To decorate the garden and please the children, I undertook to build and install a small chicken coop. Did you know that there are ornamental hens, such as the silken hen or the crested Dutchman? These little hens are charming, I could see them frolicking in my garden. And who knows, we might have fresh eggs for Sunday morning brunch.
… maybe not for the ears, but time will tell. So I considered making a chicken coop also for its ornamental aspect, because the object can be nice with its rustic side:of course I want it to be made of wood. In addition, by installing pretty hens there, it will be able to beautify the garden and bring a little life to it, since my wife does not want to have a dog!
But enough chatter, I'm now going to introduce you to my plans, well I haven't drawn them all yet, however I have a very precise idea of how I'm going to go about it, and I've already obtained the necessary equipment.
I learned that there were two possibilities for a chicken coop, the chicken coop on stilts and the chicken coop on a solid structure. The latter requiring to pour a concrete slab, which I do not want to do, I opted for the first which, on the other hand, cannot accommodate a lot of hens. But since I don't intend to install a farmyard either, it was a good thing. It will be approximately 1.2m wide by 2m long, which can accommodate an average of three to five bantam hens.
For the structure:six "autoclave" posts, i.e. those used for wooden palisades. The floor and the roof:joists and OSB panels (the joist generally serves as a foundation beam for wooden terraces:3-4EUR per unit in a DIY store). Siding wood for the sides.
For the inside of the chicken coop, I was advised to lay linoleum to facilitate cleaning, and to get flax flakes rather than shavings or sawdust:it's more cozy for the hens while remaining affordable.
In terms of assembly, the hardware found in the toolbox of any basic handyman is more than sufficient:chipboard screws, round head screws, brackets, hinges for the roof, stain, not to mention the wire mesh to build … the chicken pen ! Because these little beasts have to stretch themselves outdoors.
