I figured if it was good enough for Jesus, it was good enough for me!
I used to work for the State, working with kids in foster care, their families, and with foster parents. I remember telling my parents at one point that I just wanted to quit, because the hours were awful, and I had a daughter that they were watching while I worked. I figured as a carpenter, I could put in my hours, do my job, and go home. No sweat worrying about kids being re-abused, no kids using anatomical dolls to show me--without me asking--what had been done to them, no Friday night calls to go down to South Texas to pick up a kid who had run away 3 months earlier, no judges cancelling my vacation plans, no worrying about whether or not [this] client would put me through a wall, like he did his wife...y'all, the stories I could tell you...... So I thought carpentry would be fun. I decided not to pursue it. Because honestly, I didn't want to work outside when it was cold. But guess what?
I still hate the cold, but I was right! I love building stuff. I'm not very good. But I love it! And I'm getting better!
So what is currently in the works?
* The Eggspedition/mobile chicken coop for our pastured posse
* A wood shed
* Raised garden beds with trellises and rows of root crops and a couple Hugelkulture mounds in the middle, just for funsies.
* Pig shelter
* More chicken tractors
So, starting with the Eggspedition. It is lovingly named after our trusty Ford Expedition that we bought in 2009, and drove until the repairs cost more than the vehicle was worth. 10 years of memories and stickers were on that SUV. When it wouldn't go any further, we took the money we had in savings--because we hadn't had a car payment in 6 years--and bought a 12-passenger van. I love the van. Just saying. But the Expedition sat on our property until this past July because I'd intended to donate it somewhere. Instead, we came across this nasty "toy hauler" camping trailer with motocross racing stickers on it, at the local junkyard. Looked like it would make the perfect mobile chicken coop. We traded my well-loved Expedition for this gross trailer. Joel Salatin calls his an "Egg-mobile". So ours is the "Eggspedition.
I finally got around to gutting the trailer in October. It's still in the works. But it went from what you see in this video to being roomy enough for chickens. It's been gutted. Part of the frame was ripped out due to rotting, and replaced. Some of the siding was falling off. It's been repaired. There we're some sizeable holes in the siding that have now been covered up--enough for chickens, anyway. This is no "Ana White" build, y'all. 😂 The floor has been removed as much as practical, and replaced with 1" wire mesh, allowing the chicken poop to fall through to the ground. Free fertilizer--which is why we raise them on pasture--and less mess to clean up. Roosting bar supports are in place. One nesting box unit is up.
All that's left is roosting bars, a new back ramp, an automatic door, another set of nesting boxes, and a fresh coat of paint.
Here's a sneak peek. Notice I left part of the original floor! I just can't get over it! 😂
Anyway, I'm looking forward to completing this, and a whole host of other projects over the winter while it's quieter, business-wise. Stay tuned for more trailer videos, and the final reveal!!