it's been 4 months, but I'm finally back at it. Got the house finished, for the most part, still need to paint the outside, but it will need to warm up first.
I took advantage of the snow day a few weeks ago and put together some nesting boxes for my ladies in the warmth of my shop.
I used 2 sheets of 3/4 ply to build 4 sections of 3 boxes. The individual boxes are 14x16x12. the dimensions are odd, i would have prefered to have made them square, but wanted to reduce my cuts and save on wood.
I mocked up a cut list to reduce waste and then broke the sheets down using my cicular saw and table saw. Out of 2 sheets of ply my waste was 4, 2x2 inch pieces!
After I had everything cut to size, I used a kreg jig to drill pocket holes. My 3 year old helped, a jig is a perfect learning tool for a young builder. We used 1.5 inch kreg screws and glue to assemble.
The following weekend was also cold, so I put together the doors for the boxes as well. For these I used 2x4's and a piece of wood siding.
I needed the wood to be true, so the doors would function correctly, so I had to pick up a couple 2x4's. between the 2x4's and the ply I'm another $72 dollars in. I think that brings my total up to $360, I'd have to looks back at by previous posts.
At first, I was going to put the doors together with pockets holes, but after putting the frames together, I decided the joints were to weak.
I ended up going with lap joints for the frames. Once I had the joint hogged out, I ran each board through the table saw using a dado stack to cut in a grove for the siding.
sorry, no close ups, but I'll get them if anyone asks.
Last weekend it warmed up a bit, so I went to town installing the boxes and doors.
i hauled the boxes down to the coop along with 400' worth of drop cord and a circular saw. I marked out where the boxes would go and than cut through the wall with the saw.
I used the original purlin as a guide for the bottom of the boxes. they're a bit low, around 24 inches from the middle of the kick plate, but I'm okay with that. DW and I had a long chat about the height from the ground and decided it would be better for the kids to leave them lower.
Not pictured, I added a 2x6 running from post to post, parallel to the purlin, on the inside of the posts. This put the 2 boards about 8 inches apart, and provided all the support needed for the boxes.
Once I got the hole cut, and the 2x6 tacked into place, I stuck the box in the hole and screwed down. I had to add nailers to the tops of boxes for the wall sheeting.
I used the plywood waste from cutting the holes in the barn wall to add hats to the boxes to prevent roosting. Then with a long branch I mocked up a quick perch.
After I got the boxes installed, I added some trim (2x4's) to the outside and installed the doors with hinges.
I still have to make latches to hold them open and locks to keep them closed, but will not do until after I have the barn sided.
There are 2 sections of nest boxes on each side of the barn. a total of 12 boxes. Our thinking, is that we can add more later in need be by adding a second row.