Tre3hugger
Let Your Freak Flag Fly
I built this using 2x4s and pallets/scrap wood. I also bought roofing materials. It's 8x4xabout 9 ft high and cost around $250. I'm a novice builder, and this project presented a lot of...problem solving opportunities. Not much was square etc due to the recycled material but I made it work. I'm pretty glad how it's coming out! Happy to answer any questions or hear any critiques. This will be housing 9 juvenile guineas for a month then only at night.
I put a floor of 2x4s and plywood on cinder blocks with shims for a "foundation." Then I made the long walls out of pallets stacked 2 high.
After bracing the pallets, I added an inner frame of 2x4s for some stability, and framing for the doors. The 2x4s of the pallets provide plenty of perimeter shelving to attach roosts to.
I threw the roof together quite unexpertly, but it has already stood up to 1 rainstorm. Shout out to @DobieLover for helping with the rafter math. Didn't come out perfect, but it'll work! I am going to add one more roof panel on each end to give a slight overhang over the doors. The plywood door with the twig handle on the left will be for the birds. The opening on the right will be a feed/water/interaction door, which doesn't open to floor level. The diamond shaped piece of wood rotates and "double locks" the guinea door. The top half of top pallets are still slatted for ventilation and so the birds can look out while roosting, but covered with chicken wire. The roof alternates green and clear to provide shade or radiant solar heat as they prefer. Used foam insulation in an attempt at a draft free bottom half.
Clearly running low on wood! lol scraping the bottom of the scrap pile.
Just need to make the triangles to complete the sheathing up top(so tricky!) and finish that last door. The back side will have a big fold down hatch door for clean out.
Not the pretties coop but I'm thrilled with what I accomplished for the price. A few coats of paint will go a long way.
@R2elk @Mixed flock enthusiast any suggestions for roost layout inside? Def plan on putting a shelf above the feeder/waterer. Should I put a nesting box? Think my birds will like it? I plan on putting them in there by monday! They will be 3 1/2 weeks old. Should I put their brooder plate on at night in there for approx 50* temps? I plan on converting there brooder into a huddle box, do you think the heat plate's necessary? My 9 keets are ready for an upgrade. Brooder's gettin tight!
Thanks for reading!
I put a floor of 2x4s and plywood on cinder blocks with shims for a "foundation." Then I made the long walls out of pallets stacked 2 high.
After bracing the pallets, I added an inner frame of 2x4s for some stability, and framing for the doors. The 2x4s of the pallets provide plenty of perimeter shelving to attach roosts to.
I threw the roof together quite unexpertly, but it has already stood up to 1 rainstorm. Shout out to @DobieLover for helping with the rafter math. Didn't come out perfect, but it'll work! I am going to add one more roof panel on each end to give a slight overhang over the doors. The plywood door with the twig handle on the left will be for the birds. The opening on the right will be a feed/water/interaction door, which doesn't open to floor level. The diamond shaped piece of wood rotates and "double locks" the guinea door. The top half of top pallets are still slatted for ventilation and so the birds can look out while roosting, but covered with chicken wire. The roof alternates green and clear to provide shade or radiant solar heat as they prefer. Used foam insulation in an attempt at a draft free bottom half.
Clearly running low on wood! lol scraping the bottom of the scrap pile.
Just need to make the triangles to complete the sheathing up top(so tricky!) and finish that last door. The back side will have a big fold down hatch door for clean out.
Not the pretties coop but I'm thrilled with what I accomplished for the price. A few coats of paint will go a long way.
@R2elk @Mixed flock enthusiast any suggestions for roost layout inside? Def plan on putting a shelf above the feeder/waterer. Should I put a nesting box? Think my birds will like it? I plan on putting them in there by monday! They will be 3 1/2 weeks old. Should I put their brooder plate on at night in there for approx 50* temps? I plan on converting there brooder into a huddle box, do you think the heat plate's necessary? My 9 keets are ready for an upgrade. Brooder's gettin tight!
Thanks for reading!
Long story short, frugality leads to a direct correlation between problem solving and quality of life/luxury. Makes accomplishing stuff feel super good.
