All,

I am in the latter stages of building a new chook-house (dubbed the
Chook-Mahal, or Taj-Machook). I am seeking any thoughts or ideas about
things to add or subtract from the grand plan. I live in CW QLD, so this
might give you an idea of temps we encounter.
The Chook-Mahal is semi-portable (I have a truck crane), although current
estimates it we are near the ton in steel so far (I got a bit carried away
with the framework...). The whole structure started from two 6 metre-long
frames welded 2.5 metres apart. It is 2 metres high, so we dont have to
stoop to go find eggs etc. It is divided into 2 sections. One third the
length is going to be covered in with corrugated iron, and the other larger
section will be covered with shade-cloth & netting.

The enclosed area has a roost at the far end, and nesting boxes on the wall
opposite the roosts. I think I will set up some ventilation windows that
can be closed in winter, but allow breeze in summer. We have also a hanging
feeder which I will install in the roosting area, as it doesnt like getting
wet.

The outside section will have another roost for the warmer weather (the
current chook-house, they all roost outside most nights). I will also
install the water-trough out in this section, along with the plumbing for
some misters in the really hot weather, and a water tap to wash out feed
trays, etc.
The bottom metre of the walls around the exposed section will be 1" mesh,
and I will lay another run of mesh around on the ground outside this area,
in an effort to reduce foxes & goannas digging their way in.
The rest of the outer enclosure will be bird-netting and shade cloth along
the top to reduce heat & stop the birds eating all the food. Mum is talking
about passionfruit vines, along with a few other fast climbers to assist in
keeping the temp down. I will try to encourage these vines to climb over
the enclosed area as well.

We are also setting up a framework 6' x 2' x 2', and planting lucerne inside
it. This frame will be meshed, and the chooks can only eat what lucerne
grows long enough to come outside the mesh. Otherwise, the sisters of the
brown cackle would get into the lucerne, and have it all trampled in a
matter of days.

The chook-mahal is going to be butted up against the new orchard that is yet
to be constructed. We have gotten the shits with the bower birds (currently
10 and counting...) nicking all the fruit flowers, and are going to enclose
the orchard in a bird-netting. There is also a mulberry tree, which someone
has said des well in chook-houses. The orchard area is some 7 citrus trees,
as well as the mulberry tree at present. More to follow if this all goes
according to plan...

This will give the sisters of the brown cackle an enclosure 12 metres by 6
metres, along with the area in the chook-mahal. Do you think this is large
enough for them to run in there most of the day, and are the citrus trees
going to be able to cope with chooks all day? We do have the option of
letting the sisters into another enclosure if the orchard is going to
suffer.

All these questions and more. Any thoughts or ideas greatly appreciated.

I am tempted to post links to the finished product (sometime next week), but
fear you will all laugh at both the design, and the amount of steel used in
construction...

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back