Hi everyone,

Would anyone have any suggestions on building a chook dome? I have Linda
Woodrow's book "Permaculture Home Garden" which outlines using one in a
mandala garden, however I have since read (from other sources) that the
design is not stable enough in high winds and doesn't offer enough
protection in the weather for the chooks. Also, PVC piping apparently is
not a great choice of material as it breaks down quickly? (Damm, I was
going to use it to create makeshift gazebo's etc!)

Someone has suggested using a yurt design or teepee - however the structure
needs to be moved every fortnight.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Tracey

"KingLillis" wrote in message

Would anyone have any suggestions on building a chook dome? I have Linda
Woodrow's book "Permaculture Home Garden" which outlines using one in a
mandala garden, however I have since read (from other sources) that the
design is not stable enough in high winds and doesn't offer enough
protection in the weather for the chooks.

I've never built one as I have a house for them, but I do have a friend who
made many of them. She always had at least 3 on the go and was constanatly
moving them around the village on the back of her ute. (Don't ask why -it's
one of those really complicated life stories that make one shake ones head
in wonder at how others live!) She built them from all sorts of materials
usually found at the tip.

The materials list included PVC pipe, electrical conduit, old curved bits of
metal that fitted and all sorts of tying, binding, holding together agents.
She covered the outsides with everything and anything including old sheets,
polytarps, chicken wire and bird wire, old feed bags and anything else that
could be tied to the surface.

I always viewed then as being both and eyesore and so flimsy that they'd
fall apart at the drop of a hat. I was wrong as they were surprisingly
sturdy (given the rattyness of the building technique and the makeshift look
of them). She did lose some choks to a fox but then not as many as I have
over the years when I've forgotten to lock the night house.

The one thing I never liked about them though was that they don't give good
shelter in our cold climate. In a warmer climate (or if only used in
summer) they may be OK, but here where it is so cold in winter, I think it
is rather cruel and especially given the nutritional needs of layers who
also need to keep warm.



Also, PVC piping apparently is
not a great choice of material as it breaks down quickly?

?????? I think this is an odd statement and have never had any polypipe
break down quickly. Even in the stock yard where it is left leaning up
against a fence in the full sun for years on end.


(Damm, I was
going to use it to create makeshift gazebo's etc!)

Someone has suggested using a yurt design or teepee - however the
structure
needs to be moved every fortnight.

Sound like a lot of hard work.


Any feedback would be appreciated.

Tracey

Thankyou for your reply.

I guess I will give the dome a try with the polypipe and try and cover it
over with some tarps. I live in Brisbane so our winters are not that cold.

I really want to try this design as it utilises the chooks as tractors for
the mandala garden. I do have another book that uses strawbale as housing -
but you can't make a round chookhouse out of strawbale! grin

Tracy

"Fran Higham" wrote in message
...
"KingLillis" wrote in message

Would anyone have any suggestions on building a chook dome? I have
Linda
Woodrow's book "Permaculture Home Garden" which outlines using one in a
mandala garden, however I have since read (from other sources) that the
design is not stable enough in high winds and doesn't offer enough
protection in the weather for the chooks.

I've never built one as I have a house for them, but I do have a friend
who
made many of them. She always had at least 3 on the go and was
constanatly
moving them around the village on the back of her ute. (Don't ask
why -it's
one of those really complicated life stories that make one shake ones head
in wonder at how others live!) She built them from all sorts of materials
usually found at the tip.

The materials list included PVC pipe, electrical conduit, old curved bits
of
metal that fitted and all sorts of tying, binding, holding together
agents.
She covered the outsides with everything and anything including old
sheets,
polytarps, chicken wire and bird wire, old feed bags and anything else
that
could be tied to the surface.

I always viewed then as being both and eyesore and so flimsy that they'd
fall apart at the drop of a hat. I was wrong as they were surprisingly
sturdy (given the rattyness of the building technique and the makeshift
look
of them). She did lose some choks to a fox but then not as many as I have
over the years when I've forgotten to lock the night house.

The one thing I never liked about them though was that they don't give
good
shelter in our cold climate. In a warmer climate (or if only used in
summer) they may be OK, but here where it is so cold in winter, I think it
is rather cruel and especially given the nutritional needs of layers who
also need to keep warm.



Also, PVC piping apparently is
not a great choice of material as it breaks down quickly?

?????? I think this is an odd statement and have never had any polypipe
break down quickly. Even in the stock yard where it is left leaning up
against a fence in the full sun for years on end.


(Damm, I was
going to use it to create makeshift gazebo's etc!)

Someone has suggested using a yurt design or teepee - however the
structure
needs to be moved every fortnight.

Sound like a lot of hard work.


Any feedback would be appreciated.

Tracey

"KingLillis" wrote in message
Thankyou for your reply.

I guess I will give the dome a try with the polypipe and try and cover it
over with some tarps. I live in Brisbane so our winters are not that
cold.

I really want to try this design as it utilises the chooks as tractors for
the mandala garden. I do have another book that uses strawbale as
housing -
but you can't make a round chookhouse out of strawbale! grin

I'd like to hear how you go with the construction as I'd really like to get
some geese and would like to have them out in a paddock rather than in the
chook orchard. I've thought that a dome would be a good idea for geese but
have always been a bit too idle to bother to build one and then it's the
usual catch -22: can't get geese till I have accommodation, don't have accom
so can't get geese.

I've just spent the last day building chook nests made out of lawn mower
grass catchers which sit up on a stand. A lot of fiddlefaddling about for
such a simple thing but hopefully it will work. Because of the drought I
have rats around the chook pen and the chooks ill only use the high nest box
and the pressure on that has been too much.

I must go back out there now and install the unit into one of the sheds (an
old half tank on its side- this MUST go when I get out of hospital as I'm
sick of the sight of it).

Report back please on the success of the chook dome and how effective they
are at clearing the beds.

Hi Tracey and others,
Have you looked at

http://members.iinet.net.au/~helcree...f/geodesic.htm

It's a great design for a geodesic chook dome. Far more stable than Linda Woodrow's original design.
The webpage gives instructions, measurements, and pictures as well as some feedback from others who have built domes using this design.

cheers, RR

Hi all, my name is Lee-Ann, I am learning about Permaculture and the book i'm reading talks abopt chook domes. I have no idea what these are or what they are used for. I have seen photos now so have a slightly better idea of what they look like, but what are they used for? I hope this is not to beginnerish a question, and look forward to your replies.

Regards,

Lee-Ann

Hi all, my name is Lee-Ann, I am learning about Permaculture and the
book i'm reading talks abopt chook domes. I have no idea what these are
or what they are used for. I have seen photos now so have a slightly
better idea of what they look like, but what are they used for? I hope
this is not to beginnerish a question, and look forward to your
replies.

Regards,

Lee-Ann

KingLillis Wrote:
Hi everyone,

Would anyone have any suggestions on building a chook dome? I have
Linda
Woodrow's book "Permaculture Home Garden" which outlines using one in
a
mandala garden, however I have since read (from other sources) that
the
design is not stable enough in high winds and doesn't offer enough
protection in the weather for the chooks. Also, PVC piping apparently
is
not a great choice of material as it breaks down quickly? (Damm, I
was
going to use it to create makeshift gazebo's etc!)

Someone has suggested using a yurt design or teepee - however the
structure
needs to be moved every fortnight.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Tracey


--
Lee-Ann

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"Lee-Ann" wrote in message
...

Hi all, my name is Lee-Ann, I am learning about Permaculture and the
book i'm reading talks abopt chook domes. I have no idea what these are
or what they are used for. I have seen photos now so have a slightly
better idea of what they look like, but what are they used for? I hope
this is not to beginnerish a question, and look forward to your
replies.

They're light weight (pvc piping and chicken wire mostly) and made so to
carry around by one person in a mandela system (that is a rotating garden) I
read it recently in a permaculture book (the permaculture garden?). It's
used so the chooks can cultivate the soil and distribute plant mulch and
manure after the crops have been harvested in that circle and then moved on
to another circle after that in a rotating pattern of six or more circles
every two weeks or so. The dome shape allows for the fact that chickens
can't harass and kill each other by trapping them in corners and has a roost
a metre above the ground so foxes and dogs can't get to the chickens.

I hope to make them some day soon.

Janet Baraclough wrote in
:

Take a closer think about that supposed bed rotation "moving every
two weeks around 6 beds". That means that each bed is hen-dug every 12
weeks throughout the year and by implication is, it's also re-planted
and harvested every 12 weeks throughout the year. Is that feasible in
your climate?

This sounds very like the system proposed by Linda Woodward(?surname) in
_Permaculture Home Garden_. In this case, IIRC, there were 12 revolving
beds in a mandela, and the chooks were moved each two weeks, allowing
one month for each bed between chook visitation. The chooks would only
go around the system for 6 months of the year and would then go off
either to another mandela of garden beds or to a safe spot under a fruit
tree to allow the garden beds to rest.

The idea was for there to be quite a bit of greenery and such remaining
for the chooks to eat - in fact any empty spaces in garden beds were to
be sown with mustard and similar as extra nutrition for the chooks. The
system involved a bit of waste but was desgined to catch pests before
they became a problem. Of course, your point about speed of growth is
stil valid Janet - the system was designed for a wettish, subtropical
climate.


Tara

Janet Baraclough wrote in
:

I don't understand what you mean by "allowing one month for each bed
between visitations". ?
12 beds used for 2 weeks each sounds like 6 months to me, and if the
hens were in an orchard the other 6 months of a year, then each
mandela bed got just one hen-visit per year, with eleven and a half
months between.

That's a very different proposal from the one ManickZe described.

Er, yeah. What you said. Sorry - that's what I get for posting before
drinking my morning coffee. That is indeed what I've seen suggested.

I had thought that perhaps ManickZe had confused those instructions with
a shorter time frame.

Geodyne

"Geodyne" wrote in message
...
Janet Baraclough wrote in
:

I don't understand what you mean by "allowing one month for each bed
between visitations". ?
12 beds used for 2 weeks each sounds like 6 months to me, and if the
hens were in an orchard the other 6 months of a year, then each
mandela bed got just one hen-visit per year, with eleven and a half
months between.

That's a very different proposal from the one ManickZe described.

Er, yeah. What you said. Sorry - that's what I get for posting before
drinking my morning coffee. That is indeed what I've seen suggested.

I had thought that perhaps ManickZe had confused those instructions with
a shorter time frame.

Yes that was exactly it.

"Lee-Ann" wrote in message

Hi all, my name is Lee-Ann, I am learning about Permaculture and the
book i'm reading talks abopt chook domes. I have no idea what these are
or what they are used for. I have seen photos now so have a slightly
better idea of what they look like, but what are they used for?

To find out all about it, try he
http://members.iinet.net.au/~helcree...f/geodesic.htm

The thing wrong with the ones illustrated ehre si that they wouldn't have
enough protection for the chooks in a cold or windy climate.

A friend of mine made and used several of these and as she had limited land
she used to move them around the village in the back of her ute (pick up) to
various locations where people let her run her chooks - she had a sideline
selling eggs. Very funny seeing these essentially very flimsy things
wobbling in the wind as they were transported.

They worked well for her (in a climate where it gets to +40 degrees C in
summer and -10 degrees C in winter and bloody wind non stop). She used old
solid shaped plastic grass clipping catchers from rotary lawn mowers as
nesting boxes (the sort of grass catchers used on Aussie mowers - about 2 ft
long and one ft high and made of black PVC). I still use these for my
chooks as I thought they were such a good idea.