It's still under construction, but the main yard is up. My 8 hens will have a shady 10'x10' chain link enclosure covered with chicken wire. The henhouse will be 6'x4', elevated 32-36 inches off the ground so the bird food and water will be underneath to keep the food dry and the water cool.
Bucket style nesting boxes will be mounted underneath to the floor joists so they don't use them as beds and they aren't taking space in the henhouse. Support bracing between the legs of the henhouse will function as daytime roosts and a step up into the nesting boxes.
A small door at the top of a ramp will allow free access all day when latched open and padlocked at night to keep the coons out. Also, the entire front wall will open to allow easy access for cleaning and padlocked shut when not in use.
One perch 18 inches from the back and two feet of the ground. Second one 12 inches closer to the front, a foot higher than the one in back. Both will span the entire six feet of the interior.
Mulling over the placement of windows and the possible addition of a hinged skylight for additional ventilation in the summer and a lighter, airy atmosphere. Considering a brick "patio" for ther food and water so it stays cleaner.
Later this year, adding a small solar panel so I can have a brooder light inside for heat when it gets very cold.
We plan to clip their wings so they don't escape when we free range, but with hawks nesting nearby, we can never leave them in the yard unattended.
Bucket style nesting boxes will be mounted underneath to the floor joists so they don't use them as beds and they aren't taking space in the henhouse. Support bracing between the legs of the henhouse will function as daytime roosts and a step up into the nesting boxes.
A small door at the top of a ramp will allow free access all day when latched open and padlocked at night to keep the coons out. Also, the entire front wall will open to allow easy access for cleaning and padlocked shut when not in use.
One perch 18 inches from the back and two feet of the ground. Second one 12 inches closer to the front, a foot higher than the one in back. Both will span the entire six feet of the interior.
Mulling over the placement of windows and the possible addition of a hinged skylight for additional ventilation in the summer and a lighter, airy atmosphere. Considering a brick "patio" for ther food and water so it stays cleaner.
Later this year, adding a small solar panel so I can have a brooder light inside for heat when it gets very cold.
We plan to clip their wings so they don't escape when we free range, but with hawks nesting nearby, we can never leave them in the yard unattended.