Friday, July 11, 2014

Intelligent Use of What You Have in Animal Housing





                   If you paid contractors to make animal housing for you, you could conceivably spend more for the housing than you will for many of the farm animals.   Conversely, when it's eventually time to sell, you don't want structures that reduce your property's value looking like the trash dump in Appalachia a hundred years ago.  Therefore it makes practical sense to make structures which are reasonably appealing and attractive, especially if you value what your wife thinks !    Much of preparedness is assessing what you have available,  and what could reasonably and safely be used for an alternate purpose. Here is just one of those ideas.   The property owner was able to get someone to leave a giant wooden spool at his home.  Such spools are used by power companies and even sometimes by contractors who are burying cable for other purposes.  The owner was undaunted, and developed a plan to use the spool for something they needed.




                     The homeowner placed wooden slats all the way around the spool leaving an opening as a door. They already had the wood, although it needed to be cut to size. He secured them with screws so they could be repaired or easily altered later.







               This is a clearer view.




            This type of housing would not only be useful for a pig, but for goats, sheep, or even dogs.   Although it's rather large, it could also be used for poultry.   You could stain the outside of it or paint with protectant in order to increase its lifespan.  You could also roof the top if you had roofing material available.

             As long as the item you substitute for does the job and does not look ghastly, then inventive use of the items you have can be very beneficial.





6 comments:

Dani said...

Love it - thanks for sharing :)

Now - to find an unused cable spool - it would make a perfect duck home... ;)

Rob said...

Can also be made into a great dog house for the hubby......

JaneofVirginia said...

We have a "man cave" for that ! LOL

JaneofVirginia said...

Yes, it would be a great duck home, especially in high heat as it's tall enough to let the hot air rise inside. Periodically, when the hay gets a little dirty, it can be swept out and actually hosed out inside. Once it dries it's good to use again. Thanks for posting, Dani.

Sunnybrook Farm said...

I wire wooden pallets together and use old roofing. These structures can be put up and taken down quickly and covered with material easily to keep weather out or uncovered in summer for lots of ventilation. They are cheap.

JaneofVirginia said...

Interesting idea ! We have a coyote problem. Recently we found that if you place pallets just against the side of chain link enclosures for poultry, that when the coyotes try to enter the enclosure at night, and the pallet falls on them as they try to climb, that they run off. There are lots of uses for pallets ! Thanks for posting.