New Hen House build

[perrym1962]

I would sleep in that!!

 

[Dukeofhawg]

Heck in my town they'd rent that out for $500 a month plus utilities

 

[gapeach717]

Heck in my town they'd rent that out for $500 a month plus utilities

 

[G-Man]

Thank you all for the awesome responses.

I wasn't able to get much finished over the weekend. But I was able to get a few things started with the feeder. I built the trough from an extra cherry wood cabinet door that I ran through the planer to remove the finish and thin it down. Love free materials.

I made a template to help me cut in the beak holes and keep them consistent.
The bottom of the tray is a piece of laminate (fake wood) flooring I used in a remodel on a rental house last summer.

I knew I wanted a gauge or a window so I knew how much feed I had left in the wall feeder. I decided I would just cut a slot in the plywood wall on the human side of the coop so I could check the level at a glance. I had a piece of ¼” glass that should do the job.
After making another template I cut two slots in the face of the plywood and then routed out the back of the plywood so the glass would be flush with the inside wall of the feeder.
I decided to cut two windows because there will be a partition separating a small section of the feeder off for BOSS or some other treat. The main portion will contain pellets, or crumbles.,, I haven’t decided yet.

Next, I need to cut the opening on the hen side for the tray, secure the glass in place, install the partition, cut the opening for the feed fill door and assemble.

 

[G-Man]

I adhered the glass to the plywood with 100% silicon caulk.
Before I attached the plywood with the windows on the human side I used a couple small sheets of black Wilsonart, laminate sheeting (Formica) that I had from a previous project and adhered it with contact cement to the inside of the wall. I'm not sure how necessary it was, but I thought it would make for a very tough, slick surface. I forgot to take a pic at this stage.. dang.
Using a router I cut the rectangular holes for the feed access door opening and for the trough to nest into the wall.
I used a continuous bead of silicone on the studs around the perimeter of the feed hopper for a tight seal and secured the plywood with screws. The spots in the picture are rock hard putty to cover the screw holes.
I still need to make an access door for the feeder and cut the beak guard to size for the tray.


Looks pretty messy from this side. I should have used a couple edge guides for straighter lines.



Test fit before the feed access opening was cut and before I installed the Formica.


Finally installed.. The opening in this picture is the actual width of the wall cavity.



Thanks for looking.

 

[mcjessen]

WOW! That's awesome.

 

[nuchickontheblock]

Very nice job! I love your ideas, and the craftmanship is wonderful. Can't wait to see pics of your set up when it's done. Keep the pics coming.

 

[Chookpensbuild]

When I see your hen house immediately I want to make one,for my hens.

 

[coolcanoechic]

It looks great!

 

[N. Virginia]

Beautiful setup!

Just a question: if you have netting on top of the pen, are you going to put the chickens to bed every night? Or have an automatic door? I have a pen similar to yours and the coons just climb right in and make a tasty meal. So I'm thinking of putting 2 electric fence wires up - one 6" from the ground and one 4" from the top. That should stop the coons...I don't have electricity in my coop, so the auto door I got won't work & sometimes I get home late.

Cheers,
N. VA