Cooped Up

It sure would be awesome to have unlimited disposable income! Sadly, I don’t fall into that category.  Lately I scrimp and scrounge to make ends meet.  Being the DIY freak that I am, I tend to save things for future possible re-use whenever I can, rather than go out and buy new. You never know when a piece of PVC, or 50 pieces of it, may come in handy.  I have bricks and sticks and lumber and glass and boxes and wire and steel and tape and…and… and….you get the picture.

It happens that I’ve had this giant chain link fence dog kennel for well over 15 years.  It was given to me by former neighbors; they salvaged 3 of 4 sides during a yard renovation, and handed it over.  I slid it butt up to my shed and secured it tight to the shed.  It has served me well for dog containment when I mow the back yard.

But now, we’re dialing things up a few notches!

Since acquiring Cleopatra and Aphrodite (my two beautiful hens) they’ve been living inside of my cheap little camping screen tent and roosting in Jacks dog crate at night. I carry that crate into the sunporch every night for the girls safety, and then back to the tent in the morning. Guaranteed to be quite tiring after 7 days of it.

OOOh I feel a DIY idea coming on…..

After about a minute of inspection, that chain link kennel appears to have a whole new and exciting purpose—to become the girls chicken coop. I could see it in my minds eye—and with the help of my tool-maker friend, we got to work building their new home.

What’s a girl to do with a pile of PVC pipe and fittings?

Well make a chicken coop roof of course!

Step 1, cut fittings to clip onto the top of the fence frame.

Step 2, cut roof beams to size.

Step 3, assemble and clip onto fence.

 

Step 4, wrap chicken wire around entire kennel and roof to prevent any potential predator threat.  I used clear tie-wraps and the wire that the chicken wire fence was bound with to tie everything down.

Step 5, raise their “temporary” nesting box off the ground until I can afford to build them a nice little house.

Step 6, position the crate so they have an indoor place to retreat to.

I just happened to have a big, heavy duty, high table that was starting to decompose a little after 20 years of use at the hot tub. It is well built out of pressure treated decking wood and still very useable.  It’s perfect for the crate to sit on top of, and the heavy duty shelf underneath is just the right size to hold 2 nesting boxes.

Step 7, create and install perches for their entertainment and enjoyment.

Step 8, lay a fine floor of hay.

Step 9, strategically position ample food and water sources.

Step 10, attach waterproof tarp over a portion of the roof and sides to create a buffer from wind and rain.

And wha-la!  Time to bring the girls in for the big reveal!

I hope they like their new home!

Because I already had most of the materials to complete the job –this entire project ended up costing only $40.00 for chicken wire.

Now for some egg action!

 

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