base. As I poured new loads, dad smoothed the concrete with a screed board. We were busy performing this step as night approached, so, unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the process itself. Anyways... the idea is to share the project rather than teach civil engineering. Here's the result.
Click any image to enlarge!
concrete floor
smooooooth
I used the last glimpses of light to fertilize the fruit trees with a dab of a compost I created two months ago. The compost deserves a post for itself, as I never thought it would work (first time I created one). It's on the plans to create a compost bay. Soon!
Organic compost
In the next post, we'll completely build the roof with re-purposed tiles and begin to close the walls. The Mother Bunker of a Chicken Coop is taking form fast, and it should since we don't want to lose any more chicks to whoever is eating them in the woods. I'm also anxious to start collecting eggs and stop using the crap supermarket ones.
To end this post, I'd like to apologize for the lack of content or even the quality... It seems my fifteen-year-old laptop is slowly dying, and anything (editing pictures, etc) beyond writing tends to shut it down. Thanks for the support.
Peace.
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~Love ya all,
Disclaimer: The author of this post is a convict broke backpacker, who has travelled more than 10.000 km hitchhiking and more than 5.000 km cycling. Following him may cause severe problems of wanderlust and inquietud. You've been warned.