Pictures of cvlighthouse's Hen house / tractor wannabe

Date sort Score sort
cvlighthouse

cvlighthouse

In the Brooder
12 Years
May 30, 2007
11
0
22
Carmel Valley, Ca.
Hey Guys,

After thinking about a design between a tractor and Hen house, I came up with this. It has a convertible roof that lifts up and over If I want it to w/ chicken wire on top. The house also has a door on the right where I can clean out the poop. Above it are their perches. The Hen boxes are on the left and the lid can be opened for easy retrieval of eggs. The floor is pond liner w/ sand over at the moment. It needs a cleaning and I'll be trying out wood chips instead of the sand. I plan on making a trap door and enclosing the bottom so they have access to the dirt at all times. It is pretty heavy and takes 4 guys to move it. It probably was overkill with the wire and visqueen on the inside, but I want them to be warm and I want th thing to last forever. I also want to be able to clean it out easily, hence the pond liner and visqueen so I can power wash it with the hose when I need to. Any questions or comments are welcome! This is my first Hen house and batch of chicks so I am new to the hobby. I believe the chicks are Bardrock and Australorp. Thanks and Enjoy!

IMG_2261.jpg


IMG_2260.jpg


IMG_2259.jpg


IMG_2262.jpg


IMG_2263.jpg


Plans as promised:

chickencoop.jpg
 
Last edited:
looks pretty good!!


i have to say this is one of my favorite sections. It shows alot of creativity in the chicken owner world. i love it!!
 
Thanks for the comments! I have to take more pictures that show the perch and laying boxes better. Also, I plan on putting wire mesh over the window so that it can be operable. The Hens need to stay inside unless I am there. Our area has lots of predators like fox, bobcat, mountain lion, etc. so they need to be attended when they are out. Once I find a permanent spot for them I will build a run that they can access all day. The best part about the coop is that all the material was free!

Coop is 4' wide x 6' long x 4' tall. It sits 2' off the ground and the gable extends another foot above the walls. It is a 3:12 pitch roof that has 3 hinges in the middle so that you can open it. Under the perches on the right side is a area enclosed w/ chicken wire and the hens poop goes right through. I have a door on the right side where I clean it out. The floor is rubber pond liner and the walls are plywood lined with visqueen and chicken wire. The hen boxes are just plywood with a lid that is hinged and opens for easy retrieval of the eggs.
 
Last edited:
Looks GREAT!! The only thing I would change would be thier ramp. Try putting little strips of 1x1 on the ramp, instead of the wire. I would be afraid they might get a toe nail caught in there, and rip it off. Or the wire might cut the bottom of thier feet. Other than that...wow....looks AWESOME!!
 
Thanks! Yeah the ramp is temporary and I am planning on taking out the wire. Once I finish off a few more of these projects I'll take some more pictures... Right now I'm off to get more chick food!
 
I think it's great, too. I love the roof idea although it wouldn't work for me because of the wind. One thing I do see as a problem, though, is the wire. With the preditors you mentioned, chicken wire will not be near strong enough. It's only good for keeping the birds in, not for keeping preditors out. A coon, for instance, could rip it apart quickly and get in. Welded wire, like 1/2" hardware cloth would be much better.
 
Thanks for the advise! The roof does lay back down and can be fastened with a clasp. If I find any free 1/2" welded wire then I will do another layer over the chicken wire. We don't have many coons in the area, but better safe than sorry.

On a side note, they really love the mirror I put in there. Do you guys think they have figured out that it's their reflection they are seeing? lol
 
I finally got around to taking more pictures. Here you can see the hen boxes and perch area better. The paint job is temporary. My finance wants to paint it like a yellow submarine.. lol

IMG_2546.jpg


IMG_2543.jpg


IMG_2542.jpg


IMG_2545.jpg


IMG_2548.jpg


IMG_2547.jpg


IMG_2549.jpg
 

Similar threads

LoneOakHomestead
    • Like
Building a Quail Tractor Using Modified Chicken Tractor Builds
Replies
7
Views
2K
paintedChix
paintedChix
krthaymp
    • Like
    • Love
Catio to Hen House
2 3
Replies
24
Views
2K
krthaymp
krthaymp
E
    • Like
Deep Litter Method - Michigan
Replies
7
Views
558
Sally PB
S
TheDaringDucks
Interchangeable Lofted Drake Jail / Duck-Maternity Ward Design Help
Replies
2
Views
180
TheDaringDucks
TheDaringDucks
B
Open chicken coop in enclosed run?
Replies
3
Views
3K
paintedChix
paintedChix

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom