The building of Pea Palace(Pic Heavy)

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Got started about noon today,,I hate it when others plans my day for me and tomorrow is wifey's b-day so that kills 2 hrs for going out both for dinner and supper so today I stuck it out until 8:30 tonight.I've GOT to get these 3 pens done as well as 2 pens inside for the BSSP and all my 2011 hatched peas.I will start by showing you the corner of this big pen and how I took the time to cut small pieces of wood and then put them around the rafters and the corner posts.When I measured the osb to fit in this corner the wife came out and had to interrupt me.I thought I had remembered the length of the back wall height as well as what the measurement was for the tall end but somewhere between the shorter end was cut 1" too much,creating a gap at the metal for the roof.It was an easy fix but it took some time to cut,measure then screw them to the big piece of osb.This wasn't really necessary because the roof pen ceiling is flat but I'm paranoid about the bitter cold and winds we get here.Add a little snow and it gets blown all over whereever air can get thru.
 
In my lowered ceiling for these 3 pens I'm making cutouts for the heat lites so the bulb will be flush with the plywood instead of the bulb and shield hanging down 10" inside the pen.When the young peas decide it's time to chase and try out their flyng techniques it winds up costing me a heat bulb.I've solved this issue in my garage pen with my oldest group by using scrap 2x4 welded wire under the bulb.This same bulb now has been on over 5 weeks since I put the welded wire under the bulb where before it may only last 2-3 days before the filament was broken.I found a small pail lid that is slightly smaller than the actual heat lite shield but I can make 2 cuts in the shield if necessary with a tin snips so the shield can be squeezed to fit the hole I made
 
Now for the last picture taken tonight before I quit.The framework for this pen is now completed.It is just short of being 20' long.It is 3' above the ground and it's 4' wide.There is no posts from the ground up,rather 2 places about a third of the way in from each end you will see the 2x4"s going up to the roof rafters.These two boards as well as both ends attached to the walls are all thats holding this pen off the ground.
You will see a framework all across the bottom of the pen.I plan to use drywall screws and attach the osb all along the bottom.It will be about 12' high but I want to be able to remove the board so I can clean out the pen.It will be easy to bring a wheel barrow inside,remove the board and use my aluminum pooper-scooper to rake the wood shavings out all along the entire width instead of only having a small access.Above the top horizontal 2x4 is now covered with the osb ceiling. It is flat mainly to cut down on drafts.The ribs made on the sheet metal is still a concern for drafts.Although I took way to much time measuring-cutting trying to make everything a tight fit to stop drafts,these "ridges" in the sheet metal will be plugged to stop airflow. I plan to go to our local junkyard and get 2-3 old car seats.Cut the fabric away and then cut small squares about 2"s square and stuff in every ridge,and since this pen is 20 feet long,and there is 2 wall nailers this equates to a total of 48 to be plugged.The foam will expand once compressed and stay in place..
I've decided on 3 individual pens inside this wall pen,one will be 8' long and the other two will be about 6' long each.I will need to make 2 inside doors between these pens which one will be top hinged so it can be pulled up if I want a larger pen 14' long.My earlier concern was where the heat light would be in comparison to a pen door if hinged to pull up but the biggest pen will be on the left in this picture.The heat lite cutout was made exactly in the middle of the 4x8.The inside height of the pen is about 3' and I will have about 10" of the 36" taken out by having a floor board under the gate and a board across the top framework for my hinges.Once the gate is up it would still be maybe 1' away from the edge of the heatlite shield so that problem was solved.
You can still see 3 of the wall 4x4's spaced 6' apart.(One is actually behind the center support 4x4) but these will be where my pen walls will come from for the older birds that need housed.Also above the wall pen there as about a 12" gap that I will put wire over to keep the adult peas from roosting on top of the small pea pen.
Tomorrow I will put down the tar paper over the entire pen floor,make 2 inside pen gates,attach the foot board all across the bottom of the pen,and then make 3 pen access doors.I have 4 bales of wood shavings to bed with.This will make much more sense tomorrow once completed (I hope) then to build 2 pens in front of this for the older birds.
 
Didn't get as much done as I had hoped but it's supposed to stay warm for this week so that gives me more time.This first pic shows the noisture resistant tar-felt paper I put down over the OSB floor to help prevent poop rot. Easy to cut with a razor knife and not too expensive.
 
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A "scrap" isn't a scrap until the job is finished.I used 2 pieces of left over wood square posts and some small pieces of OSB to make a feed and water stand in this pen.With sawdust on the floor water and feed would be a mess very quickly but when it's 3-4"s above the floor it stays clean a lot longer
 


Next is my heat lite installation.the hood is almost 100% above the ceiling.I used scrap 2x4 welded wire as a guard and made 3 hinges to attach it,one I can take the screw out of and the wire will drop down,in case I need to change the bulb.I used 4 drywall screws through the hood into the OSB to hold the lite up,.as well as wire thru the hoop on top.
 

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