Upcycling anything (Futon Frame)

So part of my gardening this year involved planting some lettuce into containers.  All is fine except that we have a snowshoe hare in the area.  

Kind of admire the animal really.  It has obviously figured out that, if it can put up with humans and pets, it's a good deal safer living near the houses.  However, as much as I like it, I planted lettuce and the last thing I want to find is a hare in my food.  It occurred to me that it would be nice to be able to raise the containers.

Then I remembered that our old futon wore out and I saved the frame.  Why?  I don't know.  Apparently for this.  Took the bottom frame and attached the side with some old hinges.  It's braced with twine until I can get some table leg braces but I think it's going to work well.

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Hare in your food, ba ha ha!

Just picket it out and keep on eating.

The word around my house is, if it doesn't have a dog hair in it, it isn't home cooking!

Off topic? What?

I've seen old couch frames used as pea runners - looks quite cool. This is another excellent example of upcycling. WTG Fowler!

So, do hares not jump? You could always put a little lip around the edge to keep that from happening. Harelip, I guess you could call it.

See I look at that frame and see the beginnings of a brooder box. Chickens on the brain much? lol But I like your idea too.

Oh see now I was drawn to this thread because I have a nice futon but no frame and cannot find a place that will sell a frame without a futon....

Anyway, you live too far away for me to complain about the use of this excellent frame...

Only excellent because I took it apart and did something else with it.  At the end of its 'futon life', it was bound with duct tape so the back would stay in place. 

Changed the title of the thread to upcycling for any ideas that people may have had.

I've had a manure fork for years that is a piece of crap.  The tines bend so easy it's pretty much useless and I've thought about chucking it a number of times.

Current problem, sneaky sheep had found a spot where they could push under the fence to try and get at chicken feed.  Finally hit on the idea to use the crappy manure fork.  Threaded the handle through the fence about 4 feet up (to keep it upright and secure), then threaded the tines through the bottom wire and pushed them into the ground.  No more flapping fence.

Take that sheep!  This is what you can do when you have thumbs!

Great Idea for the Futon Thanks
Also I know most people have done this but for my Peas and beans
I have a King size Box spring Mattress that I took all the cloth and stuffing off of and it leaves a perfect Trellis for the peas and beans to climb

MY TURN!

okay, so this is one of my favorite upcycled things from the ranch here.

metal water troughs suck.  well once winter comes anyhow!!  every single one I have bought has been split at the sides, and folks-- it doesnt take much!  and they cant be fixed really either (we've tried a couple of methods, nothing long lasting)

anyhow! the summer I got sick I was doing a buttload of hatching and brooding, and mostly for other people!  and one of the "its" I had to brood that really got my gander up were the ducks.  good grief.  those just about killed me, and me them!  they wrecked just about everything they had been in!!   SO step in my brilliant dose of awesomeness, and I packed in TWO of these into my basement!  problem solved!!  they can house a lot of chickens, to a much older age.  they can handle turkeys amazingly, and best of all it works for the DUCKS!!  they could make all the rotten mess they wanted, and I could scoop out the shavings, rinse out the trough and away we went again!  other nice part???  WAY easier to disinfect!  so going between species and hatchings, I could get a much nice clean on things...

SO short story getting longer....  I am slowly breaking back into the bird world, and did a bit of hatching again.  and feeling the sting of the birds outgrowing the awesome tub brooder I do have, but are too young for outside yet--- I really hate cutting the apron strings!   I just love it.  it gives them room to run around, they can dust and scratch to their little hearts content, and I have room for bigger waters/feeders--- AND my brand new feeder!!!  whoohooo!!  look at that bad boy!!  freakin awesome that is what that is!   this was actually the second style built, the first one is the post coming after this one.   and then just because my Mister was going to burst from all his brilliance today, he built me a nice lid for the brooder!  I LOVE IT-- I mean HIM!  ahaha  well both!  they both make my life easier that is for sure!!!

Brooder
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inside the brooder, the serious end where all the napping happens
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UNO!!  this is one of the dimmer style switches that Mister built for me!!  another stroke of brilliance!  I can control the temperature of the brooder by the dimmer switch.  its just perfect, I can turn it up when they are young and need more heat, and dim it down as they get older!  I just watch how they like to sleep as to how I need to adjust


My new brand-spanky feeder!
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takes up way less space than the other feeders, it holds more, and I am hoping they will waste less!  so simple, and probably crude to some-- but folks this totally made my day!  I just love it

and this is what I get when I send a picture to Mister's phone and just say, hey doesnt that look like a good idea/????

he went scrounging around, found a bunch of scraps and built me this for my coop  (it will save me both space and grief!  I wont have to have seperate bins in the coop for both oyster and grit now, although I do still keep an old tire rim outside full of grit just so that when they are out there they have access.  figure if they see it out there, it will remind them.  that's my theory and I am stickin to it!)

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and the chickens immediately used it which made the Mister happier than making me happy!  silly man!  haha he just likes to see his good hard work actually being used...

Nice! The rounded top is excellent! No corners to catch yourself on!

I have a great idea for a chicken tractor. I will have to put it together some time.

Schipperkesue wrote:Nice!  The rounded top is excellent!  No corners to catch yourself on!

I have a great idea for a chicken tractor.  I will have to put it together some time.

I like the slightly rounded like this, because then the heat stays nicely at one end, no cold spots, and the other end with the food does stay warm, but no corners for them to get lost or stuck in.

not too big, not too small, not to tall, not too short PERFECT. and because it cant hold the dang water anymore, sure beat me having to get rid of it. they arent cheap so its nice to find a use for it!

Those make really nice brooders!

Also, I must use that pipe idea someday!

How tall is your trough?  I have a small horse one and then a longer shorter (sheep maybe) one

smokyriver wrote:How tall is your trough?  I have a small horse one and then a longer shorter (sheep maybe) one

It is a 2' x 2' x 6-ish' trough (was supposed to be 6, but actual measurements have it at 5 1/2'. got robbed I guess at the feed store on this one haha)

I like this height because its not too deep for ME to have to reach in to clean... I think that is the most important part

So it would be about the size of the one I call a sheep trough!  Lol now to freeze it so I can use it for a brooder!  I have one that is about 36" deep and the same long that we never use, but the other would be a much nicer brooder!