Chicken Coop / Green house building.

Discussion in 'Designing, building, making and powering your life' started by Pakanohida, Mar 16, 2013.

  1. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    On the west side of the current building I am living in we had some wasted space. After reading the benefits and ingenuity of the Chicken Coop / Green house that is suggested in the PDM I decided to do some salvaging and retrofitting.

    The North side of the shed like structure is getting a door, and a cob / round wood wall for thermal mass. During the summer the cedar siding will be clad in straw bale for thermal insulation. The Roof of this structure is getting home made skylights that I salvage using plant from Michael Reynolds Earthship designs. South side I found some windows that I put in, and I am figuring out some other ways to cover the south side. I am also considering the 2L bottle windows as well. In the center I toe nailed in a wooden pallete which got covered with chicken wire to the ceiling. On the east side of the wooden pallete / chicken wire wall is a gate which again is being covered with wire so as to keep the chickens out of the southern greenhouse side.

    Also planning to add chicken nipple watering system, nesting boxes & roosts.

    It's slowly coming along.
    [​IMG]


    Well, back off to work on it.

    Oh, everything is locally salvaged from under 25 miles if anything was salvaged.
     
  2. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Looks fantastic! Really admire people who have a go at building stuff using timber. We have built few things here other than my horse stables which I designed and partly built myself with help of partner. By some major miracle they actually turned out ok. Despite the fact that my partner is a fitter and turner, talents don't stretch to carpentery skills lol! Mechanics, welding, steelwork yes, woodwork and general building, no. So when we wan't things like hutches, coops and cages and compost bins etc I usually have to find something that looks vaguely like it could be modified and then I work out a way to modify it using my trusty 'tools'....bolt cutter, tinsnips or pliers, a fence cliplock stapler and/or cable ties. If I can't use these it usually doesn't happen. :) (You should see what my chooks sleep and nest in - think I am too embarrassed to show it!)
    Your design sounds terrific, good luck with the rest of the work. Put up some more photos as you progress. :)
     
  3. chook-in-eire

    chook-in-eire Junior Member

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    Nice idea, Pak. Keep us posted with lots of pics. :)
     
  4. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    "Spam" came by for a tour.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    And christened it with a deposit - must auger well for the future of the coop, lol. :)
     
  6. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    Picture from the Coop side looking into the greenhouse side.

    [​IMG]
     
  7. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    Now I have chicken coop envy, lol!
     
  8. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    Tomorrow I have to build and put in nesting boxes. Then I will continue as you see the logs and cob going.

    [​IMG]

    That is a patch of St. John's Wort in the background. It is currently raining outside.
     
  9. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    Spam moved in!

    As of last night, without having to put "Spam" in the new home, she walked on in & roosted herself last night. 8)

    There are still things I need to finish off here and there like sky lights, and the automatic water system, but it work, its warm, and I am happy. More importantly, Spam took to it like a champ & that makes me feel good.

    4 more days till the chicks and ducklings arrive, I can't wait.
     
  10. chook-in-eire

    chook-in-eire Junior Member

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    Lovely job, Pak, and it looks like "Spam" has given her seal of approval. :)
     
  11. Pakanohida

    Pakanohida Junior Member

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    The chicks and ducks still have not arrived. I am a sad panda still. Rumor has it, MAYBE the middle of this month. The grange I go to is having problems with all 5 hatch-ling producers. They could not even get me my Ohio Buckeyes.
     
  12. mouseinthehouse

    mouseinthehouse Junior Member

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    That's a bummer! Don't worry as soon as they arrive they will keep you busy! :)

    We had a sad week with our poultry last week - two of our Indian Runners got eaten by foxes :( And it was really our own fault. Two of the girls had started sitting on eggs out under a thick bush in the front 'yard'. They wouldn't come in at night. We meant to take the eggs away but didn't get around to it immediately as we had very hot dry conditions for 5 months and hadn't seen any foxes for ages. Well that was STUPID! A fox took both of them in one night. Talk about feeling guilty and negligent. Lesson learnt the hard way. :(
     
  13. annette

    annette Junior Member

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    Sorry to hear about your ducks MITH. I had the same thing happen but with wild dogs and muscovy ducks. Don't blame yourself too much. These things happen. You live and you learn. ;)
     
  14. Jan Harvey

    Jan Harvey New Member

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    Nice pictures of Green House ....
    Thanks to share .
     
  15. Bangyee

    Bangyee Junior Member

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    I heard people raising and socializing their dog with chicken. The dog would sleep around the chicken coop at night - sounds like a good way to protect ranging birds as well.
     

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