[3ps]

Thanks. I will be making my own house for the next set of hens. I might make a hobby of it.

The roof is now on. It caused me some problems which meant I had to overhang the panels more than I wanted on one side but it's not too bad at all!



Floor area levelled inside:



All the mesh on:



All that's left is the door and some fascia wood to cover visible joins.

[raeburg]

I want that one!

[3ps]

Structure finished. All that remains is a strip of wood along the top of the roof.



I didn't put a bi-fold door in. I just made the LHS slightly wider than the right. The LHS opens outwards to the right.







Copper Blue Maran (Goldie) and Light Sussex (Bobby) getting used to their new surroundings!





I will enclose this space under the house on 3 sides to provide shelter. I will also be putting in a proper ramp as well as a long platform along the side so they can look at us in the garden/patio.




Picking up two more hens on Sunday so now I have to figure out where to put them!

[joyfull]

wow they are some very lucky hens  .
So when can you come and build me one?? 

[Foxy]

wonderful construction, looks beautiful, I have one point to be aware of, it looks superb, particulary for the winter, I would keep a close eye this time of year that it doesn't get too hot with that polycarb roof.

[tonethebone]

Yes, its a shame it doesn't slide back like the roof on centre court at Wimbledon!

[3ps]

I don't think the polycarb will be an issue in the summer. The sides are 1.4m high and all mesh so it's mostly exposed. But I will keep an eye on it.

A sliding roof is slightly beyond my abilities. Well, I could do it but I doubt it would last very long!

[andreadon]

it's truly amazing!
they shouldn't need shelter under the house with the polycarb roof - I was wondering about something to hide them from the sun though.
something slightly more open than under the house - maybe a table further down or something?

[3ps]

I was thinking they might like the shelter under the house for particularly windy days or if there was a driving rain. And also the sun.

I have lots of ideas for perches and ramps to keep them amused!

Based on the layout of the surrounding area and where the sun faces I think there will always be a portion that is in the shade but I need to keep an eye on that too.

[3ps]

Hi all,

The house is performing well and I'm very pleased with it. I do have to make one small alteration though.

In the following pic you can see that the mesh is mounted on the inside. That means on the right hand side there is a 4 inch gap between the mesh and the block wall.



The other day I was in checking on the hens when I noticed something trapped between the mesh and the wall. It was a hedgehog!!!

I had to take the mesh off and we took it out. Fed it some bread in milk and locked it in a box for a fwe hours to recouperate. I let it out at midnight and it has dissappeared, hopefully back home.

I will modify the design so the mesh is on the outside on the side of the building, and cover over the stapled areas with thin wood to make it look nice.

Hedgehogs are cute!!

[andreadon]

i wonder if you get away with mounting some planks inbetween the gap at the level of the wall.
then you'll have a kind of shelf and it won't take anywhere near as long as replacing all that mesh...

[oddpaws]

Wow that looks really good. Lucky hens

[3ps]

i wonder if you get away with mounting some planks inbetween the gap at the level of the wall.
then you'll have a kind of shelf and it won't take anywhere near as long as replacing all that mesh...

That was my first thought, but TBH the mesh more or less just pulls off and then I can cut it to size and staple gun it back on. It shouldn't take me too long.

Also, those sleepers are layed that way so people can sit on them and look at the hens. If I slot more wood in beside them it might be a bit flimsy or look a bit naff.

Wow that looks really good. Lucky hens

Thanks! They seem to like it but are dying to get out as they are beside the veggie garden!