We'll I've been lurking here for a few months and have changed my original chicken tractor/vegi patch idea to a permanent house and run.
So it's the end of the Easter Weekend and after a couple of false starts we have the frame and floor done (photos tomorrow, I've lost my camera cable).
It's 2m long x 1.5m wide on 50cm legs. Highest point is about 2.5m.
The frame is made from recycled jarrah that we got free from gumtree and the floor is old jarrah floor boards from the scrap yard. White Ants are a major problem in the Perth Hills but Jarrah is naturally repellent to them so hopefully we'll get a few years out of it without having to treat it with chemicals.
There will be ventilation under the eaves on two sides. The nesting boxes are accessed from the door at the back and raised off the floor to easily sweep underneath. The back also opens right up so we can sweep the whole thing out without any lips or gaps for the mess to collect in.
We're also going to clad all the way down to the ground and put a shelf underneath to store the feed bins.
We've still got to find cladding for the outside and fibrecement board to line the inside and some tin for the roof, so far all we've paid is $40 for the floor boards and about $80 for fixings, sanding belts etc
**UPDATE** I finally found my camera cable, here are the photos of progress so far.
This is where the coop will sit (we'll move it shortly, beofre it gets any heavier). We've raised it on stilts are the block slopes down from the run to the coop so hopefully this way we'll avoid a soggy coop.
This is where the run will go, I'm going to have to sacrifice a couple of shrubs, but we'll keep the jacaranda trees for summer shade
This is the nesting boxes we buil today they are 12" x 12" x 14".
And here it is, there skeleton of our coop. Along with hubby and his brother in the background.
So? What ya think?
So it's the end of the Easter Weekend and after a couple of false starts we have the frame and floor done (photos tomorrow, I've lost my camera cable).
It's 2m long x 1.5m wide on 50cm legs. Highest point is about 2.5m.
The frame is made from recycled jarrah that we got free from gumtree and the floor is old jarrah floor boards from the scrap yard. White Ants are a major problem in the Perth Hills but Jarrah is naturally repellent to them so hopefully we'll get a few years out of it without having to treat it with chemicals.
There will be ventilation under the eaves on two sides. The nesting boxes are accessed from the door at the back and raised off the floor to easily sweep underneath. The back also opens right up so we can sweep the whole thing out without any lips or gaps for the mess to collect in.
We're also going to clad all the way down to the ground and put a shelf underneath to store the feed bins.
We've still got to find cladding for the outside and fibrecement board to line the inside and some tin for the roof, so far all we've paid is $40 for the floor boards and about $80 for fixings, sanding belts etc
**UPDATE** I finally found my camera cable, here are the photos of progress so far.
This is where the coop will sit (we'll move it shortly, beofre it gets any heavier). We've raised it on stilts are the block slopes down from the run to the coop so hopefully this way we'll avoid a soggy coop.
This is where the run will go, I'm going to have to sacrifice a couple of shrubs, but we'll keep the jacaranda trees for summer shade
This is the nesting boxes we buil today they are 12" x 12" x 14".
And here it is, there skeleton of our coop. Along with hubby and his brother in the background.
So? What ya think?
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