Installing a Wider Perch

New Perch

A few days ago I discussed how Elsie was shunning the perch in favour of the nesting box and it was suggested that my perch may be too narrow for them to comfortably sleep. Everyone seems to agree that while a chicken will perch in some peculiar places as high as possible, they prefer a wider perch to a small one as while they will grip, they relax during sleep and sometimes even fall off thin perches!

Yesterday I installed their new perch. It was recommended that I put in something around 4 inches wide, however the widest length I had in the shed was about 4.5cm so in that went. I installed it approximately 10cm higher and a few cm closer to the back wall so they have more room behind the nesting boxes.

To install it I drilled 4 holes, two in either side of the walls, and then I lined up the beam and secured it with wood screws. My beam was about 1mm too short after I cut it to size so I had to wedge it into place with a little scrap piece of wood as I didn’t have anyone to help me hold it. A cordless drill with a screw driver attachment made this job super easy. I also had chicken helpers to inspect that the job was carried out properly.

Last night they got to test it, and while Elsie went straight for the nesting boxes she didn’t make as much of a fuss when I kicked her out and once she jumped onto the perch she stayed there. I think there was less wobbling while they settled themselves for the night.

This morning we received another egg! It was sitting right in the middle of a nest and is about the same size as yesterdays.

Building a Coop

Coop with both doors open

There is a lot of information online about housing your backyard chickens, but for me the important aspects were keeping the costs down and having a balance between not taking up too much space and big enough to clean easily. I think simple is good! Mine is obviously not the prettiest coop, but it is very functional and didn't cost very much to make.

The size was dictated by the materials in the end and we began with a square base which suited some sheets of aluminum we wanted to use for the sides. A sheet of perspex lets in light from the back and the roof has a shallow slope to shed water. To allow summer ventillation we have left a 2 inch gap between the walls and the roof. For ease of cleaning we decided to have two doors instead of one so that the whole front opens up.

Once constructed the entire coop was painted with outdoor paint inside and out which we also had left over. The legs were painted with cold galvanising compount which is intended to stop rust on metal. The only things we needed to buy were some bolts for the legs!

The pen itself was an existing structure which was constructed several years ago to keep a mischevious puppy contained when noone was home to supervise. It had walls and a gate so I purchased 12 metres of chicken wire to create a roof so that the hens would be completely contained and safe. This was the most expensive part at around $60, though the pen initially had cost several hundred due to the strength of the wire initially used.

More construction photos are available in the Photo Gallery