![]() ![]() Next, we added chicken wire to the bottom, cut out doors and put hinges on them. I also offer hay and shavings in these areas making a nice cozy dark area they feel comfortable laying their perfect little eggs. I offered two nesting boxes enough for 6 hens and my girls still insist on using just one. ![]() Though they don’t mind sharing, you don’t want over crowded boxes because it makes for fussy girls. It’s important to have one nesting box per three hens. Next, we decided we needed not just one, but two nesting areas. Once it was attached to the base my husband added a few outer walls. I started by taking the backside off and scrubbing it down. I came home and proudly announced my find. A sturdy kitchen cabinet that was to become my nesting box area and egg retrieval. I searched through the pile and spotted the one I wanted. Someone had decided to throw away their dated yellow 1960’s kitchen cabinets. I had run to the hardware store for some staples and on my way back a huge pile of “rubble” caught my eye on the side of the road. Ok, they weren’t plans more like a square with lines that ended up looking like a preschool picture, but my wonderful husband did an amazing job deciphering my drawing.įolks, I give you the coop base. When we looked around we found lumber, screws, nails, liquid nail, hardware, paint, even shingles. Can you believe it? No lie! You’d be amazed if you looked around your home as well, at what you can use and what is lying around just waiting for a DIY (Do It Yourself) project. Our budget was about one hundred fifty dollars for supplies, but we only ended up spending around thirty dollars. My husband and I chose to take a weekend and build our own. It also needs to be warm enough for cold winters and cool enough for hot summers. You want to make sure you choose a coop that is appropriately sized and adequate enough to house your hens comfortably. We have four laying pullets soon to get their title “hen”, once they turn a year, and I wanted them to enjoy their home. It does take someone who knows their way with a saw and the right materials, it can easily be done and done well! So that’s what we did. There are thousands of free online blue prints offered for any style and price point. So, I moved on to my next best idea for housing, online blue prints. Oh, who was I kidding? I also wanted the matching red and white mansion for us, but that’s just not in the cards. ![]() The automatic door that opened to a white picket fenced run. The port hole window with etched glass of a rooster. You know, the one that’s barnyard red with white trim. I longed for the four thousand dollar fancy one. And like anyone else we started enthusiastically looking at brand new freshly painted hen houses. When we decided to become chicken owners, a few concerns came to mind: where to find chickens, how to feed and provide for them, and how to shelter them. Contributor post written by Candice Smith ![]()
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