Chicken Coop

[stevo]

Here's my Chicken Coop Build Thread.
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I started this: 03/2013
I've started on the Chicken Coop. First i looked around at different ones available, ranging from small mobile ones at $500 up to fancy ones at $1500 - $2000?. I understand that stuff costs money, but i thought i have all the materials, posts, roofing, bricks, some wire, i should just build one. So i dug some holes, cut some posts to the right height, welded the frame together, put some cement in the posts holes. I dug some trenches and lined them with bricks to try stop feral animals, like mice, rats, cats and dogs from digging tunnels. This how it sits now. I still have to weld some more of the frame, do the roof and walls, wire, front door etc. This is 3 bricks deep in a trench.

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Update: 23/03/2013
I was using my Gasless Mig and it made a strange sound and stopped, i turned and looked at it and all the smoke was released from the inside.

I was halfway through building the chicken coop so i needed another one... didn't really want another gasless, and i didn't really want an arc welder, i've had one before, but after a bit of looking around on the net i saw the inverters, i wasn't too sure about them but they said they're pretty good and light, so i just went and got one, awesome! only weighs 4kg so an invalid like me can carry it up the backyard. I have to turn it right down so it doesn't blow holes, but i was surprised that you can turn it down pretty low and it fills the holes easily. This one was $350.

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Update 24/03/2013
I made a fair bit of progress today. Roof is on, some walls are on, a bit of wire done, door made, hinges and latch.

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update: 25/04/2013
I did some more work on the freerange yard, made a gate...

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update: 12/05/2013
I did some more work on the chicken bedroom. The photo shows the left side door open. It closes so there's only a thin doorway where the ramp goes in. This elevated platforms leaves the floor area free so it's easier to clean, rake up. And added a food and water feeder

 

[Mark]

This is a textbook design for an urban chicken coop and run using recycled materials at minimal cost. This is really impressive Stevo

Your bantams must love it! The bricks around the base of the chook house (3 deep) is a great idea and I like the run and your DIY access gate (must be handy knowing how to weld).

Any more work to do or are you pretty much done and happy with it?

 

[stevo]

cheers Mark,

I have since reduced the size of the run a little bit and i have started to put chicken wire over the top so it will be fully enclosed. I'm using the frame from my old Hills Hoist. This is a completely different style of building, it's all a bit temporary and just wired together, welds or bolts.

 

[Mark]

Ok, that looks pretty cool - good use of space. Why do you want to fully enclose the pen over the top?

 

[stevo]

Mainly to keep cats out. I'd like to be able to leave the coop gate open and run gate closed, and maybe i can leave them to access the run area while i'm at work.

The other week, two unknown dogs chased the neighbours cat through their yard, it flew over my back fence (2m high chicken wire) and between all the chickens and up that tree in the photo. It stayed up there for 8 hours. The chickens were flying everywhere, luckily the cat was pre-occupied with escaping from the dogs.

 

[Mark]

Bloody cats! They probably wouldn't attack a chicken though... Dogs definitely do as we know - got to always be on the guard for stray dogs as even the little buggers make a mess of a flock.

 

[stevo]

In my area Cats legally have to be registered and kept within their yard which is a great law, but owners don't seem to care or can't control their cats, no suprises there.

My chickens are out wondering the yard all weekend, they always stay in the backyard. I used to close the front gate incase the chickens wondered down the street, but they don't even go down the driveway... but now i close the gate to keep the dogs out.

 

[Mark]

Sounds great. The chickens free ranging around your house that is. Still you have a pretty big run for them anyway but it's nice to have the odd chook roam around the backyard.

 

[stevo]

ay @Mark - Mr Website Support, ... I can't edit my above posts/links, sooo... when you have time, no rush, can you edit the above photo links and change the domain to "shackers.net/" .. if the photos aren't there i'll go and add them to that directory.

PS. I just looked, photos are on the work computer, so i'll have to add them when I get back to work.

 

[Mark]

ay @Mark - Mr Website Support, ... I can't edit my above posts/links, sooo... when you have time, no rush, can you edit the above photo links and change the domain to "shackers.net/" .. if the photos aren't there i'll go and add them to that directory.

PS. I just looked, photos are on the work computer, so i'll have to add them when I get back to work.

@stevo no worries, I've changed the permissions for Premium Members temporarily to unlimited time for post editing so go ahead and re-do your images in whatever posts you need to - just let me know whenever you're done (no rush).

 

[stevo]

ahh I see what you did there... now I have to do all the work !

 

[dijon]

ahh I see what you did there... now I have to do all the work !