Chicken House Progress....

With the husband and kids gone on a visit to the farm in Arkansas, I have been working at FedEx for the usual hours to get the drivers out the door and then coming home to work on the chicken condo.  It has come along quite well and the girls moved in today!!

Again, I credit henning house (http://henninghouse.com/2011/05/building-the-chicken-coop-henhouse-part-1/) for their inspiration!

Here is a breakdown of the condo in stages:

Base constructed and checked for level.

Built the walls in the driveway and carried them down to the base.

All walls up and roof on!  Had the
husband help with this part, because it
was a tough go alone!

2 walls up

Used the FedEx van for a lumber (and tomato cage)
run!  Works better than the pick-up truck!
I opted to use 8 ft fence pickets instead of ply wood, because of the cuts for the
door, nesting boxes, and windows.  I put them on vertically to give it a log look. 

Window in and nesting boxes started.

Left side complete!

Nesting box complete (at least on the outside)

Back wall windows cut in as is the exit for the girls!

Back wall done including shutters
and screening on windows.

Window screen on the inside

Shutters can close to keep the
draft down in the winter.

Door added.  Needs a latch since the one I bought
was missing parts.  But who makes a
Home Depot run on Memorial Day weekend?!?

Ramp and screening for the open area at the bottom.  Have to keep the
predators out of the chicken house!

Added an awning above the windows.

Roost bars 

Nesting boxes on the
inside.  (And no build could be
complete without a cold one!)

Nesting box egg access.

Nesting box door open

While I was moving the fence
around and the girls were free ranging,
Floppsie made her own way in to lay!

All the girls are in and liking it!

I went down to check on them after it was dark and a
couple of the girls have made the transition quite well.
2 were not into the new roost.

I have several things left to finish, but all in all, I am super excited about the house that I built for the girls!  I think my shop classes in 6, 7, and 8th grades served me well!  It is not perfect and I used a TON of screws, but I still have all my fingers and I did it all with the Ryobi tool set my husband said could not be used to build a thing.  I didn't need that $200 compound miter saw he was trying to get me to buy!

For the project to be 100% done, I need to get a hanger for their food so it is right at the gate or inside the condo itself.  I also need to add a roost bar, because I realized tonight they are a little high.  A way to close the hen exit is in the works (but again would have required going to Home Depot).