[karlooben]

i am seruiosly thinking of making my new hen house for the spring ,the idea i have is to use 8'4 sheets of ply { well something like that }.  the house will be 16 foot long ,4 ft wide an 4 ft high an the perches will be placed about 2 foot up  , bascailly 2 8'4 sheets as the base of the house then 2 along the back then the roof an sides .
the house will be placed about 2 foot of the ground screwed onto fence posts cut down i want to do that so then i can keep a proper eye out on anything an everything as at the mo unless i get rite down on my hands an knees in the mud with a torch i cant really see whats going on under the shed with the rats etc.

the old shed will get recycled but that will have to stay up until the new house was built  but at the size i am wanting to do it would it be ok for 18 girls .

this is all just an idea at the mo but i want to know if it would be suitable or shall i just stick with my 8'6 shed i have now .

[poultrygeist]

Hi Looby.

It sounds good but might weigh half a ton.  :shock:
You'll need to make sure you support it well or it might start sinking. You'll prob need a good framework made from 2x2 or similar to screw the ply to. And with a raised floor, you'll need decent timbers for the floor joists. Someone may be able to advise on size and spacings. Similar for the roof.

Did you want the underneath as shelter for the hens ? If nto, I would have thought about 9" would be enough to keep rats from nesting. Bodger may be best to advise on that.

It'll be a nice project if you go ahead. Plenty of photos.

Rob

[karlooben]

well i would like it high enough of the floor so if the girls wanted to go under it then they could , but mostly for me just to be able to bend over an check that theres nothing underneath.

the fence posts i was going to use are approx 3inch by 3inch in diameter some are bigger and i was going to space them about 2 foot aparrt in rows but until i start doing it then i dont really know     .

[poultrygeist]

I think it's one of those "see if it looks right" jobs. You're as good as anyone at knowing what'll work.

It'll be a major job however you do it. I think you just like building sheds

Rob

[karlooben]

i do like building things , my plots are for ever being changed around    i get bored easily .
at the mo i am building a hay shed down the stables for my hay an straw but most the materials are free same as the new hen house could be  as i have found somewhere that has 8 sheets of 8'4 just laying around getting ruined so it makes me feel good  that i am recycling.

[poultrygeist]

Why can't i find a load of ply lying around ?? :roll:

I'd build all sorts too if I could. Want to build a new coop and run but it won't be happening unless we find a pot of cash buried in the garden....Hmm...now where was that spade ?

[karlooben]

some things i cant get and i may not even be able to get this ply , the woman who owns the land has told the woman whos renting it for her horse to just help herself  but today she told me that she'll ask the guys who just dump stuff there if i can have it , but lets just say it mite not be there for long     . and as for the pvc sheets i am getting they are from a neighbours carport roof they may be old sheets but theres nothing wrong with them that i can see   .

also theres about 20 planks of proper gravel boards and i really want them , although one did go missing today    we needed it to fix a broken fence in the yard .

[poultrygeist]

I wouldn't use clear plastic for the roof. It'll turn into an oven  :shock:

or are they for the run ?

If you do use them, you'll need to make sure the light can't get through. Either paint them, cover them with something like dark garden fleece or fix some timber underneath it.

Rob

[karlooben]

the pvc sheets will be used for my hay shed down the yard to keep the hay dry , but it will also have tarpualin under it as well.

we built something similar down there last year an it works really well, uless i decide to use ply sheets  as per usuaul i cant make up my mind
   

[poultrygeist]

I forgot I'm trying to advise an expert  

You've built more sheds than I've had hot dinners.  

Might be worth a thread in the Design and Construction forum. Might be some plans online for something that size. I've still no idea how much room you'd need for 18 birds (+future capacity ).

Hope someone can advise on that.

Rob

[karlooben]

u do know that could be a danergous  for me to go on that forum     . i'll give it a look though