We are Building a new chicken house

[Sandyd]

24 X 16 Chicken house



Concrete floor with insulation under it, bottom drain and a place to sit a automatic waterer

 

[Sandyd]

I am new at pics and posting them. Insulation board I am cutting to go between the 2 x 6 frame work. I have two large vents up at the top to put in yet, inside sheeting made out of flat tin with little holes in it taken from a old bin. Insulation Board was given to us by a contractor from a old building they tore down. Windows were free from my son as seconds

 

[Sandyd]

side view and below is the old chicken house I have been using for 22+ years that was old when we got it. I am so excited and have lots of work to do yet before the snow flys. DH is in the fields now so it will be slow going for me. It is not air tight as I am not great on cutting the insulation board but it will help.

 

[DianaMallory]

looking good! I wish I had a concrete floor!

 

[Sandyd]

I have always had a wooden floor in my other chicken house. It has slowly started falling apart and I had a horrible time with mice and rats chewing holes in the house. I don't like to use bait as we have Jack Russels and other small animals around so my husband decided to build me a mouse proof dwelling with if that is at all possible, so he went with a concrete floor.
I have been reading and reading on what everyone has done with their knowledge and am wanting to make the new chicken house easy to maintain. I know that the new house is tall but that is the way hubby wanted it so there would be plenty of air and I would have room for storage.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks
Sandy

 

[Sandyd]

I am so overwhelmed right now. Are we ever going to get this chicken house done.....
Have so much to do yet. We got the inside insulated and tin put up working on it at night. I put hardware cloth over the 4 windows. Hubby has to cut the vents in and install them yet up top. I have to build a roost and poop board tray, put up a partition inside the entry with a walk-thru gate, put in the nest box, need to put something over the window sills so they don't try to roost on the sills. My hens are 4 weeks old and wanting to fly out of their brooder area. I want to move them this weekend. No electricity yet which can wait. Working a full time job. Husband taking out crops. I just needed to ramble I guess to anyone that will listen.

 

[Crabella]

I have to say I am suffering from some serious coop envy!

WOW!
Now, take a deep breath. It will get done. Just remember that if it is not perfect it may bug you but the chickens won't care at all.
I assume you are covering the insulation? The chickens will peck at it. (don't ask how I know). The coop is looking great.

I do most of the construction related stuff at our place. My husband calls himself 'grunt labor'... meaning he helps when a little more oomph is required. I just cannot handle those big 4x8 sheets of plywood, siding and osb.

Hang in there. Think about how much you will enjoy it when it is finally done. Now, I need to get off this computer and back out to enjoy the last of the sunshine while I work on my (much smaller, not nearly as nice) coop. Aaaah gotta love chicken math..

keep us post on your progress.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Your old coup looks like a moniter style, which is/was all the rage...because of the ventilation. So hubby is right, you want good airflow. And cement floors covered with bedding is great too. I just wonder if your windows open? Hinges that open out would be good. As for rate/mice the amount of poison needed to kill one, would not kill your terriers, even if they ate it...but...I've never seen a poisoned rat crawl out of its hole once it got poisoned so...better to keep the rats out of the feed with their poop, if you know what i mean.

 

[Sandyd]

Crabella, insulated and hubby decided to go buy tin to put on the inside instead of the old stuff I was going to use. That is done except for me getting on a ladder and putting a lot of screws in the ceiling tin. We just put enough in to hold it all up. Hubby looks at me like I am crazy when I tell him what I would like to do with the new quarters. Everything that I have suggested has come from this wonderful forum and everyones thoughts and ideas. It will just make things so much easier for me and my chickens. Thank you for your positive words and will try to take some deep breaths.

Achickenwrangler#1, Windows crank out the full length so, hopefully will have good cross breezes from the East, South and West for summer and cracked open if needed for winter depending on which way the wind is blowing.

I have been wishing for a new chicken house for years and it is finally happening. Very excited and wondering if I have forgotten anything to finish it or add on to it besides the outside run which I am determined to get done yet this fall. Worried that I can make enough roost for the 40 hens all at the same level.

 

[Sandyd]

We got the roost and poop board mainly done tonight. Hubby had already cut in one of the big vents up top. I started measuring and cutting and he showed up to help.

36 feet of roost space. Hoping it will be enough. 2 roost over a 3 foot board. Bottom is made out of 1/4 inch plastic and we put plastic on the wall just in case there was a accident and it could be easily cleaned off.


Trying it out for strength with our Jack Russell's joining in.