Building a Chicken House

[slick4591]

The wife says she wants farm fresh eggs so it's time to build a chicken house. I've been looking at the chicken tractors and other designs, but I think I've settled on an 8x10 building with a dozen or so nesting boxes.

I want this chicken project to be as maintenance free (translated to mean easy on me) as possible, so I'm making the nesting boxes accessible from the outside. I think I'm going with the watering cups that are gravity fed from a water barrel. I've thought of an automatic door opener with an adjustable timer and a feed chute made of PVC that has holes in it so they can peck the feed.

If I could figure out a way to gather the eggs from my recliner it would even be better. Have I left any luxury items out? Would love to read better suggestions.

 

[LRTX1]

The neighbor lady down the road raises chickens and sells "farm fresh eggs" I give here a dollar a dozen most weeks, a little more if we cant make change between us. It would take me forever to come out ahead raising my own chickens, and It don't get any more maintenance free than that......just sayin

So far the ideas you have sound good. Good luck in the egg business.

 

[slick4591]

Spending this much money it ain't gonna be a business. The wife is on a healthy food spree. That's why we even planted a garden this year. I'm afraid this healthy way of eating will end mine sooner than later. :lol:

 

[DavisBeefmasters]

Cheapest way to build a chicken house is to wait for a sale on those wooden "sheds"/"tool barns" at your local hardware store...

1. Put it up on either a concrete slab or gravel
2. Put in some 1x1's as perches on the inside
3. Put in some nest boxes
4. Put a ventilator on the roof so you don't have fried chicken on a hot day
5. Cut a 10" x 12" panel on the back side and attach it with a piano hinge at the top for them to walk in and out (close it down at nite to keep out the coyotes/stray dogs/raccoons.

Voila -- chicken house done!

 

[slick4591]

Cheapest way to build a chicken house is to wait for a sale on those wooden "sheds"/"tool barns" at your local hardware store...

1. Put it up on either a concrete slab or gravel
2. Put in some 1x1's as perches on the inside
3. Put in some nest boxes
4. Put a ventilator on the roof so you don't have fried chicken on a hot day
5. Cut a 10" x 12" panel on the back side and attach it with a piano hinge at the top for them to walk in and out (close it down at nite to keep out the coyotes/stray dogs/raccoons.

Voila -- chicken house done!

Wished I thought of the building before I went to Home Depot.

1. I'm putting it on 2x6 frame with ¾" plywood to keep the underneath varmints out.
2. I have the perches figured out.
3. The nesting boxes will be stuck out the back with hinged lids so I can get eggs without having to go inside. That also lets me see whether I want to stick my hand in the box.
4. Will have it ventilated on all four sides and will be able to secure doors over the openings in the winter. On the north side the holes will be right at the roofline for the hottest air to pull through.
5. That's what the timed door access will be for.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[I luv herfrds]

Are you going to have a fenced run outside or are you going to free range them?

If you build a run make sure you bury some wire underground so predators cannot dig their way inside. Run chicken wire over the top to keep the flying predators out too.
Make a vent somewhere on all 4 walls. That way when the wind blows it can ventalate the whole house, less chance of fried chicken.

 

[slick4591]

Thanks! I have a old chain link dog kennel that I'll bury the bottom of and use that. It'll make a 10' x 30' yard and I'll be sure to cover it with chicken wire. Don't want fried chicken, so I will have all four walls ventilated.

 

[MO_cows]

Please post a pic when you get done, sounds like it's gonna be a nice little project. If it does in fact end up 8 X 10, your wife could have about 20 birds. I assume she is buying started pullets, since you don't mention building a brooder to raise chicks. Your eggs will cost more, but they really are better tasting and a lot fresher than the ones from the store. If you don't have varmint or dog issues, let them free range and work down your insect population. They will even kill small snakes, toads, etc. We let ours out in the morning, close up the shed when they go back in to roost at dusk, so they can eat free as much as possible.

 

[slick4591]

Shooting for 16 birds so there's a little extra room. We're probably going to have a problem with free ranging them with my dog (who has never seen a chicken) and all the town dogs that come out here.

She got started on this because she is a cancer survivor and has started watching our diets. A guy from church is at fault on the eggs. He gave her a dozen and it went like a snowball. She's been buying them ever since. A friend has already offered his brooder to borrow, but I'm more inclined to buy starters. I'll be glad to post pictures when I'm finished.

Funny, but I handed the Home Depot receipt to her and told her to add another $400.00 to it and that was the cost of her farm fresh eggs to date. Better not to repeat what she said. :lol:

 

[MO_cows]

Well if it makes you feel any better, just consider that she can probably never lose as much money wrangling chickens as you can potentially with cows. :cboy:

 

[slick4591]

Well if it makes you feel any better, just consider that she can probably never lose as much money wrangling chickens as you can potentially with cows. :cboy:

This is true! But, I coulda bought another heifer with that money.

 

[slick4591]

Not finished just yet. Still got to make the feeder, hang the gutter to drop water in barrel, run electricity and touch up on the painting, but you ought to get the idea of what I'm doing. Still not to late for suggestions. Last pic should read "roosting area on the three sides that are available" instead of "roosing area on all three sides."

 

[cow pollinater]

Now THAT is a chickenhouse. :clap: You need some fancy birds to go in that thing.
I'm not trying to make you jelous or anything but here's what I did:
I ripped out my back yard and planted it all to dutch clover(high in protien and calcium), put a wooden egg in my wife's kitchen window planter box, turned the chickens out and yelled at my dogs every time one of them got close to a bird for a week.
I don't feed any birds, they drink at the dog fountain, and every morning my wife just opens her window for a half-dozen fresh eggs and I NEVER have to mow the lawn. I loose about a bird a year when a dog just can't stand it anymore but that's less than we used to loose when they were pened up and the foxes would break in.

 

[tom4018]

Wow, make me ashamed of the one I built. It is easy to put money in projects like that, I know we did, yours is bound to be higher than ours.

 

[slick4591]

every morning my wife just opens her window for a half-dozen fresh eggs and I NEVER have to mow the lawn. I loose about a bird a year when a dog just can't stand it anymore but that's less than we used to loose when they were pened up and the foxes would break in.

That does make me jealous! :lol: I have an old chain link dog kennel that I'll put in front of the thing. They'll have to be kept in there because we have way to many stays through here. I'm going to use hog panel for below ground protection if I can get things dug in this concrete we have right now.

Wow, make me ashamed of the one I built. It is easy to put money in projects like that, I know we did, yours is bound to be higher than ours.

As far as the money goes, you can tell it's pretty close to our house and the business building. Momma wanted it to match, so I'm happy to spend it if it'll make her happy!

Thanks for the compliments!

 

[CKC1586]

Wow! That is some nice chicken coop! :clap: My daughter tried to do chickens and was great for a while, but the foxes won....ate all of em but an old rooster.

 

[slick4591]

Thanks! Hopefully, with the way I've built it I won't have a big predator problem. My dog keeps most things ran off, too.

 

[I luv herfrds]

Awesome chicken house.

My chickens are jealous. ;-) :lol2: :lol2: :lol2:

 

[slick4591]

Thanks! :lol: :lol:

 

[MO_cows]

Very nice! I guess it doesn't get cold enough there to freeze those pipes for the watering system? (My poor underprivileged hens drink out of a heated dog bowl set up on a milk crate in the winter.)