My urban setup

Danpad

Sorry if it's not cool to post pics and brag but I recently reached the home straight on what I've been trying to achieve for some time - self sufficiency (to an extent) in my own back yard.

The chicken run - built this myself with spare bits of timber and chicken wire but bought a plastic, weather proof shed from B&Q. We currently have two speckled hens who hate me but strangely sometimes provide three eggs per day. We'll be getting two more quite soon.

The rainwater collector is 210 litre cpacity. I have filter netting at the mouth of the drainpipe to block any dirt and filth and a bit of off cut hose pipe providing an overflow. I want to feed this into a secondary collector. This is attached to a 15ft x 10ft block built shed where I store canned goods, dry foods and tools.

The greenhouse/polytunnel is 20ft x 10ft. The beds are installed (2 deep, 1 shallow) and we hope to grow a few all year rounders amongst other things. All I need now is the topsoil.

Tallon

Danpad wrote: »

Sorry if it's not cool to post pics and brag

It's more than okay The more, the merrier

Also, my gf's parents both have a good few hens, and I believe they're getting rid of a couple of them soon. They all lay a good but, so PM me if you're looking for some

Danpad

Great! Thanks will do. The hens are the wife's dept, she can call them and they come, tell them to go in and they do etc which is a bit freaky if you ask me(and perhaps they sense my suspicion and that's why they always try to peck me) but great for eggs.

Doc Ruby

Very very nice setup, I love the little laughing Buddha in one of the pictures as well. More photos! I know nothing about poly tunnels, does it need to be actively heated?

Danpad

Yeah, the little Buddha is our good luck pal! The polytunnel only requires that you position it where it will get some light. This was tricky for us as it only gets sunlight (when the sun dares show its face) for a few hours each day. Having said that it's like a sauna inside even on a cold day. There are plenty of things we can grow that don't crave the sun, some of which we can grow throughout the year. It's not your typical polytunnel material. This is quite a tough, coarse plastic which, while it may not possess some of the qualities of standard tunnels, will stand up to bad Irish weather, bumps and knocks etc.

Our little slice of 'the good life' is protected by a Boxer and German Shep who are as daft as Laurel & Hardy during the day in the house and then turn into fantastic watchdogs at night. Sometimes their radar is a little too sensitive though as the trees, when they creak in the wind, sometimes get the death stare!

A few more pics. The inside of the hen coop. The green garden netting scrunched up froms a very effective dirt, moss and leaf filter at the drain pipe. the drain pipe extension into the collector was a very tight fit hence the slits cut into both sections making it flexible. I also have the start of a bottled water supply and some essential cleaning/hygene bits and pieces, first aid kits, hand crank lanterns (with built in radio) and seed drawer unit. The cage is a holding pen for the dogs when I'm trying to get stuff done. At night they have the kitchen and hall giving them access to the front and back of the house for guarding. My food stores are bountiful but I suppose when you've seen one can of beans you've seen them all ;-)

Danpad

The rest of the pics :-)

Doc Ruby

I'd recommend putting that water into a food quality opaque container, not transparent, or at minimum taking the bottles away from the window, the plastic will leach over time.

Danpad

Good spot, have lots of such containers.

evilmonkee

Great idea for the hen perches