Mobile Chicken Coop

We live on acreage and were keen to have chickens at some point. At the same time we don't want the chickens to destroy our grass so we decided to make a mobile chicken coop.

To keep the build relatively simple and cheap I used heavy duty conduit (pipes used to carry electrical wires, often used in construction areas)  rated for outdoor use. This was handy as conduit is strong and light. Also helps that it's much cheaper than PVC, wood and metal.

Off to the shops we went and purchased:

1. All the 32mm conduit in the town. I literally cleared the whole town's supply of 32mm conduit from 4 hardware stores. 
2. Most of the town's 25mm conduit but only because I already purchased all the 32mm.
3. 4 Colorbond fencing panels
4. 20m of chicken wire but I might upgrade this to 10mm aviary wire later on to keep the snakes out.
5. A box of nuts & bolts, a few screws.
6. A few buckets to saw in half to make nesting buckets
7. A few cheap hinges
8. A few cheap metal hooks and eyes
9. A cheap tarpaulin/shade cover. I purchased a cheap shade cover on special measuring 1.8m x 3m.

Shopping for these items with 3 little kids was a challenge but fun all the same.

Packing everything + 3 little kids and their bulky kiddy seats in the car was also a challenge!

Here's the very temporary solution. Mesh over a baby cage.

Measuring out the pieces and cutting to size. The conduit lengths were 4m long and the Colorbond panels were 1800 x 900 (mm) so I decided on a cage of 4m x 1.8m and that the chicken run would be an equilateral triange (1.8m x 1.8m x 1.8m). The coop would be 1.8m x 0.9m x 0.9m as this was the most efficient use of the materials.

As a form of cheating I drilled small holes in the conduit and used cable ties to build the frame initially. Once I was happy with the frame I used metal brackets with bolts or wood with screws for stronger and more durable connections.

The next step was to place the chicken wire on the chicken run. Here's a photo of the chicks while they were only a few days old :)

Next to work on the chicken coop. I cut one panel in half and attached the panels using offcuts of wood on the inside of the coop and drilled screws through from the outside.

To tidy up the corners and stop small animals from coming in I also attached corners to the coop and inserted a 20mm conduit into the corners (might have to zoom into the picture to see these). Hopefully this will also stop the snakes.

Next step was adding the support for the roosting buckets and a spare rod for roosting (not in this picture).

Then to attach the coop to the frame.

Added the roof to the coop.

Added a door to the front of the coop to lock the coop at night.

The run is very light so it's easy to drag the coop around using the rope behind the coop.

Map Board for Mountainbike

Having a map board for a navigation based mountain bike event is essential. Unfortunately it's a specialised product so commercial solutions are pricey and I think they tend to be a bit small.

My "solution" was to take an old bread board and attach it to my bike using some strapping wire from a hardware store.

The metal is firm but flexible so I can bend the 4 legs to suit the high and angle I'd like the board to be at. 

The board is fixed to the legs using a single nut and bolt with washers which allows the board to spin around. 

To hold the map on the board I use either elastic bands or bulldog clips depending on the size of the map. Due to the size of the board I don't have to unfold and reposition the map which is helpful. 

Haven't found the board to impede vision while cycling as I have clear sight up to the front wheel.

I taped a tent peg to the stem to create a surface for the front leg to attach to. 

I'm sure there are better home made MTB map boards out there so let me know what you have done!

Thumpas - aka Thumb Compass

Thumb Compass (Thumpas)

A thumb compass is super helpful for adventure racing where being fast and accurate through tricky terrain is a helpful skill. Enter the thumb compass!

As the name suggests, a thumb compass is a small/medium sized compass which attaches to the (left usually) thumb so the navigator doesn't need to hold the compass. The compass is placed on the map which is obviously held in the same hand. Super handy.

A thumb compass can be tricky to source locally and usually are pricey so I made one using a worn out cycling glove and an old spare compass:

I drilled a few holes in the compass (very gently) then sewed the compass onto the glove.

Done! Super easy.

Forearm Map Holder/Arm Caddy

I partake in a number of Adventure Races (personally I'm very amateur!) and the final event of the year is a short race around Brisbane (Australia) city at night. 

We need to carry a piece of paper with instructions and possible answers to mark so I thought there must be a better solution than having to retrieve a crumpled piece of paper out my pocket multiple times in the race.

Twice I even managed to lose the paper which was terrible.

My current solution is a self made map holder which can strap onto my forearm and has holes cut out of the front to mark the answers.

Materials required - thin clear plastic sheet and a few velcro straps. I purchased these items at a sewing store for hardly anything and have plenty spare.

For the upcoming event we were using A5 pieces of paper so I measured the plastic to suit.

Next step was to attach the velcro. I thought to do this before attaching the sides of the sleeve in case I needed to staple or sew the velcro to the plastic.

For ease I simply stapled the sides together. Other options include super glue or using a sewing machine with an appropriate needle.

Looking good so far.

The last step was to cut out holes to mark up the answer sheet. I created a lattice framework to provide some strength and keep the map inside the cover. 

And it's done. Not overly pretty but will be effective. Very cheap to make (+-$3) and about 15 min of effort.

The only modification I can think of is to have a strap running through my palm to stop the map case from rotating around my forearm. 

I've tried using the map cover for an hour and it doesn't seem to move much so won't make this modification yet.