raingarden
Crowing
I don’t know whether to call this “chicken gymnasium” or “vertical chicken farming”. I’m sort of interested in chicken physical fitness and vertical hydroponic culture right now. Anyway, it’s a chicken coop about.
Twenty-two pieces of 2x4x8 lumber were ripped into 66 pieces 1.1 inch x1.5 Inch x 96 inch slats. The framing was all constructed with these slats. No it’s not traditional framing.
It started by making four panels about 8’ x 8’ that would become the walls and covering them with cheap plastic chicken fencing with about ¾ inch openings.
When stood up and screwed together they form cube about 8 ‘ x 8‘ x 8’.
Half-inch hex galvanized poultry mesh was used to make a small skirt and buried apron around the sides to keep the vermin from chewing through the plastic fencing.
Six things that we’ll call platforms were built as panels thirty inches wide and about eight feet long. The platform panels were covered with a thick plastic mesh. The holes in the mesh are about one-quarter inch.
Two platforms were attached to the walls two feet above the ground. One panel (across the back) was attached at four feet off the ground. Two panels are six feet off the ground and one was put on later at eight feet.
To avoid having to work on a ladder, the roof was built on the ground using slats and a white reinforced plastic tarp. The tarp was cut up and stapled to the wood frame. I really messed this part up because the tarp had barely enough material to cover without having an overhanging eaves. There are provisions to splice in a eaves later if needed.
The roof was lifted and set down on top of the walls. I’m old and crippled but the roof structure was light enough to get it up without help.
A bedding of dry leaves was placed on each platform. They are tropical almond (AKA False Kamani) leaves. We have an endless supply. An eight-inch high fence prevents the bedding from being kicked off the platform immediately. There is a section of each platform that is not fenced so bedding that is scratched off one platform falls onto the platform below it.
A few accoutrements like nest box and font were added. There is no feeder or feed bowl. Feed is just thrown into the bedding of the upper platforms so the birds have to scratch for it. If not picked up immediately, whole corn and some pellets are retained by the ¼ inch mesh on the platforms. As the leaves are scratched and moved around smaller grains and crumble feed can fall through the mesh and land on the platform below or the ground. Nothing is wasted because the birds eventually find all the food.
The birds don’t have any trouble navigating the platforms. They use all the space spending time on the platforms and on the ground. They roost all the way up at the top on a roost bar at the twelve-foot level.
For the time being, four young OEGF/wild-type chickens destined for a future breeding project are being used to test out the new coop. A real test would use a dozen big fat eggers
I have some concerns and you probably have many concerns. Mostly, I worry about the location under some enormous monkey pod trees with a sixty-.foot high canopy. Money pod trees shed a lot of branches and, sooner or later, a big one is going to go through the roof or collapse the whole thing.
Believe it or not, I’m not too worried about the plastic chicken fence material. The metal wire skirt and apron will keep the mongoose out. A. big dog could crash right through but we very seldom have stray dogs come around.
I’m not worried about the ¼ inch plastic supporting the chickens. We have been using it for that purpose of in other pens with leaf bedding for a while now. It is strong but not abrasive on the bird’s feet. It does not accumulate compost that will hold moisture. I think it is a good system.
I’m not worried about the strength of the wood slats. We have built other pens using the same size slats without a problem. Once, attached, the mesh provides cross-bracing and the panels become more rigid. The wood will not fail until that big branch falls on it.
I always worry about wood rot. It is always wet and humid here so lumber does not last long. The structure will probably need repairs due to wood ro tin about five years. Buy seven years it will likely be beyond repair.
I am worried about the lack of roof eves. If the wood stays wet because of it then eaves will have to be added.
I worry about relying on staples for holding anything.
I am very curious about the number of chickens it can house. The ground floor space is 64 square feet which should support four to five birds. But, if the platforms are included as usable floor space there is 184 square feet which could support a dozen birds.
I guess the main questions to be answered are:
* Does vertical space count? I suspect it does.
* Could big fat eggers negotiate the two-foot jump up and down to the next platform? I believe they can
* If so, will they be more physically fit due to the effort? I don’t know. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I spent about $400. That’s $6.25 per square foot of floor space or $2.17 per square foot of horizontal bedding space (floor + platforms). Materials were:
22 ea. 2x4x8 fir lumber $200
1 ea. 4 ft x 50 ft roll of plastic chicken fencing $80
1 ea. 3 ft x 25 ft roll of plastic chicken fencing $30
1 ea. 10 ft x 20 ft (pre-cut dim.) plastic tarp $40
35 feet x 36 inch ½-inch poultry wire (I recycled used material)
50 feet x 30 inch ¼ plastic mesh (I recycled used material)
two pounds ceramic coated deck screws $30
2500 staples $20
Twenty-two pieces of 2x4x8 lumber were ripped into 66 pieces 1.1 inch x1.5 Inch x 96 inch slats. The framing was all constructed with these slats. No it’s not traditional framing.
It started by making four panels about 8’ x 8’ that would become the walls and covering them with cheap plastic chicken fencing with about ¾ inch openings.
When stood up and screwed together they form cube about 8 ‘ x 8‘ x 8’.
Half-inch hex galvanized poultry mesh was used to make a small skirt and buried apron around the sides to keep the vermin from chewing through the plastic fencing.
Six things that we’ll call platforms were built as panels thirty inches wide and about eight feet long. The platform panels were covered with a thick plastic mesh. The holes in the mesh are about one-quarter inch.
Two platforms were attached to the walls two feet above the ground. One panel (across the back) was attached at four feet off the ground. Two panels are six feet off the ground and one was put on later at eight feet.
To avoid having to work on a ladder, the roof was built on the ground using slats and a white reinforced plastic tarp. The tarp was cut up and stapled to the wood frame. I really messed this part up because the tarp had barely enough material to cover without having an overhanging eaves. There are provisions to splice in a eaves later if needed.
The roof was lifted and set down on top of the walls. I’m old and crippled but the roof structure was light enough to get it up without help.
A bedding of dry leaves was placed on each platform. They are tropical almond (AKA False Kamani) leaves. We have an endless supply. An eight-inch high fence prevents the bedding from being kicked off the platform immediately. There is a section of each platform that is not fenced so bedding that is scratched off one platform falls onto the platform below it.
A few accoutrements like nest box and font were added. There is no feeder or feed bowl. Feed is just thrown into the bedding of the upper platforms so the birds have to scratch for it. If not picked up immediately, whole corn and some pellets are retained by the ¼ inch mesh on the platforms. As the leaves are scratched and moved around smaller grains and crumble feed can fall through the mesh and land on the platform below or the ground. Nothing is wasted because the birds eventually find all the food.
The birds don’t have any trouble navigating the platforms. They use all the space spending time on the platforms and on the ground. They roost all the way up at the top on a roost bar at the twelve-foot level.
For the time being, four young OEGF/wild-type chickens destined for a future breeding project are being used to test out the new coop. A real test would use a dozen big fat eggers
I have some concerns and you probably have many concerns. Mostly, I worry about the location under some enormous monkey pod trees with a sixty-.foot high canopy. Money pod trees shed a lot of branches and, sooner or later, a big one is going to go through the roof or collapse the whole thing.
Believe it or not, I’m not too worried about the plastic chicken fence material. The metal wire skirt and apron will keep the mongoose out. A. big dog could crash right through but we very seldom have stray dogs come around.
I’m not worried about the ¼ inch plastic supporting the chickens. We have been using it for that purpose of in other pens with leaf bedding for a while now. It is strong but not abrasive on the bird’s feet. It does not accumulate compost that will hold moisture. I think it is a good system.
I’m not worried about the strength of the wood slats. We have built other pens using the same size slats without a problem. Once, attached, the mesh provides cross-bracing and the panels become more rigid. The wood will not fail until that big branch falls on it.
I always worry about wood rot. It is always wet and humid here so lumber does not last long. The structure will probably need repairs due to wood ro tin about five years. Buy seven years it will likely be beyond repair.
I am worried about the lack of roof eves. If the wood stays wet because of it then eaves will have to be added.
I worry about relying on staples for holding anything.
I am very curious about the number of chickens it can house. The ground floor space is 64 square feet which should support four to five birds. But, if the platforms are included as usable floor space there is 184 square feet which could support a dozen birds.
I guess the main questions to be answered are:
* Does vertical space count? I suspect it does.
* Could big fat eggers negotiate the two-foot jump up and down to the next platform? I believe they can
* If so, will they be more physically fit due to the effort? I don’t know. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I spent about $400. That’s $6.25 per square foot of floor space or $2.17 per square foot of horizontal bedding space (floor + platforms). Materials were:
22 ea. 2x4x8 fir lumber $200
1 ea. 4 ft x 50 ft roll of plastic chicken fencing $80
1 ea. 3 ft x 25 ft roll of plastic chicken fencing $30
1 ea. 10 ft x 20 ft (pre-cut dim.) plastic tarp $40
35 feet x 36 inch ½-inch poultry wire (I recycled used material)
50 feet x 30 inch ¼ plastic mesh (I recycled used material)
two pounds ceramic coated deck screws $30
2500 staples $20
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Sounds like that could be a problem. Chicks don't fly, but they could certainly fall down. Also, I don't know if I like the idea of them laying eggs at all the various levels. Would you need a ladder if they laid eggs on the highest level?
