(English isn't my first language so I might use the wrong words for things) Read something about some (i think) growing latuces that are white and a bit wider in there individual ... strands(?) so they are still able to deffend against hawks and the like, but also provide more shade for chickens underneath while not blocking the sun completely. Maybe this is usefull should you get chickens or want to use it for plants to gradually expose them to the sun. I mean all this for the unshaded area at the front of the coop (coup?).
Dude after watching I realize the thing that would speed you up so much is a flatbed golf cart. The walking is alot for basic things seems like worthy vestments worth doing. I bet a golf course would donate for a write off. Good luck 👍 free promo for cart seems like a easy way to go.
David the German here! Thanks again for the opportunity to contribute and be part of the project. I enjoyed spending time with you guys-it was more fun than I expected. What an authentic Texan experience! I'm excited to see how Dustups develops in the future.
I have a chicken sitting on my lap as I write this. I've had them for almost 11 years now. I've lots of different pets, but chickens have a very special place in my heart. They can withstand cold much better than heat. The first thing I tell people who are getting chickens is; DO NOT USE CHICKEN WIRE ! Use hardware cloth instead. Yes it costs a little more but it is not a FREEWAY FOR RATS. I've got lots of stories. You have chosen a very noble path, but the work involved is monumental. Good that you have attracted people to help with your journey.
I have serious reservations as to whether chickens would survive in the desert. In my experience things become life threatening in anything over 34c/93f regardless of shade. Furthermore they won’t be able to dustbath properly in the rock filled soil 😢
Random Tip: I have this exact same structure. I recommend putting some type of support beam to hold the center pole up. When it rains or snows the tarp holds water and puts pressure and weight on the top and bends the top pole. Shade mesh is a better option than a tarp. I personally used this structure to graze rabbits inside and then planted a protected in ground root vegetable garden to keep out animals. The Zip ties I replaced after a few months with J clamps and those are holding up just fine two years later. Although i did reinforce the sides with cattle panels to give it more resistance to creatures that can chew through the chicken wire.
If you really want chickens, chicken wire is meant to keep them in but it won't keep any predators out. 1" or 1/2" hardware cloth sides and bottom (rats, weasels, etc. dig and burrow when motivated.) Solid roofing on top to protect and keep the sun off.
One wisdom I can give you is that more animals never equal less work. Buying biomass is cheaper and easier than buying biomass in the shape of food and havìng animals turn it into plant digestable biomass. Keeping animals always comes with problems you didnt anticipate. That being said, chickens are a great animal to learn this lesson with
Chickens are a fun little hobby but other homesteaders have talked about how they are much worse than rabbits. Since he isn't trying to grow food it makes even less sense to have an animal that increases the input requirements. I'm going to enjoy watching him become radicalized against the rat menace.
As a former installer, what got to me more was seeing the ends not clipped off. 😆 But you're right, not UV stabilized. Glad to see Shaun already changed them out.
Drive some t-posts in line a few inches outside the perimeter of the “chicken run”. Then wrap it in chain link, then chicken wire, then backfill the dirt/gravel into the chain link to build up a “wall” around the run. The posts will need to be relatively close together, maybe every 2-3ft?, and you’ll probably need a powered post driver to get consistent depth. The posts will likely bend somewhat and the fencing will bulge but it will bring the walls up to a consistent height all the way around and keep the dirt from collapsing and crushing the new shade house. The shade house, this is what we’re calling it now, also should be anchored somewhat into the ground there so it’s less likely to be picked up in a gust and deposited somewhere unfortunate. Expect that the humidity from the plants growing in the shade house causes something to grow just outside the shade house on its own also. Creating a shaded, humid(relative to everywhere else) area half submerged in the ground should also put water into the ground around the shade house.
Animals need precious water, and chickens might get over or under the fences to your precious terraces. No doubt you've thought of all that, just agreeing with the doubts you've had in your mind. They'll produce fertiliser and eggs, maybe even meat, but is it worth that for maintaining and learning how to maintain livestock? A cheap little shed half in the ground is a good idea for plants or even just somewhere cool to sit.
The only thing I can say about chickens is they will kill every blade of grass to get bugs. Better quail or something that’s not as destructive. I have some plants for you if you want me to bring them to you six Arizona cypress that can grow on 10 inches of rain and six small artichoke agave pups. Also I have bees if you ant to set up a swarm trap I can help you out.
Thx I nearly didn't make it. One incline was very steep and the ground consisted of loose rocks. I spun my tires and could hear rocks flying everywhere xD
FYI: I live in Southern California and the sun eats tarps quickly so I place the shade mesh like tarps over the plastic/canvas tarps so they last longer… it gives me a water proof area as well as being more shaded… it helps in the summer to avoid the heat of the direct sun. You can also double up on the shade cloth which helps some of my vegetables that are prone to sunburn.
Solar panels work well with livestock. It provides shade and keeps plants from growing under the panels 🙏🏽, you don't have many plants yet, but just a thought I had when you mentioned livestock
Your property would be a great place to make some Rammed Earth buildings. You have all the materials there and the rammed earth structures could provide very durable storage and living areas for very low cost. Granted, I do understand your main objective is not a permanent homestead, however, you do have a few buildings and "greenhouses" that could be made from local materials vs manufactured materials. And from what you've done, it's a balance of cost vs effort. Great stuff you're doing. Love it. And if you want to reduce bringing in materials, consider rammed earth.
@@dustupstexas oh yeah, I was saying, it's definitely a lot of labor. I'm just saying what you've done has been very efficient in terms of cost vs effort with temporary structures, etc. The low cost is basically "dirt cheap" for materials, lol since it's everywhere. But yeah, a lot of sweat equity involved.
@@dustupstexas What is missing, and the first, and most important issue before terraces, plants, green houses and all of that STUFF is WATER, is, has, and always will be.
Guess the plastic ties are going to age rapidly in those conditions. Good catch. Interesting on the metal zip ties. I have never heard of this before. And yet it seems like such a great idea in retrospect
UV light and heat destroy plastic zip ties. Unless they are specifically made for the purpose they will rot in about 3 months. Good wire in dry environments will last you way longer. Wire doesnt sheer off like zip ties. Just like you can easily sheer off a screw from the side but nails will not.
Try planting castor beans for shade for your other plants and to help keep the moisture in the soil. I did this in the deserts of utah. Worked like a charm.
In that environment, all shade is good. Eventually, you will have enough shade - with resulting decrease in soil temperature - that springs will start to resurface. When that happens, place one of those structures over it. If you're dead set on chickens, try Guinea Hens - much more robust.
You can use Lots of cardboard and form q feet tall Wall at the Chicken Coop or use your sandbag filler and build sandbag Walls around. Anyway plant Prickly pears Tacos around it. Any moisture from nursery will find it was to them.
I wouldn´t add animals to the project now. They require a lot of care and brought in food and you cannot yet sustain enough of them to produce significant amounts of manure.
I read an Ohio state university study said each chicken produces 8 pounds of waste a month. But until there is enough biomass to start a real compost pile, I would hold off on chickens. Or as suggested above, keep them in the city and just bring the waste. Eventually the ranch may be ready and he can move them.
The thing about chickens, they attract predators and unless you are there watching over them all the time, coyotes and snakes will wipe out your flock.
Hi guys. Maybe the idea of having some chickens to produce more biomass full of microorganisms could work. Corn and water as inputs and we have biomass rich in microorganisms as outputs as well. A small aquarium inside to produce ammonia water for the baby plants could also be a useful idea.
Better to do it in Fort Worth with that Suburban Chicken Coop then at Dustups where Shakes will get the Chickens. Use the poop and make compost and Transport that
Man I'm loving this so much! Baby steps. You put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor! You put on foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door!
weird idea but you should see if people where you live would donate Christmas trees after Christmas if they buy real trees. could be mulch or used for the beaver dams
Sage, oregano, and mole plant repel rats and mice. Salvia greggii is a native sage to south Texas , Lippia graveolens, or Mexican oregano may grow there as well. We grew sage as a border to our garden to keep mice from eating our tomatoes in Oklahoma 😅.
Joel Salatin has rehabilitated degraded earth by mob grazing. It's all about managing the access and not letting them overgraze, but letting them prune plants and drop manure to reenergize the soil life and seed growth.
Europeans will drive small sedans and hatchbacks to places where Americans won't dare to enter except their truck has at least 4WD and a big 350 HP V8.
350? We use 400+. You are severely under-estimating the fun that makes us love those vehicles. Also, there isn't anywhere in Europe where you're more than an hour away from a large town. You get into trouble, you can walk back. The USA has VAST stretches of nothing. We MUST be better prepared than our soft cousins over in Europe. That guy drove into a place where other better prepared people happen to already be, otherwise it would've been a dumb move.
@@jakesmerth1919 I do. I've driven my Peugeot 308 up the Alpine mountains to service some antennas on top of them. That was part of my job at the time.
The chicken coop should work well for your seedlings and small cuttings. You have so many good ideas at work one of these days your forest will take off.
Please bring back the intro: "I'm Sean Overton and I'm turning this into a desert forest." Years later you and your kids (and not to mention us viewers) will be so grateful for the continuity with that intro in every single video. We'll see the property heal and come alive behind you as you learn, make mistakes, age, and educate the next generation of environmental activists. 🏜️ ❤️
I been traveling to midland and west Texas my whole life. They say prairie dogs(native) add lots of water to the water table and are a keystone species that helps everything else. Also harvester ants helps the horney toads.
Agree with the comments on upgraded security for chickens-they would need an actual enclosed coop that would be safer at night as well. But they are fantastic for turning your food waste into protein and the fertilizer is damn good
I have the same coop. I wouldn't call it predator proof, but you can definitely upgrade it and make it more sturdy. We ended up covering almost the entire thing with shade cloth as our chickens are out in the desert sun a lot too.
Considering hauling soil in is too expensive, are you certain adding livestock and hauling feed and water is better? Not to mention attracting every predator for a 10 mile radius. Grow something they can eat first.
Good idea. However, it is not the heat that dries your soil. It's the combination of Light, Osmosis in soil and Wind (and it works in that order). I suggest adding more shade cloth, in your case, with all that extended wind and light bouncing from all sides. Wish you lots of luck... actually, lots of rain :)
Would probably be a million times easier and more efficient to just build a small coop in the very back of your yard in the city and keep a small number for eggs for your family and fertilizer you can bag and bring to your ranch. Most cities permit a small number of chickens provided you keep their coop clean, far away from other structures, and likely no roosters. You can find info specific to your area on a website called Backyard Chickens that's all about people keeping a small number in their backyards in cities. You will really struggle to build a predator-proof coop out there on the ranch, and keep predators away, and keep them watered, fed, healthy, etc. All those things would be much, much easier in your home's backyard. Not saying it is impossible to do out in the middle of nowhere, but I think you'd be far better off doing it in your own backyard at a smaller scale while you are learning, then taking bagged fertilizer (or compost you create at home) out to the ranch. You could do it one small garbage sack at a time, collected weekly/bi-weekly and taken out there every time you go out to the ranch. I think people underestimate the pressure of predators out in the desert. Coyotes and snakes would be a continual issue, and you'd want to store their feed in galvanized trash cans because it will attract rodents big time.
@@ClarkBK67 Yeah, I'm not sure about the size of his family, but I think it's like 3-4 people, so they could probably keep around 5 chickens, have plenty of eggs and a manageable amount of fertilizer to transport out to the ranch. The city where I live allows up to 10 chickens in your backyard as long as your lot is 1/5 of an acre or larger (which isn't that big). The coop has to be a certain distance from any houses/bedrooms (including neighbors) and has to be kept clean (any odor complaints from neighbors could result in fines/etc, but that's easy to avoid if you just clean the coop regularly). We can even keep roosters where I live (so long as your neighbors don't care/complain), but if there's a noise complaint, then you have no choice but to make rooster soup that night... hehe Some cities won't allow it at all, but most typically allow at least a small number of birds and they are infinitely more protected and easier to care for in the city (there are even predator issues in the city, mostly cats, but sometimes coyotes and things like hawks/owls and even snakes can be an issue too, even in the city, depending on the place). The logistics of supplying them with water and food alone makes keeping a small coop in his backyard a better idea. He could involve the kids/family too if they're interested. If it were me, I'd do chickens at home in the city and use the enclosed structure he built as a place to keep seedlings/young plants before he is ready to plant them. Might have to work on rodent-proofing that structure some more though. Mice can typically get into any gap or hole as small as 1/4"
@@ClarkBK67 Sadly, I doubt very many people will notice my feedback. Unless I commented right at the time the video is published, very few people see later comments because all the eyes go to the top comments. So everybody sees "great job!" and "so creative!" kind of fluff, but all the meat that comes later gets passed over because very few people sort by "newest." Oh well. Fortunately, Shaun does read through the comments (at least it seems like he does). I'm surprised you even noticed what I said since I was late to the party. Thanks.
I recommend rabbits over chickens. You won’t get eggs like the easter bunny lays but you will get lots of fertilizer and protein. They smell much less and don’t make any noise. Just a thought. 😂
I don't believe it. You have TWO excavating machines. With one swipe of the dozer big blade you could have graded it level. Much rush, less achieved. "I was worried about the sides caving in." Well, fancy that. Oh boy.
@@tigerstallion The nice thing is that 300 quail can water effectively out of a muddy hoofprint 1/8" deep, as long as it stays wet, usually from a convenient leak in the irrigation system.
We have no native plants here except one useless weed because of cattle. They eat anything else. Grazing cattle in the desert should be illegal. I hope my neighbor will retire soon and his son won't be interested in carrying on. Can't even have prickly pear here.
@@DO-hc3le Grazing cattle in desert should be illegal? Obviously you don't know what you are talking about. Grazing anywhere will ruin the pasture if you do not move the cattle. But if you move the cattle regularly and don't allow overgrazing, there is nothing better for the soil and the health of the plants in quesiton.
If he had fencing to keep one cow in, he could do regenerative agriculture with a mixture of a couple pigs, a few Brahma* chickens and the cow. However, as far as I can tell even the most heat tolerant breeds of chickens top out at 95° so this would not work during the summer. So he would need to start every fall and harvest them at the end of spring. What I am unclear on is the legality of it. He might not be permitted to raise chickens and pigs on that area even though we know cows are permitted. *Brahma chicken is a large, docile bird that was originally bred in the United States in the mid-19th century. It is one of the most popular chicken breeds and is well known for being heat tolerant.
My idea would be to build a movable stucture on wheels let the chickens poop and do their thing. Then move the structure to the end of where the strucrure originally was. Then you could plant where the structure was originally at. Granted i dont know how well the chickens would do in the dessert. When i was staying by the Great sand dunes N.P. in Colorado they had outside chickens and it was 100-105 the 3 months i was there and they did fine
I'vve said it before... several times. Why aren't you creating adobe walls, adobe enclosures, and adobe corral. Adobe chicken run, adobe pig pen, my he**, you've got all the free material in the world to build and benefit the land.
chickens will be great for terraforming but pigs are gold the mud pits and poop they leave a lot of nutrients in soil they also leave mud pits that are awesome for holding water
Driving down iron hooks to hold in the frame could help in case of high winds and predators. Just a thought. Also of there are some digging predators I would probably line the floor with a net also. Theres some things to consider though such as does the harmful metals or chemicals from the net get into the soil?
Chickens near where you sleep is bad idea due to the SMELL, yet far away they will likely be eaten by predators. Dont under estimate the night predators. If their feet can dangle though floor mesh where nature can access they will loose all their toes. You need hog panels layered with chicken wire or something else small mesh. Good luck!
I would really like you to try radiative cooling paint for your green house/nursery and other buildings. NightHawkInLight made really cool videos on the subject. It could be done relatively cheap and I Imagine in you clima zone this could make a real impact
@dustupstexas oh yeah I meant something very small (like sub 15 feet) for if you're using it to grow plants in, having just a little more moisture in the soil at the bottom and in the walls will help with evaporative cooling as the wind blows over the top pulling away moisture. Although, actually, now that I think about it, a swale on the uphill side of it would work better for that. By keeping the soil walls and floor just slightly damp it would keep the temperature in the pit down a few degrees more than the shade alone. The up grade swale could help keep it livable for chickens who naturally dig tranches to sit in to achieve this same effect when it's too hot out.
Cattle or chickens would take some doing, but starting with something would kickstart your journey. Unbelievable how many people have never researched Allan Savory or ranches like Alejandro Carrillo's which is closer to the ranch, or even Geoff Lawton. Geoff is in just as dry a place, and he has chickens.
There are certain chicken would be able to live out there. Let them roam free during the day and put in a hut at night. They would Help break up the soil and fertilise it as they go. Plus free fresh eggs and meat.
There is an invention called a rake. It will help you move dirt and smooth things out and help you make a place level. You might find one at Home Depot, or Ace Hardware, or Lowe's.... think about tools for the right job, huh?
It was probably mentioned somewhere, but what're the trees Shaun plans to try planting? I imagine the native cottonwoods but I haven't seen mention of others.
Get 60% off your first order of Sundays until December 8. Go to sundaysfordogs.com/dustups and use code 'dustups' at checkout.
(English isn't my first language so I might use the wrong words for things) Read something about some (i think) growing latuces that are white and a bit wider in there individual ... strands(?) so they are still able to deffend against hawks and the like, but also provide more shade for chickens underneath while not blocking the sun completely. Maybe this is usefull should you get chickens or want to use it for plants to gradually expose them to the sun. I mean all this for the unshaded area at the front of the coop (coup?).
Dude after watching I realize the thing that would speed you up so much is a flatbed golf cart. The walking is alot for basic things seems like worthy vestments worth doing. I bet a golf course would donate for a write off. Good luck 👍 free promo for cart seems like a easy way to go.
Great job guys!! Your getting there!!
I'm curious about the wild cattle that roam the property. Are they protected or are they a potential resource?
David the German here!
Thanks again for the opportunity to contribute and be part of the project. I enjoyed spending time with you guys-it was more fun than I expected. What an authentic Texan experience!
I'm excited to see how Dustups develops in the future.
Find ich super von dir
Würde dort sofort auch mal vorbeischauen, wenn es nicht so weit weg wäre 🤷♂️
Und etwas Ordnung rein bringen 😂
Servos mein Deutsch Freunde! Ich lerne klein
Du solltest dir wie Shaun Bambos Shirt zu legen und mit ihm eine Werbung drehen.
I hope you got a chance to do some star gazing. The stars over the Texas desert are brilliant!
I have a chicken sitting on my lap as I write this. I've had them for almost 11 years now. I've lots of different pets, but chickens have a very special place in my heart. They can withstand cold much better than heat. The first thing I tell people who are getting chickens is; DO NOT USE CHICKEN WIRE ! Use hardware cloth instead. Yes it costs a little more but it is not a FREEWAY FOR RATS. I've got lots of stories. You have chosen a very noble path, but the work involved is monumental. Good that you have attracted people to help with your journey.
I have serious reservations as to whether chickens would survive in the desert. In my experience things become life threatening in anything over 34c/93f regardless of shade. Furthermore they won’t be able to dustbath properly in the rock filled soil 😢
Random Tip:
I have this exact same structure. I recommend putting some type of support beam to hold the center pole up. When it rains or snows the tarp holds water and puts pressure and weight on the top and bends the top pole. Shade mesh is a better option than a tarp. I personally used this structure to graze rabbits inside and then planted a protected in ground root vegetable garden to keep out animals. The Zip ties I replaced after a few months with J clamps and those are holding up just fine two years later. Although i did reinforce the sides with cattle panels to give it more resistance to creatures that can chew through the chicken wire.
"When it rains or snows" - Is your first time visiting this channel?
@@christopherd.winnan87011 Day its gonna rain for sure. Believe
Just a helpful hint. Chicken wire keeps chickens in but does not keep predators out. Hope that helps.
I love the optimism every time Shaun buys some backyard thing to take to the ranch.
If you really want chickens, chicken wire is meant to keep them in but it won't keep any predators out. 1" or 1/2" hardware cloth sides and bottom (rats, weasels, etc. dig and burrow when motivated.) Solid roofing on top to protect and keep the sun off.
How about a puppy for the chicks to imprint upon?
One wisdom I can give you is that more animals never equal less work. Buying biomass is cheaper and easier than buying biomass in the shape of food and havìng animals turn it into plant digestable biomass. Keeping animals always comes with problems you didnt anticipate. That being said, chickens are a great animal to learn this lesson with
Chickens are a fun little hobby but other homesteaders have talked about how they are much worse than rabbits. Since he isn't trying to grow food it makes even less sense to have an animal that increases the input requirements. I'm going to enjoy watching him become radicalized against the rat menace.
David, thanks for coming! And thanks, Shaun for another good video. I look forward to it every week.
Those white zip ties are not uv stabilized and will degrade within weeks of being in the sun, definitely change them out for some wire
Already did
FYI, they make stainless steel zip ties, not cheap, but I live in AZ and they're the only zip tie for full sun
As a former installer, what got to me more was seeing the ends not clipped off. 😆 But you're right, not UV stabilized. Glad to see Shaun already changed them out.
Black zip-ties hold up well to ultraviolet. When I worked in aquaculture we used black zip-ties exclusively
Just came to mind. When you get an elusive rain event, make sure runoff does not drain into the nursery and drown the baby plants.
the ground is so dry that is not an issue unless you divert water into it = however the soil does not hold water - it sinks and disappears
Love all your work and hope for the next rain, greetings from austria.
Your kid Ian's work adds a nice touch to your videos
Thank you!
Radar says you might finally get some rain if not a heavy thunderstorm
this weekend!
Alright lets all stomp in unison, Hey ya ya ya Hey ya ya ya
Drive some t-posts in line a few inches outside the perimeter of the “chicken run”. Then wrap it in chain link, then chicken wire, then backfill the dirt/gravel into the chain link to build up a “wall” around the run. The posts will need to be relatively close together, maybe every 2-3ft?, and you’ll probably need a powered post driver to get consistent depth. The posts will likely bend somewhat and the fencing will bulge but it will bring the walls up to a consistent height all the way around and keep the dirt from collapsing and crushing the new shade house.
The shade house, this is what we’re calling it now, also should be anchored somewhat into the ground there so it’s less likely to be picked up in a gust and deposited somewhere unfortunate.
Expect that the humidity from the plants growing in the shade house causes something to grow just outside the shade house on its own also. Creating a shaded, humid(relative to everywhere else) area half submerged in the ground should also put water into the ground around the shade house.
Animals need precious water, and chickens might get over or under the fences to your precious terraces. No doubt you've thought of all that, just agreeing with the doubts you've had in your mind. They'll produce fertiliser and eggs, maybe even meat, but is it worth that for maintaining and learning how to maintain livestock?
A cheap little shed half in the ground is a good idea for plants or even just somewhere cool to sit.
If chickens or ? Would make good fertilizer but your right about the infrastructural
The only thing I can say about chickens is they will kill every blade of grass to get bugs. Better quail or something that’s not as destructive. I have some plants for you if you want me to bring them to you six Arizona cypress that can grow on 10 inches of rain and six small artichoke agave pups. Also I have bees if you ant to set up a swarm trap I can help you out.
Gambel’s Quail is a native desert quail thats easy to do
@ they are already there they should feed and water them.
Anyone who goes and volunteers instantly gains my respect. Especially if they can make it there in a Kia…
Thx
I nearly didn't make it. One incline was very steep and the ground consisted of loose rocks. I spun my tires and could hear rocks flying everywhere xD
@ I think your referring to Oxford canyon right before you hit camp…. My truck barely made it when I went
FYI: I live in Southern California and the sun eats tarps quickly so I place the shade mesh like tarps over the plastic/canvas tarps so they last longer… it gives me a water proof area as well as being more shaded… it helps in the summer to avoid the heat of the direct sun. You can also double up on the shade cloth which helps some of my vegetables that are prone to sunburn.
Solar panels work well with livestock. It provides shade and keeps plants from growing under the panels 🙏🏽, you don't have many plants yet, but just a thought I had when you mentioned livestock
Your property would be a great place to make some Rammed Earth buildings. You have all the materials there and the rammed earth structures could provide very durable storage and living areas for very low cost. Granted, I do understand your main objective is not a permanent homestead, however, you do have a few buildings and "greenhouses" that could be made from local materials vs manufactured materials. And from what you've done, it's a balance of cost vs effort. Great stuff you're doing. Love it. And if you want to reduce bringing in materials, consider rammed earth.
Rammed earth takes an enormous amount of labor. I've never seen it pitched as a budget option
@@dustupstexas oh yeah, I was saying, it's definitely a lot of labor. I'm just saying what you've done has been very efficient in terms of cost vs effort with temporary structures, etc. The low cost is basically "dirt cheap" for materials, lol since it's everywhere. But yeah, a lot of sweat equity involved.
@@dustupstexas What is missing, and the first, and most important issue before terraces, plants, green houses and all of that STUFF is WATER, is, has, and always will be.
Use heavy wire to replace the plastic ties.
They have metal zip ties...
@leelindsay5618 True. My thinking on the wire is to keep the cost extremely low
Guess the plastic ties are going to age rapidly in those conditions. Good catch.
Interesting on the metal zip ties. I have never heard of this before. And yet it seems like such a great idea in retrospect
@macmcleod1188 Metal Zip ties are common (especially in trucking). It's possible they might be cheap enough to consider using.
UV light and heat destroy plastic zip ties. Unless they are specifically made for the purpose they will rot in about 3 months. Good wire in dry environments will last you way longer. Wire doesnt sheer off like zip ties. Just like you can easily sheer off a screw from the side but nails will not.
Try planting castor beans for shade for your other plants and to help keep the moisture in the soil.
I did this in the deserts of utah. Worked like a charm.
Is that monsterosa?
Mannn I would love to volunteer if I lived anywhere close! Keep up the hard work Shaun, you’re relentless
Cattle is a bad idea… they need a lot of feed and water
In that environment, all shade is good. Eventually, you will have enough shade - with resulting decrease in soil temperature - that springs will start to resurface. When that happens, place one of those structures over it. If you're dead set on chickens, try Guinea Hens - much more robust.
Chickens will eat mice.
Good fertilizer to use.
And free breakfast for the workers!
Just a heads up for later when the nursery is developed, snakes will love a cool shaded depression in the ground. Be aware.
He gets snakes for sure. Those rattlesnakes a few episodes back…😮
You can use Lots of cardboard and form q feet tall Wall at the Chicken Coop or use your sandbag filler and build sandbag Walls around.
Anyway plant Prickly pears Tacos around it. Any moisture from nursery will find it was to them.
Mice and rats cat easily Bypass chicken wire. 1/2" or 1/4" hardware cloth would keep such animals out or electrify the system
Love all your work and hope for the next rain, greetings from austria. 👍
I wouldn´t add animals to the project now. They require a lot of care and brought in food and you cannot yet sustain enough of them to produce significant amounts of manure.
I read an Ohio state university study said each chicken produces 8 pounds of waste a month. But until there is enough biomass to start a real compost pile, I would hold off on chickens. Or as suggested above, keep them in the city and just bring the waste. Eventually the ranch may be ready and he can move them.
The thing about chickens, they attract predators and unless you are there watching over them all the time, coyotes and snakes will wipe out your flock.
Welcome to the Republic of Texas David! Be sure to check out our German-Texan settlement towns, there are many!
Hi guys. Maybe the idea of having some chickens to produce more biomass full of microorganisms could work. Corn and water as inputs and we have biomass rich in microorganisms as outputs as well. A small aquarium inside to produce ammonia water for the baby plants could also be a useful idea.
Better to do it in Fort Worth with that Suburban Chicken Coop then at Dustups where Shakes will get the Chickens.
Use the poop and make compost and Transport that
Man I'm loving this so much! Baby steps. You put one foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking 'cross the floor! You put on foot in front of the other, and soon you'll be walking out the door!
weird idea but you should see if people where you live would donate Christmas trees after Christmas if they buy real trees. could be mulch or used for the beaver dams
The big composting operation near me keeps chickens. I presume their poop is helpful to the decomposing process. Maybe adds organism to the soil too.
Sage, oregano, and mole plant repel rats and mice. Salvia greggii is a native sage to south Texas , Lippia graveolens, or Mexican oregano may grow there as well. We grew sage as a border to our garden to keep mice from eating our tomatoes in Oklahoma 😅.
Wasn’t it grazing that messed up that ecosystem in the first place? Thought I heard you mention that once?
Joel Salatin has rehabilitated degraded earth by mob grazing. It's all about managing the access and not letting them overgraze, but letting them prune plants and drop manure to reenergize the soil life and seed growth.
Europeans will drive small sedans and hatchbacks to places where Americans won't dare to enter except their truck has at least 4WD and a big 350 HP V8.
Lighter car not an issue except during flood.
Speak for yourself
350? We use 400+. You are severely under-estimating the fun that makes us love those vehicles. Also, there isn't anywhere in Europe where you're more than an hour away from a large town. You get into trouble, you can walk back. The USA has VAST stretches of nothing. We MUST be better prepared than our soft cousins over in Europe. That guy drove into a place where other better prepared people happen to already be, otherwise it would've been a dumb move.
@@zarroth soft like the average waste size in america of 44 inches?
@@jakesmerth1919 I do. I've driven my Peugeot 308 up the Alpine mountains to service some antennas on top of them. That was part of my job at the time.
I'm sure you probably did but have you considered drainage for this hole?
Otherwise in The heavy rain it may become a 1 ft deep pond.
The chicken coop should work well for your seedlings and small cuttings. You have so many good ideas at work one of these days your forest will take off.
Please bring back the intro: "I'm Sean Overton and I'm turning this into a desert forest." Years later you and your kids (and not to mention us viewers) will be so grateful for the continuity with that intro in every single video. We'll see the property heal and come alive behind you as you learn, make mistakes, age, and educate the next generation of environmental activists. 🏜️ ❤️
Agree 100%. I love the guitar intro. It means Shaun is sharing his latest video with us!!
I been traveling to midland and west Texas my whole life. They say prairie dogs(native) add lots of water to the water table and are a keystone species that helps everything else. Also harvester ants helps the horney toads.
My personal experience has been that the prairie dog killed the horned toads here.
Agree with the comments on upgraded security for chickens-they would need an actual enclosed coop that would be safer at night as well. But they are fantastic for turning your food waste into protein and the fertilizer is damn good
I have the same coop. I wouldn't call it predator proof, but you can definitely upgrade it and make it more sturdy. We ended up covering almost the entire thing with shade cloth as our chickens are out in the desert sun a lot too.
One advice for digging this kind of rocky soil: Get a good pickax. Trust me you wont regret it
Even better, a mattock.
Considering hauling soil in is too expensive, are you certain adding livestock and hauling feed and water is better? Not to mention attracting every predator for a 10 mile radius. Grow something they can eat first.
Good idea. However, it is not the heat that dries your soil. It's the combination of Light, Osmosis in soil and Wind (and it works in that order). I suggest adding more shade cloth, in your case, with all that extended wind and light bouncing from all sides. Wish you lots of luck... actually, lots of rain :)
scrap romex wire works great to tie things together. i like too use a pair of vise-grips to grab the ends and twist them together.
Would probably be a million times easier and more efficient to just build a small coop in the very back of your yard in the city and keep a small number for eggs for your family and fertilizer you can bag and bring to your ranch. Most cities permit a small number of chickens provided you keep their coop clean, far away from other structures, and likely no roosters. You can find info specific to your area on a website called Backyard Chickens that's all about people keeping a small number in their backyards in cities.
You will really struggle to build a predator-proof coop out there on the ranch, and keep predators away, and keep them watered, fed, healthy, etc. All those things would be much, much easier in your home's backyard. Not saying it is impossible to do out in the middle of nowhere, but I think you'd be far better off doing it in your own backyard at a smaller scale while you are learning, then taking bagged fertilizer (or compost you create at home) out to the ranch. You could do it one small garbage sack at a time, collected weekly/bi-weekly and taken out there every time you go out to the ranch.
I think people underestimate the pressure of predators out in the desert. Coyotes and snakes would be a continual issue, and you'd want to store their feed in galvanized trash cans because it will attract rodents big time.
That’s a good idea. So much easier to care for them and keep them safe in the city and bag the waste for each trip.
@@ClarkBK67 Yeah, I'm not sure about the size of his family, but I think it's like 3-4 people, so they could probably keep around 5 chickens, have plenty of eggs and a manageable amount of fertilizer to transport out to the ranch.
The city where I live allows up to 10 chickens in your backyard as long as your lot is 1/5 of an acre or larger (which isn't that big). The coop has to be a certain distance from any houses/bedrooms (including neighbors) and has to be kept clean (any odor complaints from neighbors could result in fines/etc, but that's easy to avoid if you just clean the coop regularly). We can even keep roosters where I live (so long as your neighbors don't care/complain), but if there's a noise complaint, then you have no choice but to make rooster soup that night... hehe
Some cities won't allow it at all, but most typically allow at least a small number of birds and they are infinitely more protected and easier to care for in the city (there are even predator issues in the city, mostly cats, but sometimes coyotes and things like hawks/owls and even snakes can be an issue too, even in the city, depending on the place).
The logistics of supplying them with water and food alone makes keeping a small coop in his backyard a better idea. He could involve the kids/family too if they're interested. If it were me, I'd do chickens at home in the city and use the enclosed structure he built as a place to keep seedlings/young plants before he is ready to plant them. Might have to work on rodent-proofing that structure some more though. Mice can typically get into any gap or hole as small as 1/4"
@@ClarkBK67 Sadly, I doubt very many people will notice my feedback.
Unless I commented right at the time the video is published, very few people see later comments because all the eyes go to the top comments. So everybody sees "great job!" and "so creative!" kind of fluff, but all the meat that comes later gets passed over because very few people sort by "newest."
Oh well. Fortunately, Shaun does read through the comments (at least it seems like he does). I'm surprised you even noticed what I said since I was late to the party. Thanks.
Check out "Frugal Off Grid". Dug a greenhouse in the ground.
Edit: In Arizona
I recommend rabbits over chickens. You won’t get eggs like the easter bunny lays but you will get lots of fertilizer and protein. They smell much less and don’t make any noise. Just a thought. 😂
Another awesome doodle, Ian! Thanks!
I don't believe it. You have TWO excavating machines. With one swipe of the dozer big blade you could have graded it level. Much rush, less achieved. "I was worried about the sides caving in." Well, fancy that. Oh boy.
This is a learning by doing channel, an escape from project management.
I really want to see you try potassium polyacrylate soil amendment. I think you'd be pleased with the results.
Mineral fertilizer usually requiere a lot of water during the metabisation.
I misread your comment at first and assumed you said ‘you should try possum’.😂
Quail & Mourning Doves.
Gambel’s Quail is native to the area
@@tigerstallion The nice thing is that 300 quail can water effectively out of a muddy hoofprint 1/8" deep, as long as it stays wet, usually from a convenient leak in the irrigation system.
Thanks!
Yes! Chickens are perfect for desert as they scratch the soil and their manure will save you so much money and energy.
You just need them out of the sun and in a windy spot.
And their calls will attract snakes and foxes.
almost. Gambel’s Quail is the native version that is actually ecologically perfect for this niche
Shaun I want to work for you full time. Dennis
Forget the cattle idea. No way they'll help.
Why îs that ?
Cattle are great but they need a lot of water. And would require inputs of hay year round there.
We have no native plants here except one useless weed because of cattle. They eat anything else. Grazing cattle in the desert should be illegal. I hope my neighbor will retire soon and his son won't be interested in carrying on. Can't even have prickly pear here.
@@DO-hc3le Grazing cattle in desert should be illegal? Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.
Grazing anywhere will ruin the pasture if you do not move the cattle. But if you move the cattle regularly and don't allow overgrazing, there is nothing better for the soil and the health of the plants in quesiton.
If he had fencing to keep one cow in, he could do regenerative agriculture with a mixture of a couple pigs, a few Brahma* chickens and the cow.
However, as far as I can tell even the most heat tolerant breeds of chickens top out at 95° so this would not work during the summer. So he would need to start every fall and harvest them at the end of spring.
What I am unclear on is the legality of it. He might not be permitted to raise chickens and pigs on that area even though we know cows are permitted.
*Brahma chicken is a large, docile bird that was originally bred in the United States in the mid-19th century. It is one of the most popular chicken breeds and is well known for being heat tolerant.
Chickens will be a game changer for both quality of life and compost
Could you use old wooden pallets along the walls to firm them up? You always see them being thrown away. Might be an easy way to get a half wall
My idea would be to build a movable stucture on wheels let the chickens poop and do their thing. Then move the structure to the end of where the strucrure originally was. Then you could plant where the structure was originally at. Granted i dont know how well the chickens would do in the dessert. When i was staying by the Great sand dunes N.P. in Colorado they had outside chickens and it was 100-105 the 3 months i was there and they did fine
I'vve said it before... several times. Why aren't you creating adobe walls, adobe enclosures, and adobe corral. Adobe chicken run, adobe pig pen, my he**, you've got all the free material in the world to build and benefit the land.
If it is burried, take care of having a drain... even if it will be use twice a year.
Thankyou 😊
Rats will be in the in seconds. You'll need to dig the wire into the ground or have solid flooring and thicker side around the bottom.
If you get chickens,think about how you’ll protect them as while. They have alot of predators. Best of luck love from h-town. :)
chickens will be great for terraforming but pigs are gold the mud pits and poop they leave a lot of nutrients in soil they also leave mud pits that are awesome for holding water
German "level" is a much higher bar than American "level"
Even with major anchors in the soil, keeping that structure in place in a chubasco might be impossilbe. It was for me.
free chicken feed via black fly larvae, some good automated setups demo'd on this platform.
Driving down iron hooks to hold in the frame could help in case of high winds and predators. Just a thought. Also of there are some digging predators I would probably line the floor with a net also. Theres some things to consider though such as does the harmful metals or chemicals from the net get into the soil?
Zip ties won't last long in direct sun. Use Velcro straps
You can by metal zip ties.
Always an adventure.
Love your channel. Been watching since day one.
Chickens near where you sleep is bad idea due to the SMELL, yet far away they will likely be eaten by predators. Dont under estimate the night predators. If their feet can dangle though floor mesh where nature can access they will loose all their toes. You need hog panels layered with chicken wire or something else small mesh. Good luck!
I do not know how do translate Trupillo but it will be nice to plant some trees of Trupillo
Please give that white boy some sun glasses and a wide brimmed hat.
I would really like you to try radiative cooling paint for your green house/nursery and other buildings.
NightHawkInLight made really cool videos on the subject. It could be done relatively cheap and I Imagine in you clima zone this could make a real impact
LOL, you have a bulldozer and a digger and you're using shovels!
Maybe cut a small channel to direct more water into the pit to bring in extra moisture?
I don't necessarily want water there
@dustupstexas oh yeah I meant something very small (like sub 15 feet) for if you're using it to grow plants in, having just a little more moisture in the soil at the bottom and in the walls will help with evaporative cooling as the wind blows over the top pulling away moisture. Although, actually, now that I think about it, a swale on the uphill side of it would work better for that. By keeping the soil walls and floor just slightly damp it would keep the temperature in the pit down a few degrees more than the shade alone.
The up grade swale could help keep it livable for chickens who naturally dig tranches to sit in to achieve this same effect when it's too hot out.
Make more halfmoons
Cattle or chickens would take some doing, but starting with something would kickstart your journey. Unbelievable how many people have never researched Allan Savory or ranches like Alejandro Carrillo's which is closer to the ranch, or even Geoff Lawton. Geoff is in just as dry a place, and he has chickens.
I hope David enjoyed himself.
I did. I spent just over two weeks there :)
Hey no shade to the Kia Soul! I have one that I use like a truck all the time! Broughthome a garage door in it once.
😁
Where there is a will, there is a way 💪
There are certain chicken would be able to live out there. Let them roam free during the day and put in a hut at night. They would Help break up the soil and fertilise it as they go. Plus free fresh eggs and meat.
Gambel’s Quail is the native chicken-analog
Ah, a fellow german...
At $150, you are going to find lots of uses for those frames.
Don't use white traps in the sun use black. You maybe get 1 year before they become brittle and break
There is an invention called a rake. It will help you move dirt and smooth things out and help you make a place level. You might find one at Home Depot, or Ace Hardware, or Lowe's.... think about tools for the right job, huh?
Shaun can you make a discord channel for us to give you ideas?
You should buy some metal zip ties the plastic will rot from UV.
It was probably mentioned somewhere, but what're the trees Shaun plans to try planting? I imagine the native cottonwoods but I haven't seen mention of others.
Cottonwoods are a long way down the road. Mostly leguminous trees for now
how about Gambel's quail.
yes!! go native and maybe theyll eventually sustain themselves
See if you can raise crickets next to the chicken coop.
Coyotes and cougars will love the chickens 😅