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Tips for building a chook-house?
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 |
#2
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"Rod Out back" wrote in message ... 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 I guess if the chooks dont work out mebbe ya could convert it into a bunker ? -- Regards ........... Rheilly Phoull |
#3
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"Rod Out back" wrote... I am in the latter stages of building a new chook-house (dubbed the Chook-Mahal, or Taj-Machook). Shit, mine was referred to as the Taj Mahal too, but it's NOTHING compared to yours... estimates it we are near the ton in steel so far For a start, I used wood for the frame. I'm out of my league here... -- Stephen Oakes |
#4
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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...). snip 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. So Rod, how heavy are the pots going to be, how much more steel will you use to attach them to the frame, and what is the SWL of your crane? ;) Hope this helps, Peter Do you know why university graduates wash their hands after going to the toilet? It's because they still don't know not to **** on their hands! |
#5
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In article ,
"Rod Out back" wrote: 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. Jackie French has written a Chook Book (I think it's actually called "Jackie French's Chook Book") which might be helpful. Here are two things I've heard about chooks: * They're actually from tropical forests, so they like shade and trees -- orchards and chooks go well together, particularly citrus orchards * I've heard the roost is best made from a branch, as the changing diameter exercises their feet better -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet |
#6
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"Rod Out back" writes:
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 Whatever tree you put in, the chooks will lie in its shade and excavate basins as they take dust baths in the cool soil. Perhaps a raised timber platform around the new trees for a few years will allow them to become established while still letting the chooks get in the shade? The chooks will enjoy the fallen mulberries, provided the district's birds don't get to them first. A choko vine might do well and it dies right back in winter. If your location suffers the predations of mosquitoes, consider making their night roost fully mosquito-proof, otherwise the birds will be hopping from one leg to the other and not getting a lot of sleep; maybe egg production will suffer. (Though by the sound of things, you probably apply mosquito repellent at night, anyway!) But I was wondering about air-conditioning ..... and soft muzak to dream by .... .... and an integrated worm farm. -- John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup) |
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