Cheryl's Hen House...

[CayugaRunner]

It is amazing how you come up with simple yet, nice looking and functional solutions to common problems with keeping chickens, I am starting ducks. My 9 will be here on May 25th, I am going to convert a a shed that I have still in the box, its been years..... since I bought it. This is a new beginning for me, as I myself have never kept anything beyond a common cockatiel.

All of your solutions and ideas are a great help and awesome! You are now in the home stretch you can start to see the finished product! I'll bet the wife is a happy one !

 

[beautifulpirate]

Terry- I know you are ready to be done with it but it looks so good. Next time we build a coop (haha, I know because we are technically not done with the current build haha), I am referencing back here for a lot of stuff haha.

 

[aart]

Excellent reasoning, design, and fabrication.

How's your mom doing with those chicks at her place?
Don't recall seeing any recent update on that scenario.

 

[Finnie]

It's looking so amazing, Terry!

I'm going to try to emulate some of your stuff, too, when I get around to decking mine out. I already had plans for the HC to be on the inside, but I was just going to tack it place. Hinged doors like you have definitely would be better for when cleaning time comes. But I don't know if I have the skill set to make them nice and square. I made a similar door on my hoop coop last summer, but it came out a bit crooked and wonky-looking.

 

[beautifulpirate]

It's looking so amazing, Terry!

I'm going to try to emulate some of your stuff, too, when I get around to decking mine out.  I already had plans for the HC to be on the inside, but I was just going to tack it place.  Hinged doors like you have definitely would be better for when cleaning time comes.  But I don't know if I have the skill set to make them nice and square.  I made a similar door on my hoop coop last summer, but it came out a bit crooked and wonky-looking.

If you are worried about being square, just measure diagonal corner to corner (upper left to lower right and then upper right to lower left). The measurements will be the same when square is achieved.

Terry does do an amazing job of making everything look very polished and professional. I'm totally impressed.

 

[TerryH]

Excellent reasoning, design, and fabrication.

How's your mom doing with those chicks at her place?
Don't recall seeing any recent update on that scenario.

They are all doing well. We've.....er...Cheryl has been changing the bedding for her but she's doing the rest. The chick are growing like crazy and doing chicken things.

Probably going to be in trouble when it's time for the chicks to integrate with the rest of the flock when everybody goes to the coop. Mom's going to miss them for sure.

 

[TerryH]

It's looking so amazing, Terry!

I'm going to try to emulate some of your stuff, too, when I get around to decking mine out. I already had plans for the HC to be on the inside, but I was just going to tack it place. Hinged doors like you have definitely would be better for when cleaning time comes. But I don't know if I have the skill set to make them nice and square. I made a similar door on my hoop coop last summer, but it came out a bit crooked and wonky-looking.

2 out of 3 of my window opening aren't exactly square. It happens. It was a bit of a pain to purposely have to build the doors a little wonky to match the openings.

You can buy a pocket hole jig for very little money and it's a super easy method of building lots of things. They are available at Lowes, or HD. Easily obtained on Amazon as well. All the individual parts just butt together and the screws do the rest. As long as your cuts are pretty square, the frames will practically square themselves when you put them together. I use cedar shims to locate the doors in the openings and then mount the hinges. It really is a pretty easy process.

 

[TerryH]

It is amazing how you come up with simple yet, nice looking and functional solutions to common problems with keeping chickens, I am starting ducks. My 9 will be here on May 25th, I am going to convert a a shed that I have still in the box, its been years..... since I bought it. This is a new beginning for me, as I myself have never kept anything beyond a common cockatiel.

All of your solutions and ideas are a great help and awesome! You are now in the home stretch you can start to see the finished product! I'll bet the wife is a happy one !

Thanks. I'm so glad that the thread is useful.

 

[TerryH]

Terry- I know you are ready to be done with it but it looks so good. Next time we build a coop (haha, I know because we are technically not done with the current build haha), I am referencing back here for a lot of stuff haha.

Thanks!!

 

[TerryH]

If you are worried about being square, just measure diagonal corner to corner (upper left to lower right and then upper right to lower left). The measurements will be the same when square is achieved.

Terry does do an amazing job of making everything look very polished and professional. I'm totally impressed.

I've had a lot of practice at covering up the screw-ups.