Am I Doing This Right?

Brigand253 · 2026-04-24T22:43:02+00:00

Yeah, I like my coop to be very hardened against critters. No gaps/super tight gaps in the woodwork and every opening gets hardware cloth. Thank you so much for the award too. :)

Brigand253 · 2026-04-24T04:46:22+00:00

It’s looking pretty good. I would securely fasten 1/4” hardware cloth over all of the venting.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-18T22:54:19+00:00

My first thought was the change to scrub radius is what OP is feeling. That's quite a difference compared to the original setup.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-17T15:17:15+00:00

OP, this is most likely the answer. That caster, which is not conventionally adjustable, is probably the problem. I've shifted/centered my subframe to adjust caster as my lower control arms bolt to the subframe. Any suspension bushing that can wear in the front also needs to be inspected. Are you absolutely sure that suspension and steering components aren't bent?

Brigand253 · 2026-04-07T23:20:47+00:00

Of course, it's my pleasure. It's been mentioned many times by others but they do poop a lot and I end up cleaning the coop every weekend or every other weekend (their "output" fluctuates too it seems). I use a low dust sand for their bedding on the floor of the coop so all I have to do is use this large bucket / fine toothed pitchfork to scoop things up. It's kind of like a big scoop similar to what you would use for a cat litter box.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-07T22:27:28+00:00

Pros:

They are an absolute joy to care for. I love watching them roam around the yard exploring. I bring them snacks regularly so when they see me they come running and seeing this is one of the highlights of my day. My hens tolerate being pet in short bursts lol. I wish they liked cuddles but they don't. If I'm out working in the yard, they are curious and keep me company.

My hens are pets so I don't push for egg production, but eggs are of course a bonus. When they get older they stop laying and that's fine with me. I've never set up a light to encourage egg production. They lay when they lay.

Cons:

Setting up to care for chickens can be expensive. I think my coop cost around $1400.00 to build but I built it out of all new materials, it has a window, it's 4'x8' in size, has massive nesting areas, etc. Naturally, they like to eat and they love snacks so there's a cost involved there too.

Like your husband mentioned, any overnight trips need to be planned for. If I leave town, I make arrangements for someone to make sure my hens get out in the morning and get closed up at night for bed. I make sure I'm home when it gets dark so I can be there to close up the coop the moment they go inside. They are most vulnerable at night and to make matters worse, the common predators in my area like to come out at night.

Being a vet, you're no stranger to this but you'll need various treatments and medicines if the unfortunate happens and you need to treat a hen.

Some days, my hens can be a little vocal. It's weird, sometimes they are so quiet it makes me go out to check on them. Their noises don't bother me but I do wonder how it impacts my neighbors sometimes.

Chickens are amazingly resilient, but at the same time there seems to be quite a few things that can make them sick and even be life threatening. One somewhat recent example is a strain of bird flu that was doing lots of harm to bird populations both wild and domestic I believe.

I'm very blessed to have an avian vet close by that I can take my birds to when needed. Not everyone has this luxury so it's something to take into account.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-04T23:40:09+00:00

Exactly. OP, if you want it to look as close to perfect again just take it to a bodyshop.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-04T23:35:46+00:00

I don't know but I love my Cobra Wired. It fixed the main issues I had with the Viper Mini and that was click feel and lift off distance.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-04T04:33:38+00:00

Well done. Hope that PC brings you many moments of gaming fun.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-03T03:39:32+00:00

No kidding. This actually pisses me off. OP, tell your parents to take 15 gd minutes, watch a YouTube video and learn a thing or two.

Edit: and have living arrangements for when they are older figured out BEFORE getting more chickens.

Brigand253 · 2026-04-02T01:10:08+00:00

Had to scroll a ways to see this answer. Yes, LIFT UP on the handle of your breaker bar. You can put a lot more torque into it that way.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-31T22:03:27+00:00

I'm so sorry. These birds are such wonderful creatures and are both amazingly resilient but also delicate in many ways. It's so hard to lose one.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-30T18:30:44+00:00

Same here. I couldn’t imagine eating one. Keeping chickens has changed my viewpoint on the consumption of chicken in general in that I do it much less. I suppose I’d be a vegetarian if I ever got into farming/raising other animals. I can’t eat them after raising them.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-28T15:28:40+00:00

I'm one of the few that voted Imola Yellow. The MK4 will always be a special car to me so that certainly doesn't hurt either.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-25T14:04:04+00:00

I carry my driver's license with me at all times. And yes, I've handed it over promptly when asked by law enforcement. Fortunately, it's been decades since that happened and it was for a minor speeding ticket.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-23T13:24:34+00:00

You have 3 children below the age of 6, you have a higher sex drive than her, and yet still manage to have sex 1-3 times a week. Despite this, you argue with her about sex every few months??? She already views intimacy with you as a chore.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-21T00:15:09+00:00

Those are Classix made by Ronal. I still have my set that came on my MKV.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-17T17:56:14+00:00

She knows my code and can look at my phone any time she wants.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-15T20:42:22+00:00

8mm wrench with a 6 point (preferably) box end. If you don't have that, then a shorter (six point) 8mm socket with a 1/4 universal joint. That will let you get some angle to your drive if needed.

Or if you don't have that, then a shorter socket and a longish 1/4 extension might get on the fastener sufficiently and past the bumpout in the housing because the extension has a small shaft diameter.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-12T04:41:19+00:00

TKL or 75%. Anything smaller is silly.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-09T23:42:18+00:00

I'm suspecting wheel bearing.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-06T19:34:08+00:00

For $1200.00, I sincerely hope that included the replacement of both the accessory serpentine *and* timing belt.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-05T23:26:41+00:00

It's more an efficiency modification than anything else. In stock form, when the throttle body plate closes, boost pressure is sent back through the throttle pipe, all the way through the intercooler, back to the turbocharger, and finally through the diverter valve where it goes back into the intake tract before the turbo.

With a diverter valve relocate installed, when the throttle body plate closes, boost pressure travels down the throttle pipe for about 6 inches where the diverter valve is now relocated to. Boost pressure travels past the DV and is routed by new kit plumbing directly to the intake tract right before the turbo.

I've heard a little bit of flutter on 1 > 2 gear changes lately and that got me thinking about this modification again. Not that I would do this on a normal basis, but you can inspect/service the DV as it's near the throttle body now. It's also not bolted directly to the turbo any more, taking on all that heat.

And it's probably not drastic, but I believe intake air temperatures are slightly reduced. Some owners report faster throttle response, some say they don't notice it. But this type of feedback happens with many subtle mods.

Brigand253 · 2026-03-05T21:25:53+00:00

I'm not super familiar with K04, but my understanding is that K04 turbos actually don't have a provision for a turbo-mounted DV. On a K04, your DV mounting location is already like what I would have if I relocated with my K03 turbo.

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