The chicken house project.

Dear Diary.

This project was an exciting one. It meant I was going to have some little friends on the allotment, chickens!

First off, I had to be given the OK by the Council to keep chickens on my plot. The conditions had to be just right. Each bird needs at least two foot square of land to iteself. The home needed to be secure enough to keep the Foxes away and general welbeing of the chickens kept to a good standard.

I was planning on making the chicken house from scratch but then I found something on Freecycle, a fantastic website that gives you the option to search your local area for items that people no longer want. Basically free shite! You can get some bargains on there. www.freecycle.org 

I picked up an old wooden dog kennel from a lady who wanted to get rid. It suited me down to the ground as it was quite a decent size. I was going to turn it into my chicken house with a bit of work. Actually alot of work.

This is the foundation for the chicken house. I needed to make sure that it was rain proof, so the first task was to fix the roof and to secure the area, making a fence with plastic chicken wire.

As you can see in the photo, the fence secures the chicken house and the broken flags prevent the foxes from digging. The materials kept behind the house were all recycled bits that I had picked up. All of this was being used to build the outer nest boxes, each side of the house. It took me about 4 days to build. 

Looking more like a chicken house now. Inside, I made divisions in the nest box area and a stand for the chickens to sit on. I built the nest box roof with hinges to access the eggs without climbing inside the house.

The next job was to make the doors for the front of the house to let the chickens in and out. Also to gain access when cleaning out.

Almost complete, just a few more final tasks. I needed to build the roof of the run to prevent any foxes from climbing in. And a steady door to enter the area.

Eventually when things start to grow, the idea is for the brambles to cover the entire roof space. Adding a more woodland character to the house.

The build is complete. The biggest allotment challenge so far! It was a fun project and I am really proud of how it turned out. Welcome home chickens!

The chicks have settled in and love their new home. There are 8 all together and they are the best of friends!

The finished home! I gave it a paint and added some chicken accessories. Enjoy!

My next post, the ever-growing compost heap.

Bob.