Grow Your Own Magazine

Just to frighten everyone I will now display my total lack of woodworking skills!

Those of a nervous disposition should look away.

Having got, and renovated, a small chicken ark I have decided to build a larger one for my hens. I don't know about you but I hate being cramped into a small space and I doubt that the chickens like it either. Given the number of foxes in this area just letting them freerange is an act of stupidity, something I try to avoid (OH says I'm failing, but then he has seen me with a hammer! ).

So without more ado, the plan is to build a hen house of split level design with the coop above the run, linked by a ramp. The run will be in sections so that it can be removed to allow the house to be moved by my daughter and myself.

In terms of access there will be a side door into the run to allow access to the feeder and drinker and to let the hens out if I can be there to watch them. There will be a flap at the nestbox end for access to eggs (I hope), a side door to the coop for ease of access putting hens in or what have you and a large removable panel at the back to give access for cleaning.

If I can contrive sufficiently the run will have hinged 'gates' to the front, level with the front of the coop, such that a minimal run is enclosed while moving the house, and the 'gates' will form part of the sides of the finished run area.

So before all the English teachers out there make comments on my spelling and punctuation (never needed it before.... ). All comments will be read, some might be replied to, and any ideas may be incoporated.

Get your keyboards ready!

Just make sure that your sections fix together very strongly - foxes are so very persistent. We lost all our chickens one year - the run fencing was buried 2 foot under the soil and was 3 foot high with a wire 'roof'. Mum gave up keeping chooks then as it was so stressful.

Not of course suggesting that this will happen to you - just recommending very careful thought about joining the sections together. Glad you are enjoying your hens (and the eggs).

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

Construction is in 1"x2" planed softwood drilled and screwed (don't like nails) and the dimensions are as follows.

Rear uprights 4', front uprights 4'6"

Side bars 2'

Front bars are 1.2m (because the wood comes in 2.4m lengths not 8')

Note that there is no bar across the bottom of the front, I want my 'gates' to go there.

Additional framing includes two uprights in the coop area set 8" back from the front, these will be used to support a roosting bar. The angled pieces which frame the top (roof) were scribed in situe to get the correct angles.

The coop floor is a piece of 9mm ply that I happened to have in the garage, the lines on it show the placings of cross bars to support it.

The pop hole is 1' by 8", and was cut with a jigsaw and then sanded to give a smooth edge.

This is how it looks at the moment.

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Today boringly enough was an ironing day, so not much on the coop!

Built the ramp. Measured some shiplap to the width of the pophole and cut 8 pieces. Joined them together with two strips of 1"x2" on the back, drilling and screwing. Finished ramp measures 33". Trimmed thin lap piece from top of ramp to give a deeper, more solid surface to screw into.

Fixed ramp to hen house frame with brass hinges (won't rust!).

Pictures below - the first is my cat Bournville 'making friends' with the hens!

Note the extra framing bar that closes the gap between the floor and the ramp so that should a fox get into the run there is nowhere for a paw to gain leverage!

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looking good TP

__________________
Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

love the cat/hen picture! Looks very good TP - got me thinking it would look nice in the garden here.

Which Jennie?

The cat, the ark, the new hen house?

Terry

Oh my goodness, I feel totally ashamed of my own DIY skills now!! And I can't use the excuse that I am domesticated, 'cos I hate Ironing (and housework)!!!!

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www.poultryproducts.co.uk

I know that feeling! I only iron if I have no choice, I suspect a tem in jail might be easier! As for cleaning I go for the 'sweeping a room with a glance' technique and let it all slide as long as poss!

Richard (OH) reckons I can't do DIY 'cause I work on the lottie principle that if it don't fall over it's fine. Actually making something which is sufficiently 'nice' for the garden and his poor sensitive eyes is quite a challenge. I may get ordered to paint the thing a suitable colour which in OH parlance means creosote (or rather a pet friendly alternative!)

Still as long as it works and I don't have a repeat of this morning too often (imagine if you please a middle age housewife sceaming like a banshee and hissing like a goose chasing a fox - better yet, sit down first. I must have looked so wierd!)

Thank God for tolerant neighbours

Terry

The ark Terry. But I like the cat as well!

Well in theory when I have finished the new hen house the ark will e going looking for a new home - I had to promise not to 'fill' the garden!

Suspect the shipping cost to you might be rather too much though!

Today I wanted to get the partition to the nesting area in place; I had a rummage in the garage and came up with some 4mm ply, which I think will do the job - a bit on the flimsy side, but should be ok.

Cut the vertical sides of the pop hole to the nest area with his nibs bandsaw, then scribed the horizontal on both sides and snapped the piece free. Sanded to remove rough edges.

Because the ply is so flexable I have put in a couple of extra framing pieces to support it so that the birds can't tear it out on the first evening! I also added a horizontal bar along the floor to stop the birds from kicking all the nesting material (and possible eggs) out of the nest area into the main roosing area - not sure if it is high enough, no doubt time will tell.

The not so good bit next - the ramp broke!

When I put the coop on its side to get better access to screw things together the ramp dropped suddenly and the jaring impact snapped the ramp into three pieces - so back to the drawing board on that.

I think the 'cure' is to use longer rear struts and extra fixings on the top and bottom pieces to give better support - should have done this in the first place!

Finally I have started the cladding on the front. I am using standard shiplap as you can see in the picture, measuring from the bottom with each piece to ensure that they go on evenly and will look 'correct'. The last piece is missing and will go on tomorrow after I drill a series of holes in it and cover them with wire for ventilation.

As an aside, I do have my plans for this coop drawn out on paper - should anyone want them do get in touch. copies can easily be made. They are a bit on the rough and ready side and migh need interpretation!

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Make it into a book and the publish it - or easier still, produce an E-book that you can email!!

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www.poultryproducts.co.uk

Looking great Terry!

Got nothing done today, far too soggy out there for me! The hens seem to like the rain, they've been standing out in it all day - daft things.

Put a cover over the run this afternoon to get them dry before I locked them up for the night.

Excellent thread TP keep going, i think you should definatley add a nice colour, cornflower blue or purple looks nice with some scalloped edging will take on a play house look, thats what i am after so if it works I wil print it all off, like Country Fayre says when you have finished read these back and make a e-book.
Good role model keep it up

Spent so long working on various things over the weekend, I hardly had the energy for the Sunday Chat, let alone posting progress!

Still, on Saturday I managed to panel the back of the nestbox, the side of the coop next to the keepers door, the top board at the front with ventilation holes and most importantly got the roosting bar in place! This was the hardest bit so far, I wanted to make the bar firm for the birds to roost on, yet removable for cleaning.

Richard came up with a solution for me and suggested metal bolts and slots into the beam. It works like this, having decided on the height of the roost (about 8") we proped the beem with offcuts and drilled through the previously set supports into the beam, placing bolts with the screw thread cut off into the holes. Then, removing the bolts, we lifted the beam out and cut, from underneath, to form slots up to the bolt holes. After which we replaced the bolts into the framework and simply lift the beam in and out.

I found that the beam was likely to twist slightly, so probably cut the slots too wide, this has been corrected by adding shot stops under the beam, against the existing framework.

Hopefully the photos will make this clear.

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It's a week since I put anything up here - work has progressed and I will post photos and so on - blame the Easter hols - I get no time for me!

Currently I have finished (piccies later) the egg hatch, the keepers door, a lift out back panel for cleaning. The ramp has been mended, the wire 'gates' are in place and the lower sides have been braced and wired (had to involve the OH in the wireing - turns out I'm allergic to the wire! Lovely case of scabby bleeding hands from the zinc coating, don't 'alf put a crimp in things when you can't hold anything!

Anyway - can now tpye again! Will go out with the camera after lunch and post this evening given the chance.

Thanks for the responses and you patience!

Terry

I had to smile when I saw your post (and this reply is well out of sequence), but I think you are really brave and doing a fab job. My OH is at this moment in the garage building an internal nest box, we have alreadytoday had to drive 70 mile round trip to see an example, then had B&Q rage up and down the aisles, took 3 hours (felt like) to pick the most suitable wood, and has now been in our garage for the last 2 hours banging, sawing and saying some naughty words!!!! Me? I am keeping well out of the way indoors!!!!
Your project is amazing, you should be proud!!!!

dead impressed with your carpentry skills.Have you doneanything like this before?

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Jane

Not to this scale, no, Jane. I helped Mum build a desk for my bedroom when I was 17 - about 22 years ago!

Other than that, just the usual lottie things, assemble a shed, assemble a greenhouse, Ikea furniture....... (and Boy! do you need a degree for that!)

Put up posts and so on to train plants over........

Oh Yes, helped the Father in Law to build part of his train layout - otherwise described as pass things while he works!

Does any of that count?

Was very good with Lego and Mechano as a kid!

Carpentry is just measuring acurately and not hitting your thumbs, it's not so hard, honest! And this project is very much on the lottie principles of if it don't fall down, it's fine! It's rather fun in fact.

Just got the roof to do and then the run extensions, so not much more.

Thanks for the comments, a lovely way to start the day!

Terry