Pouring Footings and a Concrete Floor for a Stone Chicken Coop
I build a 10' x 10' x 5" concrete floor for a stone and wood chicken coop I'm building. I do some work in the orchard and check out all of the plants and trees as they emerge from a long but warm winter. We're getting loads of rain so the rivers and waterfalls near the homestead are raging.
Log Cabin Building, Bushcraft, Survival Skills, Cooking, Canadian Wilderness, Off Grid Living, Homesteading
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Hi, I'm Shawn James. I am a passionate outdoorsman living the life of my dreams in a log cabin that I built by myself in the Canadian wilderness. Join me and my golden retriever, Cali and listen to the sounds of the forest in this relaxing wilderness setting. I prefer to keep my talking to a minimum and let the natural sounds of nature make you feel as though you are there with me.
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My Self Reliance/Shawn James
200 Manitoba St., Unit 3, Suite 415
Bracebridge, ON P1L 2E2
Cali sure is 1 lucky pup! She has all that natural and cool water, plus all the other beauty around her. You and your family are lucky to have such a gorgeous place to call home!
Cali's new spring outfit: MUD! 😅 Love the communication between you two. 👍😎🇨🇦🐾💫
I'm so glad you're doing well! I came here after a long break and wow, I'm really smiling to myself. Another beautiful project!❤
I love what you're doing but I see this as a story about a dog living her best life. Thanks for sharing.
Sweet Kali's face is starting to turn white......You are so blessed to live where you do...away from the crazy in life.
Kalie's like, let me rest a while!😊 Great job on the cement floor of your coop! You have a lot of wildlife who will try to get them for food. Make it hard for them to get your chickens. Kalie is living her best life! Wished I could give her a big hug!❤
You should have put a membrane down between the wood and cement. It prevents the wood from absorbing the moisture from the cement.
Ok now I have to upgrade my coop, my chickens are looking at me all side eyed now after seeing this awesome build.
"Step your game up."~🐔🐓🐤 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Lafffffin..they saying hey keep up with Kelly's dad, dad... lafffffin....😊
A ver que hacen hoy!!!.
Lololol 🤣
I believe he's building this thing bear proof.....
A chicken coop will be a great addition to your homestead. God Bless you Shawn.
Thank you for this beautiful moment of serenity on your wonderful homestead with gorgeous Cali and you 👵👋🤗🐶👼
Cali has it right ... sometimes you just have to get your feet wet to appreciate nature
الله يعطيك الصحة والعافية على مجهوداتك الجبارة وجمال انجازاتك القيمة بارك الله فيك
A wonderful demonstration of how to build anything, properly! Footings! How proud you must be with Cali and your loving family by your side Shawn! Bless you all. XX
A stone chicken coup is a fine idea. I grew up on a relatively small multi-generational farm. My grandfather had a multi-purpose structure made to shelter/protect/contain chickens and pigs. The pigs need fear no animal. The chickens and their chicks needed protection from foxes and opossums. The predators could dig in and the pigs could dig out so this building had concrete floors and walls of various heights to conform to the landscape and to needs. My brother and I raised both pheasants and chickens in that building. Solid walls make a fine haven for your plans.
Yeah, chickens would be major targets in a region like that and a regular coop would often next to no protection from predators.
We live in the wilderness, west coast rain forest and have a lot of bears and cougars, bears will kill pigs so we add electric fencing to keep them safer. Pigs will not cross a electric fence. We have never had a problem with Bears or cougars killing livestock or damaging any buildings. But our farm dogs are our first warning system. They warn us of a predator, they do not attack a predator. Wooden chicken houses (lined with hardware cloth) are built approx. 2 ft. off the ground as a dual purpose, nothing can live under the coop and it is a place for the poultry to go outside for fresh air in bad weather. Wood structures also help absorb the moisture from inclement weather and moisture from the heat the poultry emits. Correct venting is important too. Too much coop moisture can cause several different types of poultry illnesses. These practices apply to our area and climate. Never had a problem in 40 yrs with raccoons or mink getting into the coop. Eagles/hawks are more of a problem for poultry while free ranging. That being said nothing beats having some good smart farm dogs. Choosing the suitable dog breed for farming is the key. Not necessarily a LGD for us.
Beautiful pictures, it's like Spring is saying it's time to wake up.
The grunt from Cali at 29:05 while she lays down 😂🤣😂 I can relate
😂😂😂😂❤
Shaun, once you finish your homestead. You need to write a book the "adventures with Shaun and Calli "
Woodpeckers in the background Awesome 😊
Yassssss love the ASMR
WOW, jolly good job, Sean ! Now that your chickens are better protected than at Fort Knox, they'll be laying golden eggs for sure !!!
We used to leave planks on top of water lines to stop the frost from getting into the line. If you left the boards on the slab sides it might help keep the frost out of the chicken coop and help keep the chickens warmer. Thanks for the video.
Hi Shawn So glad you are going to raise chickens ! You are a hard worker ! I have been working in my garden as well and hopefully have chickens this summer! Thank you always for inspiring me and others! God bless you and your family ! Stay close to Our Heavenly Father! He is our Hope!!🧚🏻🧚🏻🧚🏻❤️
Shawn, it's been quite long wait that we haven't seen your vlog, nice to see that your back, hoping that more vlogs to watch, GOD bless
Great video. I see from Cali's paws that she was helping out with the digging.
LOL she was sooo dirty and sooo happy.
Love the way Mr. James builds things, straight forward and by himself.
WOW! Looks to support a high rise coup. Your efforts are so encouraging; must be so gratifying each time to look at your accomlishments!
❤ the snapshots at the end are so gorgeous.
your hard work and attention to detail knows no bounds plus your ever faithful cali!
You build everything with perfection!❤
Cali...what a mess...glad you like your fresh water baths! Thank you, Shawn, for labeling the flora. I'm fascinated by what you have up there. And the nature minutes? My moment of zen.
I look forward to your photography at the end of most of your films. It takes me back to the '40s and 50's when I was growing up and exploring far Northern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. In those days there were still wolves and a high concentration of wildlife. Our little homestead had no running water or electricity until the 50's. No tractors, my grandfather had a team of horses for plowing. Glad to see you finally gave in and accepted some of the power tools and vehicles to make life easier. You will live longer. Keep the faith!
Sweet Cali looks so healthy! She has a beautiful Life🦋
Beautiful view of the Canadian Woods!❤🫶🏻 The stream is full!!! Love the chicken coop🐣
MEEEE TOOOO❤❤😊😊
Over the top chicken coop. But much easier to clean👍❤️
I am loving the new build. Thank you for sharing the sounds of nature, Callie, your garden, and your great skills.
7:43 - I don't know if I'll ever get that image out of my mind. Thanks, Shawn.
🤣 LMFAO !
Stunning scenery! 💚The birds really put on a vocal show - especially the woodpecker. 🎶
Nothing better to see than a dog and her man enjoying time well spent together!😊
Thank you so much for your videos.
I really appreciate all the hard work you put into your homestead and your videos…. The music you played at the ending of your last scenes were a beautiful combination ! I enjoy your weekly videos…. It’s so refreshing to watch you beautiful your property…. It takes my mind off of the craziness that exist in the world today! Thank you for sharing your life….. and I can never get enough of Cali…. ❤️ God Bless you and yours!
Your knowledge, hard work, remote lifestyle AMAZING!
What an honor and privilege you have to live in such vast beauty...I'm afraid it's disappearing faster than we realize
Love it when you take us on a walk with Cali the views are amazing 😊thank you ❤
Thank you so much for sharing your blessings with us. As much as I would love to do what you do, I just cannot, and I am okay with that because I can watch your videos and feel so much peace. May you continue to be blessed and I look forward to your next video.
Thanks for the ending Sean that was absolutely gorgeous it was beautiful freshwater running over rocks clean water 😊👍
Great idea to have chickens. Not sure your coop is big enough. The boxes and roosts will take up a lot of room. Also a drain in bottom would have made it easier to clean. Just a thought.
I'm really liking how everything looks where you are with the great cabin house and other buildings that you have built thanks.🇨🇦🤠🇨🇦
You always do an amazing job and you give everybody Such great ideas and things to accomplish.. Have a wonderful Blessed. Friday.
I saw “Stone Chicken Coop” at the Whisky a Go Go in 1967, they opened for the Doors
Shaun it’s so beautiful and peaceful there. You can tell how happy Cali is…thanks for sharing your journey .❤
Beautiful Spring day. Was that a wild turkey we heard in the background? Happy pup = mud, tennis ball, spring temps and rolling in the leaves. My Grandpa was an olde Scotsman and carpenter. Lived in N.E. His workshop and the tools he had. Old school craftsman. He built 3 cabins himself which we stayed in during summer visits. Wish we had more. Made wooden duck decoys to sell and use. Had the outhouses by the cabins and we pumped our water from the well. Picked wild blackberries. He had a huge garden every spring/summer. So much of what you do and your principles remind me of my grandparents. Thank you Shawn.
How do you pickle blackberries. And what do they taste like?
@@leannemori9688 Blackberries taste amazing! You don't pickle them, you turn them into jellies, jams and pie filling to name a few uses. There are a lot of KZhead videos showing the process .... enjoy!
Chicken coop or chicken bunker? LOL. At least you know the foundation isn't going anywhere. Tough working outside with the amount of rain we've had here lately. Loving the drone footage, Ontario at it's finest!!!!!
Love watching this. Certainly a million miles from my environment.
You are so lucky to live in a paradise. With your hard work you made your place grow fruits and vegetable. Thanks for sharing.
Loved this video. Especially parts with Cali and ending with pictures of spring emerging…just beautiful….❤️❤️
I love how you and Cali are at peace ,watching the river flow . Those spectacular views you capture in your filming are absolutely amazing . I have and i continue to watch your great achievements hard work in making your cabin homestead one of the best ive seen .. God Bless .
What a beautiful ending to this video! Heartfelt with the music and the scenes of beauty and untouched places by man. Thank you Shawn
Job well done, so enjoyed your video. Oh, the wonder of it all Cali thinks. Such a beautiful setting.
concrete is anhydrous, so it gets stonger as it ages in a moist condition. What a nice floor for a chicken coop. That should keep the weasels and other varmits from burrowing in.
Your always doing something. I love watching!
Looking forward to the completed project
Beautiful river, falls, sounds are so soothing. I know why you and Cali love it there.
Thanks for the video Shawn. Happy weekend!
Glad to see you are using properly mixed concrete. Not the bogus dry ready mix short cut that so many seem to be praising on the internet. Your work will be intact decades down the road. There are reasons cement companies have spent vast amounts of time and money figuring things out.
The ending was beautiful! You make such wonderful videos.
That is the strongest foundation for a chicken coop I've ever seen and certainly overkill!
Not when you live in a woods inhabited by a wide variety of other wild/digging creatures!
@@coolgrandma4952 good point...but you would need similar above ground enclosure...more like a jail with steel bars! Shawn did state stone construction.
The chicken coup will be a very good addition to your homestead. Great video. I enjoyed watching it.
Spring arrives in Canada. A beautiful time; Thanks for sharing. Four Bass Lake south of New Liskeard is my favorite vacation place.
So surprised that there wasn’t a set of Dog foot prints over that beautifully smooth and level floor!😅
We all need to get back to this kind of off grid village lifestyle
said pol pot...
How’s it off grid if he has a diesel tractor and gas side by side and snow machine? Just playing devils advocate. Love Shawn’s channel for years but not truly “off grid” as most self proclaimed channels aren’t.
you mean grass is literally greener on the other side of the hill?
Just purchased 19.5 acres on a lake! Building a timber fame barn and a cabin.
I grew up on a smallish farm. The happiest day of my father's life was when his father sold the horses and bought tractors. My grandfather put in a small power station before Rural Electrification and did away with kerosene lamps and heating. Previously, one of my father's tasks had been to clean the lamp globes each morning. This was NOT a time to glorify. Medical care was spotty and expensive. Effective drugs had yet to be invented and developed for a market. 'Composting' toilets worked a bit differently than you might imagine: in my early years, we added lime after each use and dug the residue out as needed. Bathing was in the kitchen in a washtub with water heated on a wood-burning kitchen range. We had a kitchen handpump plumbed into a dug well outside the door. That was a 'luxury.' Of course, that time was almost over for us: my grandfather bought a set of appliances and a TV set for us. My parents moved from a family-owned rental property to greater things in the world of family farming.
What lucky chickens❤ Watching the water run down the river with the music is so peaceful and relaxing and beautiful ❤
There is nothing more beautiful than spring 's new growth!
I can't believe you've been doing this for so long. My disabilities from the military keep me from ever doing the things you do, but I'm always so impressed with your knowledge and determination!
Hey working as a RN for 40+ yrs screwed my back..I'm half bed bound now days.... .I love watching what I would dearly love as a life style..I just enjoy looking. .. ... blessings darlings from Granny Linda in OZ...
I too am disabled. Can only work work 15-20 min at a time before pain becomes too much & have to rest. Not on any meds as severely allergic to so many medications. But I keep trying & over time am able to accomplish much. Am 77 year old widow blessed with so much.
WOW... My chicken coup was concrete floors with 4 feet brick walls and build out wood structure with metal roof to keep out the wildlife.. PVC tubing was cut in 1/2 and place near the wall but in the floor. When I cleaned up I scooped up all the big stuff into the wheelbarrow and the rest I moved toward the PVC which drained off into 55 gallon buckets in the ground. I washed the floors. I would clean out the 55 gallon drums a few times a year but everything drained into the ground. My compost pile and the run off which went into the compost pile has to be turned a year before I could use it. Had lots of compost piles I rotated, lol. The roosts perches were tree limbs but what made them so great when come time to clean up if the limbs were all nasty I burned them and went and got more limbs. My favorite part of the whole coup the roosts frames folded down so I could access the whole coup with no issues when it come time to clean up. Brings back memories. I had a head of 200+ chickens that completely free ranged with roosters and dogs protecting them. .
Great build. Hope you were blessed with someone to pass your skills onto.
Sounds like a great build!🇨🇦
🌲 🍁 Aloha Shawn and Cali 🐻 🦌 Your Chickens 🐔 are gonna be so beneficial for not only the eggs and meat but most of all the fertility and bug and slug control for the garden! When I built mine I had multiple gardens throughout my farm so created a Coup sled with Wood runners like your rock sled and towed it around time to time as needed and let them free range ! Only problems I had was an occasional splat of feathers 😂 here n there from the eagles and Hawks 😅 but it worked out great and fun for my kids to collect and sell the abundance of eggs ! I had scrap cans at local restaurants I'd pick up that was free service for them and me that fed them and my pigs 🐖 Spring fishing season is almost their and I bet you're excited 🎣 🦦 Have a great weekend and thanks for everything you share ! ❤ 💪 🫎 🐕
Spring is on its way at last. Hugs for Cali ❤️.
Hey Shawn, l can’t wait to see the finished product and it will be a great addition for your property with assets. Thanks so much for sharing, hey Cali❤️! 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🤩🤩🤩💯💯💯
Oscar worthy video! Thanks Shawn!
Your chickens will be spoiled and happy. Your awesome~😊
And safe!!! I've seen those "little raccoon hands" rip off the "quaint shakes"(must look good for the neighbours) that were the roof of any otherwise quite sturdy chicken house..... It was a bloody massacre.... 😭. The few that fled to the surrounding tall trees didn't trust him anymore re: where to sleep...🤣🤣 They did come to eat and lay their eggs tho.... Thank you for your wonderful content, it is appreciated!!! 👍👍✌️🥰🇨🇦
You certainly work hard to achieve your goals. Hope all goes well for you.
Thanks for sharing. Beautifully done video. Hugs for Cali 🐕.
Beautiful and so peaceful looking water shots. Give Cali a hug for me. Looking forward to the chicken build.
Shawn you are an inspiration to many across this globe sir. I salute you for sharing your life, memories and journey with us. Shalom
I love all the scenes of nature. So peacefull. Love watching Cali, so adorable! Lots of hard work, but worth it.
I love watching Cali exploring
The last 5 Min. are spezial wonderfull! Thank you so much to see the nature through your eyes!
Hi Shawn 😊A bit late - but all the best for April 10 😉 Nice work for your chickens, and i love Chali's smile 🐕
Brought back memories of my childhood. My Dad did concrete, masonry. If you ever needed rain, just plan on pouring concrete - the rain pops up out of nowhere.
Haha. If I want rain, I wash my truck!!
Good job, unfortunately you forgot the moisture barrier between the foundation and the wooden planks. Now the wooden planks will rot quickly.
A five star everyproof coop it will be. 😮😊
What beauty, it’s so serene. Nice chickens coop. Love yourself more ❤.
Have to laugh at Calli, she really wants to help. Greatjob, beautiful out there,can't wait for you to finish. God bless you both❤😊
A burst of new and beautiful living beings brings the Spring. Mother Earth fed her children all winter below the surface and now we see the results of all that stored energy. And we ourselves find a great energy stored during our less active winter busting out as well. Long nights that turn into long days. What a Lovely Balance and we all are part of it. Thank You Kindly for sharing as always. The Beauty there is breathtaking! And Cali Loved by all in all her glory fits so well with her home. Many Blessings and Joy of Being! DaveyJO in Pennsylvania
So Beautiful, peaceful comfort.
Shawn - I am 75 years old and in pretty good shape for my age. However, last year I attempted to lift an elderly gentleman (90) who weighed 190 pounds off the floor where he had fallen and could not get up. I lifted with my back and not my legs and my brain. I suffered a severe compression fracture of L4. I know you are a lot younger, but I am watching you lift those big rocks, fully bent over at the waist and not always using your legs to do the lifting. Please be careful. I so enjoy watching you build and seeing your creativity. Your channel is the best of the best. I would not want to see you get hurt and not be able to continue. Kind Regards, Randy @ Coyote Sticks by WILEY, Arizona, USA
No doubt water 💦 is the most active part of the nature in my eyes and for my soul. Thank you for such a nice film.
Spring has sprung in the highlands and with it comes the water levels that hopefully make it to the seas or lakes but as long as its not too deep Cali will enjoy herself. Cheers Shawn.
That is or will be an awesome chicken coop. The boulder hauling looked really intense. Where an earth had Cali been to get that muddy? Thank goodness she loves the water. The water looked fast. You must have had a lot of rain. Take care, keep safe. ❤ Dorset, UK
Love the ending! So peaceful to see the new spring buds and the wonderful flow of the river. Also love the pics of you and your beautiful dog aren’t they just amazing animals loving unconditionally.
SHAWN & OUR CALI !!! This is more my speed right now !!! Got to rest & relax with the outside hammering away !!! Wish I had the 6 acres of land !!! Worked so hard on it lived in a car garage for the summer months !!! Everything you needed in that 1 garage for living in it !!! They told me no A FRAME LOG CABIN for the land I thought that sucked big time !!! No animals larger than a dog not a goat or anything just dog & chickens that was it !!! Felt like my freedom had been taken from me !!!
Wow, that base will take some heavy weight chickens.😂 Excellent job, can't wait to see the finished coop.
Bit of a double edge sword . Chickens need grit or they'll start picking their own eggs ... concrete floor keeps predators out but stop the chickens get their correct diet ... but I'm sure you've got it in hand 👍👍👍 awesome build