By: John Daniel

Period 4 Engineering

Mr. Cady

My Turkey BackgroundA couple of years ago, my family had blue slate turkeys. We had 15 turkeys to house (not counting the one who killed itself in the electric fence). We didn’t lock them up because they like to wander. We put them in the barn and closed the doors. They got out first thing in the morning and would stand on the window sills and squawk at us. They would also annoy my dad by flying up onto the roof of our house. If they could get down it would be fine, but they are so incredibly stupid that they run around squawking and panicking until someone throws them off the roof (my dad). Their wandering led to their downfall as they slowly started going missing. 8 of them ended up getting eaten by coyotes and other predators. The need to confine them at night and ,if possible, during the day became apparent too late.

My ChargeWhen my I enrolled in engineering, my mom told me to design a turkey coop. I was reluctant and enjoyed making spaceships and other miscellaneous designs. When this project came around, I realized that I could create a turkey pen. With this in mind, I set out to make a design for a turkey coop. I had to take into mind the fact that turkeys like to wander. Because the minimum order for turkeys is 16 birds, I had to make my coop big enough to accommodate them. The final coop is 12 feet by 16 feet by 8 feet tall. This is enough for 16 turkeys plus some more.

My Materials

2 12’ x 16’ sheets of plywood (12 sheets of 4’ x 8’)

14 4’ x 8’ sheets of plywood 14 8’ long 2x6 boards 20 1.5’ long 2x4 boards (will be cut) 4 16’ long 2x4 boards (8 8’ long 2x4’s) 6 3’ long 2x4 boards 40 3.5” long 1x2 boards (will be cut)

12’ x 16’ plywood

Dimensions: 12’ x 16’ x 19/32” thick

Will be replaced with 6 sheets of 4’ x 8’ per sheet of 12’ x 16’ plywood with 2x4 boards for support.

4’ x 8’ plywood

Dimensions: 4’ x 8’ x 19/32” thick

Price: $10.47 per sheet

8’ long 2x6 boards

Dimensions: 8’ long x 2”x 6”

Price: $5.97 per board

1.5’ 2x4 boards

Dimensions: 1.5’ long x 2” x 4”

Will be cut from 2 16’ long 2x4 boards.

16’ long 2x4 boards

Dimensions: 16’ long x 2” x 4”

Can be replaced by 2 8’ long 2x4’s per 16’ foot long board.

Price: $8.97 per board

3’ long 2x4 boards

Dimensions: 3’ long x 2” x 4”

Will be cut from a 12’ long 2x4 and an 8’ long 2x4 board.

Price: $5.97/$3.49($9.46 total)

3.5” long 1x2 boards

Dimensions: 3.5” long x 1” x 2”

Will be cut from a 8’ long 1x2 board.

Price: $0.82 for each 8’ long board

Overall Design Description 12’ x 16’ x 8’ tall 4 roosts Wood shavings on the floor 4 roosting hay bales Can house 20-25 turkeys Will be on wheels Will have a trailer hitch Will have 2 water containers and 3

food containers bought from a livestock store (Murdochs).

Will have air vents so turkeys can breathe when the door is closed and don’t suffocate

Door will have an animal proof bolt Will be portable Will need to be parked near an

electrical socket in the winter for heaters to work.

The walls could be composed of chicken wire instead of plywood if not meant for winters.

Total Price 36 4’x8’ sheets of plywood for $10.47=$376.92 14 8’ long 2x6 boards for $5.97=$83.58 8 16’ long 2x4 boards for $8.97=$71.76 1 12’ long 2x4 board for $5.97 1 8’ long 2x4 board for $3.49 2 8’ long 1x2 boards for $0.82=$1.64

Total Price: $543.36 (not including wheels, trailer hitch, food, water, birds, hay bales, screws, drill, screw driver, nails, heater, bolts, hinges, and tax)

Thank You (From the Birds)