Grow Your Own Magazine

my next door neighbour has an old mini in his front garden, he's just offered it to me to keep chickens in, the engine is going in another mini he's got,

so, if we stripped the inside out, put a shelf, and some nest boxes in and something for them to perch on, and a wooden floor covered in lino?? and a run at the back end,(so they can get in and out through the boot) would it be ok to keep them in? i quite fancy a couple of ducks too, cos they are cute .... we were thinking 4 chickens and 2 ducks.

or is it a really stupid idea and not remotely feasible?

and we can paint it with psychedelic flowers lol .... ok i'm getting a bit carried away now, i'm excited

Lynda xx

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I would imagine it might get a bit hot inside during the summer? Not insurmountable though as you could wind a window down and put mesh in or paint the windows!

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yeah, i did think about that, it's currently black as well, which was one of the reasons for painting it ....... but it will be partly under a tree, and we were thinking of leaving the windows in for winter, but putting mesh over them as well?

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http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

Sounds workable to me. Might need some ingenuity for details, but basically, why not? Make sure you give them a ramp to get in (and if you shut them in for the night, it would be as near fox-proof as anything you might manage)

well thats a good point, i've never seen a fox in a car before lol .... i'm thinking that it might work then ....... oooo how exciting, guess we'd better get cracking then, theres a lot to strip out of it ..... unless anyone can think of any reasons why not?

thanks

Lynda xx

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

One thing you MUST do is post pics on here when its finished.
Sounds like a fab idea.
A poultry farm just up the road from me has a roof from a mini placed in the field and the chooks use it as a rain shelter.

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And they could sound the horn when they want feeding!!

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Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it.

...and if you had Geese, they could just 'HONK'

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ooooooo yeah, i could leave the steering wheel in so they can perch on it too lol and the stereo

oh, just thought of a flaw in that plan ...... there won't be an engine ..... mind you, i guess i could leave the battery in and they would have flashing lights as well for when their mates come round for a party

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

think it might be a bit small for geese lol ...... but maybe i could train them to put the indicators and horn on if they see a fox

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

well i'm glad no ones said how flipping stupid yet lol

i'll do before during and afters

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh go for it If Jimmy Doherty can house his chooks in caravans (oh the luxury!) then I'm sure your mini will work. Dying to see it

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Always look on the bright side of life
View my blog - http://chooksandveggies.blogspot.com/ updated November 1st 2008

We are fastidious about cleaning the inside of our coup. Once a week : everything out, pressure wash / scrub, leave in the sun for the UV to kill the bugs, and then put it back together again.

I don't know how important that is, but I'm not sure how easy it would with a mini!

it's got a few holes lol, i'm sure it will drain fine ..... it will need some bits lining with wood, but mostly it will be sort of box shaped inside ..... we'll definitely have to look at that

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

A thought, if you make access ways into the boot and/or engine compartment, ready-made externally accessible nestboxes. A perch could rest from dashboard to parcel-shelf (if you can get the seats out and leave the parcel shelf)......
Improvisation is fun!

I used to visit my Dad's uncle in Essex in the 1950's and he kept his chickens in an old coach/bus in his garden

How's the mini-project coming along? I saw a pic the other day of half an old car (back half) next to a fence so that it looked as if the car had driven through it, converted to a coop. It looked brilliant

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Always look on the bright side of life
View my blog - http://chooksandveggies.blogspot.com/ updated November 1st 2008

it's still in his front garden lol, hopefully he's going to get the engine out this weekend so we can move it round the back of the house, i've got some wire net for the cage bit, and will get the wood once we get the car stripped out.

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

What a waste of a good Mini LOL.

Hope it works out, would love to see some pics.

i did think that, but it's been sat in the garden 6 years ........ anyway, there has been a change of plan ....... i still love the mini idea, but i've just been offered a shed on freecycle, and we're picking it up tomorrow ....... maybe i could cut the top off the mini and use it as a raised veggie bed?

i'm so excited as theres a chicken rescue this month and one in August, so hopefully will soon have some new chickens ...... i'm excited

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http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.