- Thread starter
- #11
- Jun 28, 2010
- 8
- 1
- 9
OK, so we're all done with the project - and here's how it went... I'll try to upload some pictures later.
Background... The farmer had been storing chicken feed in blue plastic barrels in a stall in the barn that houses the chickens. They had a rat problem & had previously re-done the floors of all the stalls by excavating them & filling in with pea gravel and blue rubber mats, so we had a good base in the stall to work from. Our goal was to build a "built-in" box to store chicken feed that would be rodent proof. Initial plans were for a 12 foot long box to store feed in.
Approach... The farmer decided to make it easy & go for a 8 foot long box. This would allow for another 3 1/2 foot of storage space at the end of the box, rather than having the box take up the entire width of the stall (and having wasted space under the front beam where rodents could harbor). So... we went with a 4x8 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood, nailed to the back of the wall for the back. We then decided on a width just a bit more than the length of a feed bag for the bottom (42 inches). The left side was also nailed to the wall of the stall, and was 4 feet tall in the back, came out about 10 inches, and then tapered down to 3 feet tall in the front. This allows for a "ledge" at the back of the box and provides for a lean-back for the lids, when open.
With the back, floor, and left side in place, we started framing the inside with 2x4's and then put on a matching right side.
Here's where it got interesting - we lined the entire bottom and sides with aluminum sheets that were excess from a printing job at my wife's work(most were 2 1/2 feet by 3 feet) . We overlapped them & screwed them in & duct taped the seams. Yes, we boxed in the framing, which was a challenge, but this stuff was flexible enough to bend around the corners. Even though this stuff was fairly flimsy, we overlapped it enough to make it worth while. I'd say the thickness was roughly that of the cardboard at the back of a pad of paper.
Then, we framed in the front with 2x4's and put the front on, climbed back in and lined it with aluminum also.
Next, we put a center top beam between the front framing and the back, so we could install 2 hinged lids, with 4 hinges on each door.
As a final rat-proofing effort (and because the boyscout leaders insisted that we needed it), we lined the front and right outsides with very fine mesh (1/4 inch) chicken wire , using a staple gun to attach it.
So.. the farmer was very happy with the final result - the 3 foot front is easy enough to bend over to load & unload bags of feed, and between the chicken wire, 3/4 inch plywood, and aluminum lining, it should be rodent free.
I'll try to upload some pictures later.
Thanks again for everyone's advice & help on this - it feels great to have it behind us.
Background... The farmer had been storing chicken feed in blue plastic barrels in a stall in the barn that houses the chickens. They had a rat problem & had previously re-done the floors of all the stalls by excavating them & filling in with pea gravel and blue rubber mats, so we had a good base in the stall to work from. Our goal was to build a "built-in" box to store chicken feed that would be rodent proof. Initial plans were for a 12 foot long box to store feed in.
Approach... The farmer decided to make it easy & go for a 8 foot long box. This would allow for another 3 1/2 foot of storage space at the end of the box, rather than having the box take up the entire width of the stall (and having wasted space under the front beam where rodents could harbor). So... we went with a 4x8 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood, nailed to the back of the wall for the back. We then decided on a width just a bit more than the length of a feed bag for the bottom (42 inches). The left side was also nailed to the wall of the stall, and was 4 feet tall in the back, came out about 10 inches, and then tapered down to 3 feet tall in the front. This allows for a "ledge" at the back of the box and provides for a lean-back for the lids, when open.
With the back, floor, and left side in place, we started framing the inside with 2x4's and then put on a matching right side.
Here's where it got interesting - we lined the entire bottom and sides with aluminum sheets that were excess from a printing job at my wife's work(most were 2 1/2 feet by 3 feet) . We overlapped them & screwed them in & duct taped the seams. Yes, we boxed in the framing, which was a challenge, but this stuff was flexible enough to bend around the corners. Even though this stuff was fairly flimsy, we overlapped it enough to make it worth while. I'd say the thickness was roughly that of the cardboard at the back of a pad of paper.
Then, we framed in the front with 2x4's and put the front on, climbed back in and lined it with aluminum also.
Next, we put a center top beam between the front framing and the back, so we could install 2 hinged lids, with 4 hinges on each door.
As a final rat-proofing effort (and because the boyscout leaders insisted that we needed it), we lined the front and right outsides with very fine mesh (1/4 inch) chicken wire , using a staple gun to attach it.
So.. the farmer was very happy with the final result - the 3 foot front is easy enough to bend over to load & unload bags of feed, and between the chicken wire, 3/4 inch plywood, and aluminum lining, it should be rodent free.
I'll try to upload some pictures later.
Thanks again for everyone's advice & help on this - it feels great to have it behind us.
![4792679681_cb9e098897.jpg[img]](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm5.static.flickr.com%2F4095%2F4792679681_cb9e098897.jpg%5Bimg%5D&hash=62552cc4e4895c7580c7a36c4e25890a)
