Big plans for new sheds for poultry. Ideas welcome

mummaroo · **Posted:** Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:20 am

After all the rain we had a few weeks ago we have decided to make changes to make our lives a bit easier.
We are on the flood plains and always have to worry about getting to much rain. We got 3 inches in 3 hours and I lost chickens to localised water. After that had all gone dried up it took nearly a week for the water to flow from the mountains between Narrabri and Bingara to come down the Horton river into the Gwydir river and to get to us. It was a phone call from hubby to say it was on its way. Then we had to face it again. Bugger that we have decided now.
200sq metres of gravel. Build a high pad and on that build 4 new colour bond sheds with runs on them. We are going to build them ourselves. Buy the sheets of colour bond iron. Opening to the north but so it can be closed in through winter if need be. Will take us about 12 months with it by the time we let the gravel settle and other things like money. It's a plan. Open to any ideas for these sheds and the design from anyone who has any ideas. Would be much appreciated

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

Hope you have all dried out properly by now.

One suggestion would be to make the verandah deeper to keep the rain out as much as possible when it blows in from the North. Also coz you get some mightily hot days there - put whirly birds on the roof of each shed to help get the heat out. Get the ones that can be blocked off [closed] from inside to keep the warmth in in winter.

I have some plans for sheds somewhere - I can scan and post them if you like. They give the sqm to bird ratio too if memory serves.

Specialising in and have developed, also constantly striving to develop new Cuckoo colours within select breeds, whilst maintaining excellence of those breeds - other feather patterns/colours under development as well.

mummaroo · **Posted:** Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:31 pm

Hi Soozorps,
that is good. I like those ideas. Rain is alway a problem with the occasional storm that does come from the north. It also gets up to 45 at times in the summer here so the whirly birds will help. I would love to see some plans also. We are trying to do this and take many things into account doing this so this all helps greatly.
Thanks for your help with this much appreciated.

jo-chicken · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:17 pm

Maybe some shade cloth over a portion of the run... depends on your summers I suppose. Of course it depends on how big the runs are because I always think a couple of shubs are great in the pens and the chook love them.

Good luck with your plans anyway, it all sounds good.

mummaroo · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 4:47 pm

Thanks jo chicken. My old yard mainly consist of shade cloth. Now that we are building new sheds we have to start from scratch with trees, so will need the shade cloth.

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 5:28 pm

2 of my chook shed are made out of cold room material. It is great as it is insulation sandwich between two layers of metal. It has been used on the roof and the wall in the big pen and the roof in the small pen. Temp is always quite bearable. We were just lucky to have some of this material around.

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:26 pm

Hi mummaroo, a couple of things i've picked up -usually by trial and error are-

Make the roof of the house and the run taller than head hight-saves banging your head all the time. I like to go into the house to collect the eggs not only to have more to do with the chooks but to also check their poos and general area. There's nothing worse than continually being cramped and banging your head

Build the houses to suit the most number of large size birds you intend to keep in a pen- saves having to rebuild later if you've built them to suit bantams and decide you want to change to large.
Extend the roof at least a foot over the sides and ends of the house so water wont run back into the house
With the runs, dig in iron around the perimetre a foot or 2 into the ground depending on how easy the soil is to dig.-prevents predators digging in and stops roosters housed next to each other from seeing each other and fighting.
I also like to put awnings on the windows and above the door to prevent rain from coming in.
I've also taken up the idea of building 2 at once side by side including the runs. I'm currently building a pair of sheds with houses 6ft x 8ft and runs 14ft x 8ft for 6 breeders if you'd like me to take a couple of pics? I've built the houses and am now onto building the runs.

County Lodge · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:57 pm

Hey Dean's Poultry,

I wanna see photos anyway. Might give me some great ideas. Remember I have a non handy hubby but love him just the same. I'd be happier (or maybe less tired) if he could build me lovely chook pens and runs.

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:59 pm

Yep ok will get some pics tommorrow

mummaroo · **Posted:** Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:55 pm

At this stage we are building 40 pens in the 4 sheds with runs. All high enough to walk into as the pens I have now for all my bantams I cannot walk into. With the flooding we get it is all to hard with added health problems. Hubby is trying to make things much more manageable for me and easier to go away for a couple of days at a time.Neither he nor I want to cut back on my poultry at this point. I spent many hours with them and get a lot of enjoyment out of them

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Big plans for new sheds for poultry. Ideas welcome

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