Feb 22, 2016 05:10 AM
How to create a smart chicken coop
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/blog/how-to-c...cken-coop/
EXCERPT: The chicken's may always come home to roost, but they don't close the coop door behind them. Remembering to close a backyard chicken coop door is actually the most challenging responsibility of raising chickens. For the most part, chickens are easier to care for than dogs or cats. Yet if you don't close that coop door each night after sunset, you're likely to wake up to a bloody mess the next morning. If you haven't already experienced this, then trust me. I've had my run-ins with raccoons. I've been face-to-face with nothing between me and a snarled-toothed possum but a shovel. And my wife and I have been watching the sunset from a sidewalk cafe only to realize that we left the coop door open.
No matter how secure and predator-proof your coop, it's worthless if you don't close the door. That's why I finally committed to creating a smart coop with an automated chicken door. Now, each night when the sun sets and chickens have nestled in for the night, the coop door automatically closes. It's actually quite simple. Here's how I did it....
Build a Backyard Bee Hotel
http://makezine.com/2016/02/21/build-a-b...bee-hotel/
EXCERPT: I am not a joiner. Group think of any kind scares me. So it’s no wonder that I have a soft spot in my heart for the various species of solitary bees (carpenter, leafcutter, mason bees). No hive mind, no slavish droning for these tiny ronin. They do the same important pollinating work as other bees, but they fly solo. As concerns continue to mount over the ecological dangers that bees of all species might be in, lots of people are starting to look into what we humans can do to give the bees a bit of a boost. Turns out, it’s quite easy and fun to build what are called bee hotels, little birdhouse-like dwellings for sheltering solitary bees....
http://www.oldhouseweb.com/blog/how-to-c...cken-coop/
EXCERPT: The chicken's may always come home to roost, but they don't close the coop door behind them. Remembering to close a backyard chicken coop door is actually the most challenging responsibility of raising chickens. For the most part, chickens are easier to care for than dogs or cats. Yet if you don't close that coop door each night after sunset, you're likely to wake up to a bloody mess the next morning. If you haven't already experienced this, then trust me. I've had my run-ins with raccoons. I've been face-to-face with nothing between me and a snarled-toothed possum but a shovel. And my wife and I have been watching the sunset from a sidewalk cafe only to realize that we left the coop door open.
No matter how secure and predator-proof your coop, it's worthless if you don't close the door. That's why I finally committed to creating a smart coop with an automated chicken door. Now, each night when the sun sets and chickens have nestled in for the night, the coop door automatically closes. It's actually quite simple. Here's how I did it....
Build a Backyard Bee Hotel
http://makezine.com/2016/02/21/build-a-b...bee-hotel/
EXCERPT: I am not a joiner. Group think of any kind scares me. So it’s no wonder that I have a soft spot in my heart for the various species of solitary bees (carpenter, leafcutter, mason bees). No hive mind, no slavish droning for these tiny ronin. They do the same important pollinating work as other bees, but they fly solo. As concerns continue to mount over the ecological dangers that bees of all species might be in, lots of people are starting to look into what we humans can do to give the bees a bit of a boost. Turns out, it’s quite easy and fun to build what are called bee hotels, little birdhouse-like dwellings for sheltering solitary bees....