Chicken Palace

[6011Artist]

Nice chicken palace you have going on there. This has got to be mainly a hobby, you enjoy doing it, because the amount of money you spent will take years to sell that many eggs to recover the cost. But we all have hobbies and sometimes our toys get expensive. I think you can safely say you got the baddest hen house in town....lol.

 

[Mousefield]

Got some more done on the Chicken Palace since I posted the pics at the start of this tread. Still lots to do but keep plugging away at the to-do list. Did the caulking and just finished 2 coats of cedar stain on the outside, put up the blocking between the rafters to keep out mink and other small creatures, put up 2 sheet of OSB where the nest boxes are going and put blocking between the studs so nothing can fall behind the OSB. Cleared and leveled the front area today, this will get fenced in. Still more to do but happy to have crossed some stuff off the to-do list.

 

[irvingj]

Looks like the girls are ready to move in right now!:laughing: Looking very nice!

 

[Mousefield]

Since we lost our dog on January 7th this year we have been having more deer around. Here is one taking advantage of the shade made by the Chicken Palace. We are in our first heat wave of the year this week, getting into the low 90's Took a few pics of the buck having a rest in the shade.

 

[dave1949]

Since we lost our dog on January 7th this year we have been having more deer around. Here is one taking advantage of the shade made by the Chicken Palace. We are in our first heat wave of the year this week, getting into the low 90's Took a few pics of the buck having a rest in the shade.

The Chicken Palace looks good, Mouse. That will be a useful building. Odd place for that buck to rest? Does he come around often? I have one doe that is usually somewhere around our cleared area, but I don't think she would ever get that close and lay down.

Dave.

 

[Mousefield]

Got some more done in the past couple of weeks. Got the heavy wire screens up to cover the opening windows, nesting boxes and roosts. Looked at doweling to make the roosts but at $2 per foot I just went out and cut some fairly straight alder trees. The cement floor was tough on the back, did it in 21/2 ft strips, used a full 2 X 4 to make the 11ft divide, so the floor is a full 2 inches think. Had the wheelbarrow inside and the cement mixer at the door, worked well, gravel on one side and the cement on the other. Trap door is finished to lock them up at night and put in the wall to divide the actual coop from the feed storage room. Picked up the door with frame and nice handle for $20.00.
Hoping to get the fencing done this weekend as we have ordered 50 egg layers and they should be here around the end of July.

 

[Mousefield]

Couple more pics of the nest boxes and roost poles and the wall with door going into the storage room.

 

[irvingj]

"Palace" is right!! Nicely done!

 

[Mousefield]

The chickens are here. :thumbsup: Got 50 egg layers called ISA brown. They came at 20 weeks old so from day one laid small eggs, got 12 today. :licking: Had the chickens in the coop till this morning and now some are outside. . Got the gutters up and the fence done, the main thing left to do is the electrical and a drainage ditch down the far side.

 

[lakngulf]

The chickens are here. :thumbsup:

Great pictures, Mouse'. Really can tell the work that you have put into this project. the shed appears to be first class, and now the fence appears to be also. The hens look healthy and bigger than I expected. How many years will you expect to get eggs from them?