btrask
Chirping
After moving cross country we started up our duck flock. In with a new flock comes a new duck run and house! With the little ones brooding I had to get cracking at the new run! Building off of our original experience we wanted to make some changes:
Goals:
-Walk in design: Make it easier on ourselves to hang out, clean, and do maintenance.
-Roof: Although ducks are hardy we like providing them shade in the summer and some cover from the rain/snow at all other times.
-Cost Effective yet 'Cute': With the cost of lumber (Yikes!) I had to run through 3-4 designs to balance material designs. Since we take pride in our property and it will be visible we took care of the design aesthetics.
-Readily Available Material: I needed a design that had materials I was able to source and transport with ease. This also drove a couple design changes.
-Modular: With any DIY I guess it comes with a 'modular' design. We also have turkeys this time and need to have room to separate if we need to. What if I want to put a pond off the back? Attach a house? All these were considered when designing so we could plan for changes in the future.
-Room: We have a flock of 5 ducks and 2 turkeys brooding currently. This could grow in the future so we wanted more room.
-Security: Sometimes you cant be at the farm 24x7. For those times a large enough space to roam and get away from rude flock makes was a consideration. In that, it made them more secure than free ranging. All panels will be 1/2" hardware cloth, predator apron around the perimeter, and electrical service for a hot wire if needed in the future. Metal roof design will keep out the climbing predators and the flying ones.
What did I settle on?
12'x18' w/ 6' wall height, DIY trusses, metal roof, majority built with 2x4 materials.
Here is my SketchUp design. This helps me to estimate materials and make changes as I need to without mis-cutting lumber. Also helps me get my cut list. So far everything has happened as planned. One change I am doing is with the 2x4s through the trusses. I am rethinking notching all of those out.
We actually changed locations on the property multiple times. The last change was due to avoiding a natural drainage area behind its shown spot. I also had ran electrical/water to it's proximity. Base was shoveled out, leveled, and backfilled with stone where needed. Right side was lower so it is two layers of 4x4 timbers to create a level base. Utilized 3.5" screws to pin them together and 2' sections of rebar into the ground.
And here is where it stands today. The sides are six 6' panels. Utilizing pocket holes to create a more 'seamless' design. Oh also I changed up my technique and pre-stained all my boards instead of finishing after the construction.
Hopefully the weather lifts and I get more progress to share!
Goals:
-Walk in design: Make it easier on ourselves to hang out, clean, and do maintenance.
-Roof: Although ducks are hardy we like providing them shade in the summer and some cover from the rain/snow at all other times.
-Cost Effective yet 'Cute': With the cost of lumber (Yikes!) I had to run through 3-4 designs to balance material designs. Since we take pride in our property and it will be visible we took care of the design aesthetics.
-Readily Available Material: I needed a design that had materials I was able to source and transport with ease. This also drove a couple design changes.
-Modular: With any DIY I guess it comes with a 'modular' design. We also have turkeys this time and need to have room to separate if we need to. What if I want to put a pond off the back? Attach a house? All these were considered when designing so we could plan for changes in the future.
-Room: We have a flock of 5 ducks and 2 turkeys brooding currently. This could grow in the future so we wanted more room.
-Security: Sometimes you cant be at the farm 24x7. For those times a large enough space to roam and get away from rude flock makes was a consideration. In that, it made them more secure than free ranging. All panels will be 1/2" hardware cloth, predator apron around the perimeter, and electrical service for a hot wire if needed in the future. Metal roof design will keep out the climbing predators and the flying ones.
What did I settle on?
12'x18' w/ 6' wall height, DIY trusses, metal roof, majority built with 2x4 materials.
Here is my SketchUp design. This helps me to estimate materials and make changes as I need to without mis-cutting lumber. Also helps me get my cut list. So far everything has happened as planned. One change I am doing is with the 2x4s through the trusses. I am rethinking notching all of those out.
We actually changed locations on the property multiple times. The last change was due to avoiding a natural drainage area behind its shown spot. I also had ran electrical/water to it's proximity. Base was shoveled out, leveled, and backfilled with stone where needed. Right side was lower so it is two layers of 4x4 timbers to create a level base. Utilized 3.5" screws to pin them together and 2' sections of rebar into the ground.
And here is where it stands today. The sides are six 6' panels. Utilizing pocket holes to create a more 'seamless' design. Oh also I changed up my technique and pre-stained all my boards instead of finishing after the construction.
Hopefully the weather lifts and I get more progress to share!
