Chicken Planter

[Mikey]

I thought I would post a few pictures in progress of my garden chicken planters. You lot have been so kind as to help with a number of odd questions I've had, I thought I'd show you what I was building.

The first planter is already in the ground and waiting for the enclosure which will look a bit like the greenhouse when its finished. The enclosure is quite light weight and will be able to be lifted off and moved over planter number 2 to give the ground a rest.

[Suechooks]

Grow your own chickens!

[grenhouse]

I love this idea! Was going to do it down the lottie however it would have meant that I would have had the chickens out on show, not desirable! However, I have just built a raised bed at home and have another in the making. These are 6ft x 4ft. I aim going to make a run which goes over each bed, keeps the chickens off the veg in the summer and the chickens in the veg patch in the winter! easy!

looks great!

Steve

[chris]

Looks good dude, not sure about the flower mind! Don't think that colour suits you!

That timber is nice and straight! I went through about 3 timber merchants, wicks, TP, and B&Q before I found a semi decent place. nightmare!

[Mikey]

Ah, Well I went to Braceys in Llantrisant Chris. They have roofing battens in strapped bundles of 10, I cut the timber while I was there, and only came away with tidy timber, no knots or twists.

The flower, well yes.....I share my home with two girls, I was lucky to get away with black as a frame colour.!! They preferred Pink.

[Mikey]

Couple more pics in progress, Its starting to look more like the green house now.

You can see it took a bit of playing around with the height, it started off a little too cathedral like.

[chris]

Looks wicked dude!

Is that a tree house in the background?

Gotta say, really impressed with that mesh from hills of devon. It blows the wickes stuff I bought right out of the water. Sharp mind. I look like I self-harm - embarassed to show my forearms heh

[Nicos]

Hey up lad....you've been busy!!!

That looks really impressive...do keep us updated!

[Mikey]

It is a treehouse, the neighbours boys are at college now so the whole thing is being pulled down slowly, its taken my neighbour 8 months to get to that point.

The hills mesh is great, what are you using to cut it?, I've been using my hacksaw which seems to be going through it ok. I tried my pincers but like you it was carving up my arm.

The only thing I'm struggling with is getting the mesh taught, I don't like the ripple effect on the panel. I probably should have used a thicker gauge than the 0.7mm.

My Eglu was dispatched this morning so I'm hoping I'll be able to complete the run over the weekend. The forecast looks good.

[chris]

I'm cutting it with wirecutters currently..

I've got a few ripples in, but now am stapling the mesh horizontal, then the next one verticle, so one keeps it taught length-ways then the other width-ways if that makes sense. I'm stapling it probably every 4th hole (so every 2 inches). Overkill probably, but my last one bent and I was stapling it every 6 inches odd.. As long as it keeps them safe and secure though, for when we're out I don't mind if it looks a bit 'wavey'.

Aye, good weather, going to paint my coop this weekend I think, hopefully finish this and then get down to the allotment!

[Mikey]

Tell me about it, its keeping me away from the lottie at the most important time of the year. I haven't planned it well this year. Why am I so easily distracted by a new project.

OH is already getting requests for eggs from work colleagues, well they'll just have to wait in line.

[chris]

hehe, how many are you thinking of getting?

[Mikey]

Well I thought 3, but OH only wants 2, she thinks we'll have too many eggs with three. Personally I'm hoping she'll make some more cakes which she is a dab hand at, as you can see below. Besides spare eggs make good legal tender.

[chris]

Looks lovely, when's the invite coming my way?

3 is just about right for us (family of 3, another one on the way) - despite being hybrids one of mine has gone broody so down to two eggs.. so having to stock pile them to ear mark them for cakes, etc!

It's great being able to get up and think at least I can have an egg sarnie for lunch if there's nothing else in the fridge!

[Mikey]

Now I'm hungry and I've realised I haven't had any lunch yet.